October 2nd 2009, France 24 Culture, available on Satelite in the UK. I have just watched a itnterview on the Culture Spot, this evening giving details of a new documentary by the well known Film Maker Fred Wiseman about the Paris Opera Ballet. It is based on the same format as his earlier film about Ther American Ballet Theatre. Instead of direct dialogue with the performers he uses the sounds of the moment to bring the audience into the scene, and experience the life of the Company.
A total of 117 hours of film was shot, which has been edited to produce the end product.
I think this new work is to be released from the 6th October in Paris. Hopefully we will also gert the chance to see it in the UK, as we did the ABT documentary he made.

There will be two screenings of the film during this month's BFI London Film Festival - October 15 at 6.30pm and October 16 at 1.30pm at the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square.
http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff/node/368

Thank you so much Bella 12, for posting details of the London showing of this film, leaving in Norfolk I would not have known about it in time to decide to go. Well I have now booked a seat for the 16th October to go and see it. As it is on at 13.30, I can get the train there and back quite easily. It is years since I went to the cinema. Just will have to find out where it is, and how to get there from Kings Cross Station.

It couldn't be easier, Nanarina. The cinema is at 3, Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square. It's just a few stops on the Piccadilly line from King's Cross to Leicester Square . The Cranbourn Street exit from the station is clearly marked.

here's the press release for the NYC run of the film:

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET,

Frederick Wiseman’s Portrait of the Legendary Dance Troupe,

Has NYC Theatrical Premiere Wednesday, November 4 at Film Forum

Film Forum is pleased to present the U.S. theatrical premiere of LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET, opening Wednesday, November 4. Documentary master Frederick Wiseman’s 38th film in a career that has spanned more than 40 years, turns his attention to one of the world’s greatest ballet companies, the Paris Opera Ballet. The camera roams the vast Palais Garnier, an opulent 19th-century building: from its crystal chandelier-laden corridors to its labyrinthine underground chambers, from its light-filled rehearsal studios to its luxurious theater replete with 2,200 scarlet velvet seats and Marc Chagall ceiling. LA DANSE devotes most of its time to watching impossibly beautiful young men and women — among them Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, and Agnès Letestu — rehearsing and/or performing seven ballets, including: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, The Nutcracker by Rudolf Nureyev, Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek, Romeo and Juliet by Sasha Waltz and Orpheus and Eurydyce by Pina Bausch. For balletomanes and the curious alike, LA DANSE serves up a scrumptious meal of delectable moments, one more glorious than the next, made even more precious by their ephemeral nature. LA DANSE will open in Los Angeles and Chicago on November 20 with a national rollout to follow.

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET will have a 2-week engagement November 4-17 at Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (W. of 6th Av.) with screenings daily at 1:15, 5:30 and 8:30.

Frederick Wiseman is one of the world’s leading practitioners of the observational documentary. His films include TITICUT FOLLIES, HIGH SCHOOL, BASIC TRAINING, PUBLIC HOUSING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, and BALLET (on the American Ballet Theater). Critic Philip Lopate has called Wiseman “the greatest American filmmaker of the last 30 years.”

“Glorious. Typically rigorous and compelling. Wiseman not only highlights many stellar performances by the company’s star dancers but subtler matters of labour and logistics.

A superb portrait of the perennial pas de deux between art and commerce.”
– Jason Anderson, Eye Weekly (Toronto)

"An absolute treat for balletomanes." – Leslie Felperin, Variety

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET (2009, 158 mins.) Director, Editor and Sound: Frederick Wiseman. Produced by Pierre-Oliver Bardet, Frederick Wiseman, Francoise Gazio. Photography: John Davey. Note: See press kit for a complete list of dancers and ballets. France/USA. In English and French with English subtitles. An Ideale Audience, Opera National de Paris, Zipporah Films production.

Thank you Bella12 and rg for your posts. I am really looking forward to seeing the film, if Sasha Waltz's Romeo and Juliette is featured hopefully it will be with Aurelie Dupont and Herve Moreau who premiererd it. If it is as good as his film about ABT then it will be worth travelling to see. I wonder if a DVD will be released as it is something you can enjoy watching for a long time.

