New season 2025 / 2026 at the Paris Opera Ballet

It has been a few weeks since I came back to Paris from Hong Kong. In July, I allowed myself long walks along the Seine, reflecting on my life. It was a truly revealing and profound experience. I realized what really matters to me and what doesn’t. That reflection gave me clarity on the direction I should take in the months and years ahead.

Since returning to Paris, I started putting my plans into action—and the universe has been helping along the way. Several major changes happened in my life: I changed my attitude towards my work at the Opera, I got a new (and much nicer) dressing room with a window, I began looking for my own place in Paris after more than ten years at my dear host family’s home, and I also started restructuring my wealth management business. All of this because I realized independence is vital to me, and I needed to become more self-reliant than I had been in the past.

These changes suddenly required courage… a lot of courage: speaking out for myself, adapting to new environments, taking new risks. I met a wonderful person who supported me throughout these challenges, and I am truly grateful to her. I also read a surprisingly wise book this summer that helped me see things differently: The Courage to Be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi.

Here are three key lessons I took away:

1. The importance of focusing on the present moment.
2. That it’s okay not to do things perfectly.
3. That empathy, while a strength, can sometimes make me forget about myself.

The book taught me much more than this, but its conclusion “stay in the present” resonated deeply. Before my first rehearsal of the Pas de deux des vendangeurs in Giselle—one of the most challenging pieces for soloists—I reminded myself to stay in the present. It helped me with the anxiety I could have had. In the past, I would feel nervous days in advance, imagining the worst scenarios. Even the slightest fatigue in class would make me lose confidence. This time, reminding myself to focus on the present allowed me to enjoy the sunlight on my way to the Opera, each port de bras, the piano music in class, and every look shared with my partner during rehearsal. It truly made me happier.

Then, Elena, the wonderful person I mentioned, gave me a strange exercise: “This week, Chun, find occasions to do things badly, intentionally, and tell yourself it’s OK.” Weird, isn’t it? Yet that week, I ended up doing things incredibly well! I realized that over the years, I had been afraid of doing things badly, fearing judgment. But I was also afraid of doing things well, and then having to face others’ praise or expectations. That exercise freed me: I allowed myself to JUST DO IT, good or bad, it didn’t matter. In the end, the act of DOING is much more important than whether it is GOOD or BAD.

Elena also helped me realize that I sometimes care too much about others’ feelings, with too much empathy. While empathy is a quality, the downside is that even when I know exactly what I want, I hesitate because I overthink how others might react. Sometimes, I should simply prioritize my own choices. How others react belongs to them, not to me.

Now, I feel deeply grateful for these lessons. They give me real hope for a wonderful new season at the Paris Opera Ballet, and also in my wealth management business. And as if it were a gift from the universe, there will be no concours de promotion for male sujets in November!!! Leaving me extra free time and energy to focus on other projects.

Feeling grateful.