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Ballet

New

Kontakthof

Pina Bausch

Palais Garnier

from 08 to 31 December 2022

2h55 with 1 interval

Kontakthof

Palais Garnier - from 08 to 31 December 2022

Synopsis

In the wake of The Rite of Spring (1997) and Orpheus and Eurydice (2005), Kontakthof is Pina Bausch’s third piece to enter the repertoire of the Paris Opera Ballet. In it we find all the elements that characterise this German choreographer: love, angst, violence, desire, sadness and also considerable humour. In a set by Rolf Borzik – a large ballroom with grey walls – men in dark suits and women in satin dresses and stilettos meet, cross paths, confront and size each other up. The dance is interrupted by micro‑sequences: pauses over memories, snatches of life... This major work in Pina Bausch's danced theatre, created in Wuppertal in 1978 for twenty or so dancers, requires a strength of expressiveness that reveals the personalities of each performer.

Duration : 2h55 with 1 interval

  • Opening

  • First part 100 min

  • Intermission 20 min

  • Second part 55 min

  • End

Artists

Media

  • Pina Bausch through the eyes of Jo Ann Endicott

    Pina Bausch through the eyes of Jo Ann Endicott

    Watch the video

  • Kontakthof, between tenderness and cruelty

    Kontakthof, between tenderness and cruelty

    Watch the video

© Julien Benhamou / OnP

Pina Bausch through the eyes of Jo Ann Endicott

Watch the video

Passing on Kontakthof

6:28 min

Pina Bausch through the eyes of Jo Ann Endicott

By Antony Desvaux, Thida Thongsoume

Jo Ann Endicott joined Pina Bausch in 1973 when the latter founded her Tanztheater Wuppertal company. Today Jo Ann is the artistic rehearsal director working with the company's dancers to bring Kontakthof into the Opera Ballet's repertoire.

She relates the work’s creative process, in which she participated in 1978, and the multitude of contrasting feelings that form its subject. Dedicated to passing on Pina Bausch's work, Jo Ann Endicott discusses the way she shares her experience with the Opera Ballet's dancers.  

© Julien Benhamou / OnP

Kontakthof, between tenderness and cruelty

Watch the video

Ève Grinsztajn rehearses Pina Bausch

4:40 min

Kontakthof, between tenderness and cruelty

By Antony Desvaux

As Kontakthof enters the Paris Opera Ballet's repertoire, the Première danseuse Ève Grinsztajn introduces us to the universe of the piece by Pina Bausch. Created in 1978, this Tanztheater classic takes place in a ballroom to music from the 1920s and 1930s.

The Première danseuse explains how the German choreographer stages the relationships between men and women in a way that is both tender and cruel. Finally, Ève Grinsztajn emphasizes the role of the costumes, which are shackles with which Pina Bausch plays.

  • [EXTRAIT] KONTAKTHOF, a piece by Pina Bausch
  • [EXTRAIT] KONTAKTHOF, a piece by Pina Bausch
  • TOÏ TOÏ TOÏ I 5 questions sur KONTAKTHOF avec GERMAIN LOUVET
  • [EXTRAIT] KONTAKTHOF, a piece by Pina Bausch
  • [EXTRAIT] KONTAKTHOF, a piece by Pina Bausch

Access and services

Palais Garnier

Place de l'Opéra

75009 Paris

Public transport

Underground Opéra (lignes 3, 7 et 8), Chaussée d’Antin (lignes 7 et 9), Madeleine (lignes 8 et 14), Auber (RER A)

Bus 20, 21, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95, N15, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Edouard VII16 16, rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris

Book your parking spot
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Restaurant

    CoCo is open every day from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. More information on coco-paris.com or at +33 1 42 68 86 80 (reservations).

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works and items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and the Palais Garnier Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    €10 for seats with a limited view of the stage and special reduced rates are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Edouard VII. It is located at Rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris (in front of 23 Rue de Caumartin).

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

At the Palais Garnier, buy €10 tickets for seats in the 6th category (very limited visibility, two tickets maximum per person) on the day of the performance at the Box offices.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €25 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €40 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Palais Garnier
  • Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until performances end
  • Get in from Place de l’Opéra or from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 53 43 03 97

Palais Garnier

Place de l'Opéra

75009 Paris

Public transport

Underground Opéra (lignes 3, 7 et 8), Chaussée d’Antin (lignes 7 et 9), Madeleine (lignes 8 et 14), Auber (RER A)

Bus 20, 21, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95, N15, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Edouard VII16 16, rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris

Book your parking spot
  • Cloakrooms

    Free cloakrooms are at your disposal. The comprehensive list of prohibited items is available here.

  • Bars

    Reservation of drinks and light refreshments for the intervals is possible online up to 24 hours prior to your visit, or at the bars before each performance.

  • Restaurant

    CoCo is open every day from 12:00 pm to 2:00 am. More information on coco-paris.com or at +33 1 42 68 86 80 (reservations).

  • Boutiques

    A selection of works and items are available on our various boutiques: Online store and the Palais Garnier Shop.

    LEARN MORE.

  • Last-minute tickets

    €10 for seats with a limited view of the stage and special reduced rates are available. 

    LEARN MORE.

  • Parking

    You can park your car at the Q-Park Edouard VII. It is located at Rue Bruno Coquatrix 75009 Paris (in front of 23 Rue de Caumartin).

    BOOK YOUR PARKING PLACE.

At the Palais Garnier, buy €10 tickets for seats in the 6th category (very limited visibility, two tickets maximum per person) on the day of the performance at the Box offices.

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €25 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €40 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Palais Garnier
  • Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until performances end
  • Get in from Place de l’Opéra or from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 53 43 03 97

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