These are the ballets shown in the film, according to a poster on Dansomanie:
http://www.forum-dansomanie.net/forum/view...sc&start=15

Casse Noisette: Jose Martinez, Nicolas Le Riche + Laetitia Pujul, Emilie Cozette

Paquita: Agnès Letestu + Hervé Moreau, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Manuel Legris + Dorothee Gilbert, Mathilde Foustey + Mathias Heymann (pas de trois), Paula( ?) + Simon( ?) (pas de trois)

Genus: Mathias Heymann, Myriam Ould-Braham, Dorothée Gilbert, Agnès Letestu, Mathieu Ganio, Jérémie Bélingard, Benjamin Pech.

Romeo et Juliette (Sasha Waltz): Aurélie Dupont + Hervé Moreau

Le Songe de Médée: Emilie Cozette( ?), Wilfried Romoli, Muriel Zusperreguy, Yann Bridard( ?)


Apparently there're no interviews. Just the camera following dancers and staff around.

I have contacted the distributors of this new Fred Wiseman Documentary about The Paris Opera Ballet. They have informed me it will be realeased on DVD in approximatly six months time. The actual date will be published on their aite. I will post more details later.

Great news, Nanarina!

That is indeed excellent news. Although I love to see things like this in a theater, on a big screen with a better sound system than I have at home (and I love the exposure that dance gets when there's a film like this in circulation) Wiseman's style, like Robert Altman's, includes so many offside comments and sotto voce details that it really repays watching over several times.

I am looking forwrd to seeing the film on the big screen. But will buy the DVD when it is released, as you rightly say there will hopefully be a lot to concentrate on and I will be able to watch it at home. My daughter got me a wide screen TV with surround sound, which is super for Ballet DVD's. It is a flat screen nearly 4ft wide.

Trailer with English subtitles for La Danse:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=...7505&ref=mf

I went to see this on Friday16th at the first viewing and enjoyed it very much. 2hrs 54 minutes of insight into this wonderful company. From the dancers to the cleaners were featured. Intermixed with views of the theatre from inside and outside From the lake in the basement complete with fish to the bee hive on the roof from where honey was collected

Fred Wiseman took you from rehearsals of a number of ballet, With the Etoile's down through the ranks to the Corp de Ballet. Gradually building up a picture of the near completion of the productions.
Most of these consisted of dress rehearsals, as no camera's were allowed in the auditorium, sppsrt from one which was positioned in the orchestra pit. This meant the scenes were filmed from the wings to one side of the stage. Which worked very well in the circumstances.

The Ballets featured were both modern and classical showing the variety of the POB repertoire, and included Songe de Medea, Nutcracker, Paquita and a very small snippet of Sasha Waltza's Romeo and Juliette. Sadly Fred Wiseman only arrived in Paris as this was finishing it's run, and was unable to feature very much in the film appart from a little of the Pas de deux (Berlioz's lovely Love scene music) The contempory works in addition to Medea which was rather extensively used were Genue
and another which I am not sure of it' title, it involved women in long black dresses and an oblong table. A lot of thumping and shouting by a male lead and the women. You may reconise it, but sorry I did not.

The different threads were all held together by the lovely waltz music from the ballroom scene in Paquita and other Ballets, It gave a brilliant picture of the workings inside the organisation, the rewards given to the Ballets benefactors. meetings and discussions about such things as retirement, pensions the Dancers welfare and treatment by the management.

I am not going to go into more detail, as I would not wish to spoil it for you if yoiu plan to see it.
All I will say is I thought it was really excellant, and would recommend it.

After the performance we had the chance to meet and speak with Frerderick Wiseman.and enjoyed a question and answer session. He kindly provided the details I have included in this post, and told us he had taken 130 hours of film, which was reduced to the final 2h 54m. He is an avid lover of Ballet and said he would have moved in, to the Opera if he could".A few members of the audience made suggestions to him regarding the film he quite happily accepted. I think if there had not been a later film show, some of them would have liked to spend more time chatting with him. It nicely rounded off the visit.

" The contempory works in addition to Medea which was rather extensively used were Genue
and another which I am not sure of it' title, it involved women in long black dresses and an oblong table. A lot of thumping and shouting by a male lead and the women. You may reconise it, but sorry I did not."

