Just being in the gorgeous Palais Garnier is a feast for the eyes, but add to that a performance by the top dancers in the field, and it will become a dazzling memory.The Nutcracker Ballet is as much a Christmas tradition as Christmas itself and I’ve loved the ballet ever since I can remember. With over 180 performances a year, you can catch a show during their season that extends from September to July.

Its majestic gilt finishes and grand staircases were engineered to allow the rich and famous to admire themselves and others during the long intermissions.Ī performance at the Palais Garnier should be on your short list of things to do. Today, most ballet performances are held at the Palais Garnier, a magnificent theatre built between 18 by architect Charles Garnier. In 2013, the school celebrated its tricentennial. The roots of the Paris Opera Ballet go back to the dances and practices of court life of Louis XIV of the late 1600s. Stroll through the stunning gardens then meet up for lunch on the Grand Canal. Skip the long lines to experience the grandeur of Versailles on a guided tour. See the Hall of Mirrors, the king and queen's private residences, as well as the magnificent gardens.īest of Versailles with Skip-the-Line Access + Grand Canal Lunch Your Own Private Versailles – Private Guided Tour with Hotel Pick-upĮxperience Versailles on an exclusive private tour with access to areas seen only by dignitaries. The Most Popular Ways to Visit Versailles An Etoile must have star quality, and possess a certain magic that makes you unable to take your eyes off of him or her.

Currently, there are 154 dancers, 16 premieur danseurs and 16 stars.Įtoile, or star, is used to describe a principal dancer in many ballet companies, however at the Paris Ballet, it is a prestigious title, and is at the discretion of the director. The annual corps de ballet exam also allows dancers to move up the ranks of the hierarchy: quadrille, coryphée, sujet, premier danseur, and etoile. Each year, there is a competition to fill the few remaining spaces in the company. Most of the dancers at the ballet come from the Paris Opera Ballet School and enter the company at the corps de ballet level of quadrille. For example, Nöella Pontois made her last performance in The Nutcracker when she turned 50. Many dancers are invited as guests by other companies. That doesn't necessarily mean their dancing career is over. That's because the average age of the ballet dancers is just 25 years and, because they are civil servants, they must retire at age 42, even if they are at the top of their form. The oldest national ballet company in the world, the Paris Ballet is also one of the youngest.

The nutcracker ballet royal opera house