Paris Opera Ballet School

[BW]

There's a thread on the other Ballet Talk board that may be of some interest to some who frequent this board exclusively. It's about auditioning for auditioning for POB.

 

Perhaps the poster who started the thread will eventually make their way over here.

Edited January 12, 2005 by BW

[Gracey]

Does anyone know if Paris Opera Ballet school has a website?

[jambon]

Yes, they do have a webpage but they no longer have an English version of the page. If you do not know how to read french, then you could use an online translator.

 

Paris Opera Ballet School

 

If this link does not work:

 

Go to www.opera-de-paris.fr, then click on "Tout Savoir Sur". This will give you a drop down box. From the drop down box, click on "L'Ecole de danse". This should take you to the school's pages. I hope that this helps.

[Mel Johnson]

There is a relevant passage in there, though, about "paying students" not being on-track to become eligible for entry into the Paris Opéra Ballet. It used to be that students from Francophone countries were eligible to train for the company, and they showed some Algerians and Vietnamese in the corps. Lately, though, it looks to me as though they have been limiting eligibility to French nationals only, and for an American to get into the company is said to involve an entire lodge of Freemasons stark naked and painted blue twirling dead cats by their tails in the Protestant Cemetery at midnight on St. Walpurga's Eve.

[koshka]

koshka notes with great glee that the dates for _next year's_ (2005-6) student performances are already up, and that the winter ones fall in the week or two before Christmas, when it just might be possible to make a quick and cheap ballet-and-Christmas-shopping run to Paris.

[drives2much]

To clarify:

 

1). The Paris Opera Ballet only accepts into their school those that they are interested in training for and are deemed to have potential for their professional ballet company. Do I have this right?

 

2). Americans are not considered for their professional company, therefore, in consideration of point #1, Americans cannot train at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Right again???

[balletbooster]

drives2much,

Americans can train at the school. We know one dancer (American) who trained there from age 10-16. But, those who are not French citizens cannot join the company. My daughter was invited to the school for a visit, after having Claude Bessy as a teacher at her SI, so we did a little research on this topic.

[Daniil]

drives2much,

Americans can train at the school.  We know one dancer (American) who trained there from age 10-16.  But, those who are not French citizens cannot join the company.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Indeed you can

There are even Auditions for not accepted (french) students from the own school and for foreigners.

Just look at the names of the Corps. Some sound to me very foreign (Corean and Japanese) I do not think they have the french citizenship.

[cygneblanc]

An american could be a full member of the compagny by becoming a french citizen. It is needed because POB dancers are state employees.

[Balletmartyr]

I am sorry...I had to laugh out loud at Major Mel's entry! Too funny!!

[Guest balletandsynchro]

We too have a dancing friend who will be attending this school in the fall. Balletbooster iand cygneblanc are correct in their statements that students who are not French citizens are unable to join the company upon completion of their course of study. Our family also researched this school for DD's possible attendance last year. Nevertheless, attending this school would be an honor, and I think open some career doors on both sides of the Atlantic.

[Mel Johnson]

Of course, that's after the Masons with the cats. Anybody who could organize that should be entitled to be a member of whatever company they want.

[Mel Johnson]

drives2much,

Americans can train at the school.  We know one dancer (American) who trained there from age 10-16.  But, those who are not French citizens cannot join the company.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Indeed you can

There are even Auditions for not accepted (french) students from the own school and for foreigners.

Just look at the names of the Corps. Some sound to me very foreign (Corean and Japanese) I do not think they have the french citizenship.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Although we may be able to tell something about a person's ethnicity from their name, it doesn't really give a clue as to a person's citizenship. And even some names could be mistaken for an erroneous ethnicity. A Russian Simkin (a German citizen) could easily be mistaken for a Welsh Simpkins.

[cygneblanc]

Americans can perfectly attend the school but they will have to pay some fees (about 9000 euros per year), unless they have won a scholarship somewhere. Two american girls, Sasha de Sola and Jordan Drew, will be at the school in September 2005. They won sholarships at the YAGP.

 

An American could join the POB as a "surnumeraire" (a one year contract). After several years, I think if the POB directors could help him or her to acquire the french citizenship, which is necessary to be a full time member of the compagny.

 

And Mister Johnson, thanks for the good laugh .

[Guest balletandsynchro]

Major Mel, I always enjoy your posts, whether they are the instructive/informative ones, or the humorous ones! I read your post above to my husband and he found it very funny too!