Thank you for this. I also enjoyed the film enormously. As for the work you weren't able to identify, I believe it was Mats Ek's House of Bernarda Alba. I have to add that I found it a pity that Wiseman felt he didn't need to provide captions identifying the main dancers and choreographers. Of course he wouldn't have been able to identify everyone, but maybe the main dancers could have been identified the first time that they appeared? He said that he did not do this as he felt that people who knew the company wouldn't need the captions and that the rest of his audiences wouldn't need to identify the dancers. To be fair, he also said that he felt that captions would spoil the aesthetic effect of the film but I do wish he had found some way of getting around this problem as, for many of us, it would have added to the interest of an already fascinating film.

ps I hope you don't mind if I point out a typo. The McGregor work was Genus.

I think the idea of Fred Wiseman was to show the ballet in the whole and that there were no main dancer but just dancers that work just the same, from étoiles to quadrilles

HI Bella12 and Silvermash,

Were you at the Question and answer session? Because it was asked if the Dancers names could be mentioned, but you rightly say Fred Wiseman did not seem to want to do this. I think it is a shame, as I am partially sighted I could not always see .Even on the big screen it would have helped me to see who they were. At one stage I wondered if the stockier guy in Genus was Jeremie Belingard as there are photographs of him in it. It may seem strange but I often have to relie on their physique or style of dancing, if I cannot hear a voice.
In Jeremie's case it looked like his lower legs.I have to use special binoculars in a theatre and sometumes manage to see faces. Thank you the name of the other ballet. And spelling correction The E is near the S on the keyboard and I do hit the wrong keys at times. Though I must have missed it when I checked.

I think you are right about F.W.s motives, although he did not actually confirm this, He thought names would take up too much space as he woulld have to mention more than just one or two people when there were a number prescent.

Yes I think the dancer you mentioned is probably Jérémie 'cause the other "short" dancer in Genus is Benjamin Pech and he was shown with Marie-Agnès Gillot... Other dancers were Mathias Heymann not very tall either but easy to recognise (the youngest) and Mathieu Ganio, quite tall with long limbs...

From the Film Forum (NYC), where La Danse opens on November 4:

Film Forum
209 West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014
Box Office: 212-727-8110

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET,
Frederick Wiseman’s Portrait of the Legendary Dance Troupe,
Has NYC Theatrical Premiere Wednesday, November 4 at Film Forum

Film Forum is pleased to present the U.S. theatrical premiere of LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET, opening Wednesday, November 4. Documentary master Frederick Wiseman’s 38th film in a career that has spanned more than 40 years, turns his attention to one of the world’s greatest ballet companies, the Paris Opera Ballet. The camera roams the vast Palais Garnier, an opulent 19th-century building: from its crystal chandelier-laden corridors to its labyrinthine underground chambers, from its light-filled rehearsal studios to its luxurious theater replete with 2,200 scarlet velvet seats and Marc Chagall ceiling. LA DANSE devotes most of its time to watching impossibly beautiful young men and women — among them Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, and Agnès Letestu — rehearsing and/or performing seven ballets, including: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, The Nutcracker by Rudolf Nureyev, Medea by Angelin Preljocaj, The House of Bernarda Alba by Mats Ek, Romeo and Juliet by Sasha Waltz and Orpheus and Eurydyce by Pina Bausch. For balletomanes and the curious alike, LA DANSE serves up a scrumptious meal of delectable moments, one more glorious than the next, made even more precious by their ephemeral nature.

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET will have a 2-week engagement November 4-17 at Film Forum, 209 W. Houston St. (W. of 6th Av.) with screenings daily at 1:15, 5:30 and 8:30.

Frederick Wiseman is one of the world’s leading practitioners of the observational documentary. His films include TITICUT FOLLIES, HIGH SCHOOL, BASIC TRAINING, PUBLIC HOUSING, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, and BALLET (on the American Ballet Theater). Critic Philip Lopate has called Wiseman “the greatest American filmmaker of the last 30 years.”

“Glorious. Typically rigorous and compelling. Wiseman not only highlights many stellar performances by the company’s star dancers but subtler matters of labour and logistics.
A superb portrait of the perennial pas de deux between art and commerce.”
- Jason Anderson, Eye Weekly (Toronto)

"An absolute treat for balletomanes."
- Leslie Felperin, Variety

LA DANSE: THE PARIS OPERA BALLET (2009, 158 mins.) Director, Editor and Sound: Frederick Wiseman. Produced by Pierre-Oliver Bardet, Frederick Wiseman, Francoise Gazio. Photography: John Davey. Note: See press kit for a complete list of dancers and ballets. France/USA. In English and French with English subtitles. An Ideale Audience, Opera National de Paris, Zipporah Films production.

