[Han Jeong-ho's Classic Lounge] "Opposing Pension Reform" Baekjo Dances in the Streets

World's Most Prestigious Paris Opera Ballet Founded in Late 17th Century Bourbon Dynasty
Survived Great Revolution as a Pillar of Civic Culture... Renowned Director Nureyev Led Its Heyday in the 1980s
Threatened by Macron Government's Pension Reform... Performance Strike Decided to Oppose 64-Year Retirement Rule

Han Jeong-ho, Guest Reporter · CEO of Etoile Classic & Consulting

When the Russian Bolshoi Ballet and Mariinsky Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre, and the Royal Ballet from the UK visited Korea in the past, the labels "Top 3 in the world" or "Top 5 in the world" ballet companies automatically followed. However, there is another ballet company that has never visited Korea but is regarded as the world's best in terms of international reputation and brand value. That is the Paris Opera Ballet (Ballet de l'Opera national de Paris), founded in 1669.

The Paris Opera Ballet was established in the late 17th century during the Bourbon monarchy era. Hierarchically, it is the resident ballet company of the Paris National Opera (Opera national de Paris). It alternates ballet performances between the Garnier Theatre, built in 1875, and the Opera Bastille, constructed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. Ballet originated from aristocratic and royal culture but, through the revolution, has become a pillar of French civic culture today.

Ballet began in Renaissance Italy. The origin of French ballet culture traces back to the Royal Dance Academy established by Louis XIV (1638?1715) in 1661. The movement system, which had been mere entertainment for the French monarchy in the 16th century, was structured through the research of Louis XIV’s ballet teacher Pierre Beauchamp (1636?1705).

In 1713, Paris Opera Ballet education was formalized, and ballet evolved from court entertainment to stage art in line with changing times. The framework of movement became choreography, and the transmission process was systematized for future generations. Not only ballet techniques but also costumes and dance shoes were improved centered in Paris. Naturally, music and stage experts gathered, and audiences with different tastes emerged according to changes in choreography techniques. This was a transformation of surrounding arts centered on ballet.

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev’s Russian ballet company "Ballets Russes" (1872?1929) appeared in Western Europe and became a great stimulus to the Paris Opera Ballet. Serge Lifar (1905?1986), a Ukrainian-born dancer who performed in Ballets Russes, led the artistic development of the Paris Opera Ballet as its director for 30 years from 1929, though he was also accused of collaborating with Nazi Germany during World War II.

The glory of the Paris Opera Ballet from the 1980s to the present is thanks to Rudolf Nureyev (1938?1993), a dancer born in the former Soviet Union. Nureyev joined the Kirov Ballet (now Mariinsky Ballet) and was called "the reincarnation of Nijinsky." He later defected to the West and worked in the UK and Austria. In 1983, he became the artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet and refined existing full-length productions with his own re-choreography.

Rudolf Nureyev, who brought the Paris Opera Ballet to the top of the world. (C) Paris Opera Ballet

He attempted experimental direction in classical ballet. While breathing new life into old texts, he also nurtured global ballet stars such as Sylvie Guillem and Charles Jude Manuel Legris. Moreover, he discovered emerging choreographers like Maguy Marin and William Forsythe. Today, the Paris Opera Ballet leads the dominance of these works.

Until his death in 1993, Nureyev devoted himself to producing major full-length ballets like "Raymonda" and "Don Quixote." His legacy continues to this day.

Directors of the Paris Opera Ballet after Nureyev (Patrick Dupond, Brigitte Lef?vre, Benjamin Millepied, Aur?lie Dupont) either respected their predecessors' traditions or pursued a third path in a dialectical structure. In the process, they organized the company’s dance vocabulary neatly.

However, is it still desirable in the 21st century for a dancer who has long worked at the Paris Opera Ballet and is familiar with its dance style to ascend to the head of the organization? Following the global #MeToo movement that emerged in the late 2010s, the Paris Opera Ballet is also being called to rethink its director appointments. In a 2018 internal survey, members of the Paris Opera Ballet rejected the current ballet director Aur?lie Dupont, who is from within the company.

Despite the crisis, the source of the Paris Opera Ballet’s unique identity lies in the Paris Opera Ballet School (Ecole de Danse de l'Opera de Paris) and its distinctive promotion system. The school selects students comprehensively based on body type, appearance, technique, and potential, and teaches ballet in isolation from the outside world starting at age eight.

