Play

Play

I like creating worlds that have never been seen before
Alexander Ekman

A sparkling personality on the contemporary dance scene, Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman has been invited for the first time to work with the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. His language, both visceral and tinged with humour, combining theatricality, and classical and contemporary vocabulary alike, perfectly resonates with the incredible versatility and stage presence of the Ballet : the result is Play, a piece that evokes the world of childhood and its careless pleasures. But beyond pure entertainment, this performance contemplates the meaning and the importance of play when we become adults…

Best known for the spectacular quality of his pieces and their dreamlike imagery, like for instance his Midsummer Night’s Dream (released on DVD and Blu-ray by BelAir Classiques), the Swedish choreographer fills the stage of the Palais Garnier with an entrancing energy. The metallic structures, dancers suspended in space, and the elevations are but a few of the powerful images that will strike the audience’s imagination !

For this new creation, Alexander Ekman worked with his acolyte composer Mikael Karlsson, but also with a talented team of instrumentalists not often seen on the stage of the Palais Garnier, among which gospel singer Callie Day, or the incredible drums and marimba player Adelaïde Ferrière. An unexpected performance, carried along by enticing rhythms and communicative energy !

Play [DVD & Blu-ray]

Choreography, sets and costumes : Alexander Ekman

Music : Mikael Karlsson

with Stéphane Bullion – Danseur Étoile
Muriel Zusperreguy – Première Danseuse
Vincent Chaillet – Premier Danseur

and the Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris

Marion Barbeau, Aurélia Bellet, Alice Catonnet, Silvia Saint-Martin, Ida Viikinkoski, Juliette Hilaire, Laurène Levy, Charlotte Ranson, Jennifer Visocchi, Claire Gandolfi, Marion Gautier De Charnacé, Clémence Gross, Caroline Osmont, Sofia Rosolini, Chelsea Adomaitis, Margaux Gaudy-Talazac, Mouget Shanti

Aurélien Houette, Allister Madin, Marc Moreau, Jérémy-Loup Quer, Daniel Stokes, Simon Valastro, Adrien Couvez, Yvon Demol, Alexandre Gasse, Antoine Kirscher, Mickaël Lafon, Hugo Vigliotti, Takeru Coste, Simon Le Borgne, Antonin Monié, Andréa Sarri

Gospel singer : Calesta «Callie» Day

Piano : Frédéric Vaysse Knitter
First violin : Amanda Favier
Second violin : Pauline Fritsch
Viola : Benoît Marin
Cello : Eric Villeminey
Double bass : François Gavelle
Soprano saxophone : Christian Wirth
Alto saxophone : Géraud Etrillard
Tenor saxophone  : Adrien Lajoumard
Baritone saxophone : Pascal Bonnet
Percussions : Adélaïde Ferrière

Costumes : Xavier Ronze
Lighting design : Tom Visser
Videos : T.M. Rives
Choreographer’s assistant  : Ana Maria Lucaciu
Strategic Advisor and Dramaturge : Carina Nildalen
Set Design Assistant : Claire Puyenchet