Thank you very much Silvermash, I am surprised I did not reconise M. Gsnio snd M Heymann, as I have seen the later in person dancing Onegin, then afterwards at the stage door. So Jeremie was the other person, . I think he is lovely "it's those muscles you know!!!!I

Thank you Carbro for the write up and photographs of La Danse, it sums it up pIt perfectly. Will you be able to go and see it? I am sure you would enjoy it.The time of performance is 2h 54m.

Mathieu Ganio is only there a short moment with Agnès Letestu in Genus... They both got injured and only danced a show or two I think, being replaced by Emilie Cozette and Stéphane Phavorin

There's an interview with Wiseman on the arts.meme site here. (you may have to click around in the site -- I can't find a specific url for the interview)

David Denby has a brief notice in this week's New Yorker. I put his conclusion in bold type.:


[Edited to add: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cine...y?currentPage=2

at a reception for Frederick Wiseman on the eve of the opening of his newest film in NYC, the promotional card, scanned below, was available.
at another gathering late last week the director noted that, if i recall correctly, the number of hours of 'raw' footage for this film were the most he's ever taken before making his final edit. (he also noted that the out-take hours, some 148 or so of them, would be deposited in the Library of Congress and eventually probably available to 'researchers' etc.)
re: said edit he told a questioner last night that he edits his films all by himself and that no one sees the result until his finally finished.
when asked about his gift for getting his subjects to seem unaware of his presence, he said he had no answer but that one should never underestimate the power/element/factor (i forget this precise word) of narcissism.
f.y.i.

I don't find it so surprising considering that dancers are used to performing as if the audience isn't there.

to clarify: the narcissim question, probably not made clear above, was directed generally, at the numerous individuals who appear in Wiseman's films, often saying things and behaving in ways one might not expect to be 'shown' to the camera, and not specifically with regard to the dancers documented in LA DANSE.

As a former dancer, I especially relished this line in Denby's review: "The Ballet is a huge organism, at the center of which is Brigitte Lefèvre, the tentacular administrative head. She’s a little overbearing, and Wiseman, with evident pleasure, turns back to the dancers...."

And in reply to Hans, who wrote "dancers are used to performing as if the audience isn't there," another way of putting this would be to say that performers always act as if an audience is always there.

Alongside the tendency of performers to perform is Wiseman's practice of taking hours and hours and hours of footage -- after a time, the subjects of the project almost forget the cameras are there.

Yes indeed!

to repeat: i didn't mean to imply that anyone listening to the question noted above as posed to Wiseman made reference to the dancers themselves.
it's a given that performers are performers.
Wiseman's remark was aimed at the NON-performers in his films, only two of which concern dancers and many of which contain scenes in which one is often amazed to see how individuals behave 'on the record'- don't forget ABT director Jane Hermann's angry phone call to the Met Opera House presentations office in BALLET complete with the f-word. no one at conversation on Tues. with Wiseman was likely naive enough to be amazed at the ease or freedom of the Paris dancers as they "lived' lives for the cameras.

Actually, there's some debate on this, I think--in that some can "turn it off" while others can't (most of whom I worked for, alas). Your point re the Wiseman documentary is clear; I still find performers by and large to be narcissistic (guilty as charged!).

This is one of Wiseman's gifts, or perhaps more accurately, a product of his skills as a filmmaker -- he captures some very naked moments in the environments he studies. It's fascinating to see when it's a world I'm familiar with -- when it's a place I don't know well, it's even more stunning.

His work is perhaps the closest to actual cinema verite that we have.

I've always admired Mr. Wiseman, his work, and verite methods. I also admire the 'honesty' he elicits from his subjects/participants. But apropos, there are many U.S. (and European) journalistic and broadcast standards that regulate "editorial control" to prevent the subjects of documentaries from trying to control what is said, how, when, or where, or consequently turning a documentary into a "puff piece" or propaganda. So, if Mr. Wiseman followed those rules--and I'm sure he did--then, I'm not sure Ms. Hermann could have asked/or required that particular phone conversation be edited from the final production. Personally, I am glad she couldn't or didn't, and that Mr. Wiseman kept it in. It is an 'honest' view of the sometimes protracted negotiating that happens behind-the-scenes to give us the illusion of an effortless company performance. I applaud Mr. Wiseman, and ABT for that.