Students here learn everything about ballet in a closed educational environment completely different from other French children. Even general subjects revolve around ballet, such as "muscles used in ballet," "history of ballet," and "how to prevent fat from accumulating in the heart."

Graduates produced annually take the Paris Opera Ballet entrance exam, and those who pass become the lowest rank dancers called "Quadrille." Only carefully selected individuals can advance through annual promotion exams to "Coryph?e," "Sujet," and "Premiers danseur."

Competition among dancers is fierce because higher-ranked dancers are closer to leading roles in the ballet company’s repertoire. The highest rank, "Etoile," is not determined by promotion exams but by appointment from the artistic director. After performances, the appointment of Etoiles is announced officially during the curtain call, and the company and audience celebrate in a festive atmosphere unique to the Paris Opera Ballet.

Corps de ballet of the Paris Opera Ballet in "La Bayad?re." (C) Paris Opera Ballet

Premiere Park Se-eun of the Paris Opera Ballet at the Garnier Theatre. (C) Dane Shitagi

The Paris Opera Ballet basically preserves its unique character by not allowing star dancers from other companies to appear as guests or hold concurrent positions. However, the ballet director may allow limited appearances by company members in other ballet companies.

In accordance with the French government’s recommendation to respect diversity, foreigners who are not graduates of the Paris Opera Ballet School can take the entrance exam. Among the approximately 150 company members, about 25 are foreign-born dancers, including Koreans such as Park Se-eun (Premiers danseur), Kang Ho-hyun (Coryph?e), and Yoon Seo-hoo (Coryph?e). However, the Etoile rank, which maintains fifteen members, still consists solely of Paris Opera Ballet School graduates.

The world’s best ballet company has stepped out into the world. On Christmas Eve last year, December 24, about 40 ballerinas performed "Swan Lake" in front of the Garnier Theatre, their usual performance venue, accompanied by the Paris Opera Orchestra, receiving applause from citizens. In front of crowds protesting Emmanuel Macron’s French government’s pension reform, dancers displayed banners reading "Paris Opera Strike" and "Culture is in Danger," showing solidarity through ballet.

Macron’s pension reform plan directly threatened the survival of Paris Opera Ballet members. Since the late 17th century, France has implemented a system guaranteeing pensions for artists of the Paris Opera and Com?die-Fran?aise (theatre) who retire early. For Paris Opera Ballet dancers, the retirement age is 42, and they have been guaranteed pensions after leaving the company.

However, the Macron government labeled dancers’ pension rights as special privileges. They stated, "Paris Opera members have benefited from favorable advantages by retiring early," and firmly declared, "There are no exceptions to the retirement age of 64 set by the reform."

Members of the Paris Opera Ballet lined up at the Garnier Theater. (C) The Paris Opera Ballet School

On the other hand, stage workers and ballet dancers at the Paris Opera argued that the current system, which recognizes their labor considering weekend and late-night work conditions and the years of practice and effort from childhood to develop their skills, should remain. Most dancers enter the Paris Opera Ballet School before age 10, live apart from their parents, and spend about 10 years practicing five hours daily. By their late teens, they join the company often with chronic injuries.

The Macron government proposed a revision limiting pension reform to those joining after January 1, 2022, but the ballet union rejected it. Their argument was, "A single point in 350 years of history cannot determine the sacrifices of future generations."

Among the top 3 or top 5 ballet companies in the world, none has been as engaged with civil society as this. The Paris Opera Ballet has institutionalized not only the tradition of dance history and quality of works but also the significance of ballet’s existence within society. In that respect, it serves as a model for ballet companies worldwide.

Since December last year, performances have been canceled daily, and the theater’s losses have increased day by day. In 2007, 17 canceled performances caused losses of 3.2 million euros (about 4.23 billion KRW). However, after this strike, ticket losses reached 12 million euros by early January this year.

Stefan Lissner, the general director of the Paris Opera who will leave next year to become director of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, superficially expresses concern about the theater’s finances. But with his successor already decided, he is neglecting the situation as if "mowing the weeds on his great-uncle’s grave."

The Paris Opera Ballet is in danger.

Guest reporter, Etoile Classic & Consulting CEO

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.