Présentation par Elisabeth Platel
300 years of history and tradition
The Paris Opera Ballet School will be celebrating its three-hundredth anniversary in 2013. The oldest ballet school in the western world is also the world cradle of classic academic ballet. It was founded during the reign of Louis XIV, which started and ended with two decisions that made ballet a sovereign art form:
- the creation of the Académie Royale de la Danse in 1661,
- the creation of the Ecole de l’Académie in 1713 “to raise subjects capable of occupying employments that lack manpower”.
The school’s initial vocation has remained unchanged. The school’s mission is "to train ballet dancers and provide dancers with professional training” (official decree dated 5th February 1994 establishing the status of the Paris Opera).
By moving from the court to the theatre, dance became a professional activity. It was necessary to train performers for the Opera.
For a long time, the school was housed in the Opera buildings, premises not particularly adapted to its teaching mission. It was in fact the living conditions of the students from this period that resulted in the nickname for students at the school: “petits rats de l’Opéra” (little rats of the Opera).
It was not until 1987 that the school, then run by director Claude Bessy, was given a made-to-measure location, bringing together dance training, academic training and boarding school. These modern, purpose-built premises, located in Nanterre, were designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc.
The school today
Whatever his or her career, a dancer needs to be able to work in perfect integration with the corps de ballet whilst developing their artistic qualities so as to be able one day to perform a role, communicate a work, convey a vision and convince an audience. This savoir-faire and attitude must be combined with an ever-growing repertoire including not only classical French ballet but choreographic works from all backgrounds and periods right through to contemporary choreographs whose only limits are their imagination.
Training young dancers means rethinking the links between the society they live and study in and the art of ballet as presented in perfomances at the Paris Opera. The search for choreographic excellence supposes an all-embracing search for personal fulfilment and a harmonious balance between the individual to be and the dancer. It is precisely from this overall sense of cohesion that the talents of tomorrow may be born.
ELISABETH PLATEL - DIRECTOR OF THE BALLET SCHOOL
Elisabeth Platel started to dance at the conservatoire of St Germain-en-Laye then at the Conservatoire National de Paris in Christiane Vaussard’s class. She won her first Prix du Conservatoire in 1975 which opened the doors of the Ballet School. She joined the corps de ballet in 1976, was promoted “Première danseuse” in 1979 and “Danseuse Etoile” after her first Giselle, on 23 December 1981.
Until 1999, when she made her farewell appeerance in La Sylphide, she performed for all the major classic choreographers including George Balanchine, John Neumeier and Rudolf Nureyev in particular, for whom she gave first performances of many roles. She has been awarded the Prix Benois de la danse for her lifelong achievements and in particular for her role as ambassador of the French school throughout the world.
While continuing to appear as a guest Etoile, she rapidly felt the need to pass on her art and precious insight into dance. A guest teacher in France and abroad, Elisabeth Platel has also produced ballets and coordinated teaching for the State diploma.
In September 2004, she took over as director of the Ballet School.