Unfortunately, the subject of my doc (or his lawyers?) did not understand this principle of 'editorial control' and it has taken many months of (normally unnecessary) expensive legal negotiating to convince him/them that their original request for what could and could not be shown,or veto power , (beyond following normal standards of "privacy"), would prevent my being able to broadcast the documentary on PBS or anywhere else such journalistic standards exist.

My Mom and I are seeing La Danse tomorrow and we're very excited. We wanted to go today but not with the Yankees parade chaos downtown.

Markarovafan - I hope yiou will both enjoy it, as I did. My only complaint would be that I would have preferred less of Songe de Medea, it is certainly not my favourite ballet, but I like
Marie Agners Gilot, she is a pretty good dancer, but wasted in this ballet I feel. I think Fred Wiseman's intention is to let his films speak for them selves, without the need for interviews, and in this and the ABT earlier film he seems to achieve this.

I don't understand this part of your post. What is your doc? Is it also about dance or performers?

Ray, 4mrdncr's documentary is most certainly about dancers. On this thread, she describes some of the earlier hitches along the way -- blame them on Mother Nature. And here's a link to the trailer. <--invalid link. (See below.)

Thanks! But the trailer does not play--in place of a dancing figure are the words "303: failed to load a resource."

Apologies. I now remember that 4mrdncr said she had to withdraw the trailer because it had been copied to other sites without her authorization -- in other words, copyright infringement.

Thanks Carbro for providing the "backhistory" links to my documentary and trying to link to its trailer. I'm grateful. But actually I didn't withdraw the trailer from dancemedia.com, because I still believe it is (as I originally requested because of the contractual and copyright issues) "read only" there.

However, I did request that footage of a performance I had shot, but not released, be removed (by the choreographer who had posted it)from YouTube because of music rights issues, which I believe has now been done.

Problems viewing the Trailer, are usually due to dancemedia.com's server problems. Several times, access was unavailable because of this. I had originally thought it was non-computer-techie-me, or my ancient computer. But as you see, others have difficulties too.

Hopefully, Ray, this link will work... http://www.dancemedia.com/v/1528
I hope you enjoy it. ALL comments welcome here .

Progress Report: Rather slow, mostly due to the economy, and my need to spend time on survival rather than the film, but nevertheless, moving forward.

Debra Levine talks about the film here in an article on documentaries with Doug Cummings.

What a beautiful film. How beautifully shot!

I hope I haven't said too much... perhaps this should have a spoiler warning?

I was a little shocked by the Tallchief comment… one could say so many things about the dancers of earlier generations… one could say things about Nureyev after all… but why? They trained under different circumstances to different standards, it was a different world… who knows how they would have looked were they trained as today’s dancers are trained? I was less shocked even if surprised when Farrell’s mannerisms were described as flaws that now others copy, because I can see how someone who had been meticulously trained not to do those things might see them as flaws… but a little surprised all the same… ha a gauntlet been thrown down? Is there still anger within the POB that an American from outside the system was once promoted above them?

The dress rehearsal(?) comments about the young soloist sounded like headphone chatter, probably not intended for everyone (poor thing!)… just before the soloist with the fabulous beats… Was young soloist the same dancer meeting with Le Fevre? I found that whole bit hard to read… Was she being obsequious or was she just displaying a typical French girl’s speech patterns & feminine mannerisms? Couldn’t quite figure it out… Had she just been promoted? Why was she meeting with Lefevre?

Contrary to the review, I didn’t think Lefevre was so manipulative, but rather right… rather very right… she seemed to be most concerned with keeping the quality of the POB up very high, but still going forward, not becoming a museum, while acknowledging that she still needed to work within the bureaucracy of the opera … It was fascinating watching her explaining to the guest choreographer (who was that? I hope the DVD has an ID option!) that he couldn’t just watch some company classes and ask for dancers by name… but he could ask for a type of dancer and she’d give him a few to try out…

Someone felt the rehearsal masters were being mean… I didn’t, I thought they were doing their job and skillfully. It was fascinating to see how they were trying to carve even more out of a beautiful dancer’s interpretation…

Also how many different languages the dancers were being rehearsed in, apparently without translators…

The Lehman Bros visitation refusal seemed simply that one couldn’t feasibly fit 20 business people invisibly or comfortably into a rehearsal studio… (I want to say self-important business people, as there’s no reason to expect these people to make themselves small) but they were willing to let them traipse through a rehearsal space, doesn’t that seem interruption enough?

