The world’s oldest ballet company and one of its finest, the Paris Opera Ballet, arrives in Dubai to perform four exceptional galas this week. Scheduled performances include In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, choreographed by William Forsythe, and excerpts from neoclassical ballets such as Swan Lake. Ten soloists, including Valentine Colasante and Karl Paquette, will perform mattinees and evenings on January 9th and 11th at the Madinat Theatre.
And for those of you who might not be accustomed to seeing men in tights, speaking to The National on the subject of male ballet dancers, Paquette commented, “There is an equal number of male and female dancers in Paris Opera Ballet, and in most ballet companies. If you look at international ballet competitions for young dancers, such as the one in Lausanne, you see more male candidates than female ones in the last few years. Ballet is becoming very popular in Asian and South American countries.” Perhaps one day, the UAE will also host its own ballet company to be housed in its very own opera house, currently under construction in Downtown Dubai.
Visit www.madinatjumeirah.com for tickets.