I’m going to try to take two tweens but we’ll probably be leaving soon after bureaucracy speech starts and before Medea starts killing her children… it’s a long movie for a kid. Speaking of which, will this be likely cut down before it hits DVD? Will it tour the art houses in this length?

Enjoyed Wiseman’s voyeurism… even looking in at what the cafeteria was serving…
Most enjoyed Wiseman voyeurism of the creative process, the choreographers talking to the dancers, the coaches, but especially the bit with Lefevre explaining to the guest choreographer that he couldn’t just watch a class and ask for the dancers he likes… We never did get to see how that resolved!

I didn’t think the subjects were performing for the camera… I expect it became invisible to them as has often been my experince working with dancers. I didn’t think anyone was self conscious, except well, maybe cafeteria cashier was self conscious & costume shop woman seemed pointedly absorbed in her work – but hey, wasn’t that janitor sweeping up at the Garnier graceful?

Enjoyed the modern piece with the feet at the Bastille, the one where the platform raised… What was that? Was it Romeo & Juliet?

I kept waiting for some big grand classical ballet bash… I swear there was stuff in the trailer that wasn’t in the film … Somehow I thought we’d see more of the Nureyev snow scene… Maybe I was lost in thought as it went by.

I loved seeing the Paquita footage up close… it’s always seemed to be a ballet about how much the dancers enjoy doing those steps…(as opposed perhaps to the big choreographic picture), so it was nice to have the closeness the camera allowed us as opposed to the gulf of the orchestra pit.

Interesting at how Le Fevre is trying hard to push the modern… Confounded that the students were not availing themselves of the modern technique classes offered which would help them with just the repertoire they are complaining was difficult for them to take on… I see she took courses from Merce, Taylor, Nikolais. She has choreographed before but doesn’t now?? I couldn’t find a Wikipedia page on her, surprisingly.

What was the strike about?

No one is ever seen dissing the Nureyev repertoire… One watches the cavalier variation for a few moments thinking “what is this ballet?” before realizing in shock that it’s Nutcracker! His work looks so full of steps, so difficult, often too busy, as if he choreographed it to a slower tempo in his imagination... but I rather liked the pas de deux for Clara and the Nutcracker at the end of the battle...

Movie didn’t seem to build to an ending… it just ended. In the middle. at a stopping point. of sorts. like life.

But the whole thing was so beautifully shot… if one couldn’t see the overall choreography, one could still see the dancing in choreographic phrases… the only time it was hard to watch was the song of Medea, and only where Medea has lost it… perhaps he was going for disjuncture, underlining that out of control feeling?

I saw "La Danse" last night at Film Forum, and I loved it! I could have watched another three hours of footage about that glorious company.

I was able to identify almost all of the dancers and choreographers. But I do have two questions for sharp-eyed and informed Ballet Talkers. Who was the dark-haired female dancer with Wilfried Romoli during the Medea section that was filmed onstage and in costume? She wasn't dancing the role of Medea (not Emilie Cozette or Delphine Moussin) and I think she's in the corps rank. Also, what piece was Yann Bridard rehearsing towards the end of the film?

FYI for anyone who's planning to see this at the Film Forum - buy tickets in advance! I live nearby and decided to stroll over to catch the 1:30 PM showing. Got there at 1 and IT WAS SOLD OUT! So was the 1 PM showing of The Red Shoes. Good for them, maybe they'll book some more ballet films.

Dance Actress - Could you give a rundown of who was dancing what? Or who the choreographers were? Once again I had to leave before credits ran...(I had children with me and we had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us). I see names of choreographers but not who choreographed what. I'm embarrassed to say how ignorant I am, but would love to know who was who... I gather the foot thing at the Bastille was Sasha Waltz, who was the choreographer discussing casting? Who was the choreographer chanting Indian rhythms? Who were the old coaches?

I took my 11 yo & her 12 yo friend... to the films credit they wanted to stay through to the end...

I amend my statement that the film just ends... it ends with some absolutely incredible dancing, but it's a solo... for some reason I expected something with a full cast for the end...

Also, now I understand that the young girl meeting with Lefevre was probably replacing the older dancer in the pas de trois she wanted to drop. I could have sworn the older dancer said she was having trouble with pointe and jumps in her interview, but didn't hear it go by this time.

What was the strike Lefevre was talking about?

NY Susan... I totally agree with you. We went @ 5:30 yesterday and the line for people already holding tickets was out the door... a half hour before the film started!

Every seat has a full view of the screen, of course, but if you expect to find two seats next to each other, do not arrive 10 minutes before screen time!

Amy Reusch,
I'll do my best! Here are the ballets, the dancers, choreographers and coaches that I recognized in no particular order:

"Paquita"- in the studio, the principals were Agnes Letestu and Herve Moreau, coached by Pierre Lacotte and Ghislaine Thesmar (the older couple- I believe they're married- he mentioned Suzanne Farrell's flaws)
- onstage and in costume, the principals were Dorothee Gilbert and Manuel Legris dancing the Grand Pas
Classique
- onstage and in costume, Marie-Agnes Gillot delivers superb fouettes
- the male dancer in the Pas de Trois was Matthias Heymann
- two of the female dancers in the Grand Pas were Fanny Fiat and Muriel Zusperreguy

"Casse-Noisette"- in the studio, the principals were Laetitia Pujol and Jose Martinez, coached by Florence Clerc (I think) and
Patrice Bart in separate scenes
- Nicolas Le Riche dances his Act II solo in the studio
- there was a group rehearsal of the Clara/Cavalier Act II Pas de Deux- I glimpsed Manuel Legris, Dorothee
Gilbert, Nicolas Le Riche, Laetitia Pujol, Karl Paquette, etc. - Laurent Hilaire and Elisabeth
Maurin were the coaches
- onstage and half in costume, the principals were Laetitia Pujol and Nicolas Le Riche

"Romeo et Juliette"-choreographer, Sasha Waltz
-onstage and barefoot, Aurelie Dupont and Herve Moreau

"Medee"-choreographer, Angelin Preljocaj
- in the studio, Emilie Cozette danced the title role, coached by Laurent Hilaire
- in the studio and onstage, Delphine Moussin danced the title role
- Wilfried Romoli dances Jason

"Genus"- choreographer, Wayne McGregor (bald and Scottish, I think)
- in the studio, Matthias Heymann and Mathieu Ganio, later Marie-Agnes Gillot and Benjamin Pech
- onstage in black leotards, Matthias Heymann and Myriam Ould-Braham, Jeremie Belingard, and towards the end
of the film, Agnes Letestu and Mathieu Ganio

"The House of Bernarda Alba"- choreographer, Mats Ek
- onstage and in costume, Manuel Legris was Bernarda Alba, and amongst the women, I recognized Marie-Agnes
Gillot and Laetitia Pujol

I'm pretty certain I've left out a lot of people, so the above is verrry rough! I wish Mr. Wiseman had identified people! I would have hated to see this film not knowing anything about the dancers, the repertoire, and the hierarchy.

Does anyone know who the choreographer was discussing casting with Brigitte Lefevre? And was Stephane Bullion dancing McGregor's piece? I'm sure I saw him...

Thank you SO MUCH!!! I wondered if that might be a House of Bernard Alba and a Romeo & Juliet! So that's Wayne McGregor! I liked the costumes for Genus...

Was it Matthias Heyman who did the effortless batterie then? Though there were many examples of superb dancing.

Do you remember the waltzing ballroom ballet? What was that?

I don't mind there not being text onscreen identifying people & choreography, because I understand that would change the way we saw the movie... this was much more dream-like or silent observer... I'm not sure exactly how to describe why, but I do think identifying would change the experience... but it would have been nice at the end to give a quick rundown with images during the credits... BUT I wasn't free to wait & watch the credits, so for all I know everything WAS identified there...

It would be nice if it were an option on the DVD.

I believe that that was Heymann with the effortless batterie. Laurent Hilaire comments off-camera on his technique during the Paquita pas de trois- "indecently easy", is how he put it, I think. Although I also remember my jaw dropping for Le Riche and Martinez during the Nutcracker variation.

The waltz scene is from "Paquita".

You're right- the uniquely voyeuristic quality of this film would be lost if captions were added. I stayed for part of the credits and it just looked like a general list of the company by rank. So I don't think you missed much in terms of clearer identification of the featured dancers, choreographers, etc.

Oh! I've never seen anything but the last Act of Paquita, so the Paris Opera does the whole thing?

Oh! I see! Lacotte made one of his revivals... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paquita

Does it exist on film?

I like the photo of Fokine in it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paquita_...-circa_1905.JPG