At the Palais Garnier, an exceptional evening of contemporary dance

There's more to the dance life than just Giselle and Swan Lake! Excellence obliges, The Paris Opera Ballet, one of the most prestigious in the world, proves it with this season opener: an evening structured around four contemporary and masterful works. Opening the program: Plural singularities by Nicolas Paul. An impressively precise trio on pointe with music by André Caplet. Eight polished and impressive minutes.

Followed by The Last Call. This is a very powerful statement to amplify the dramaturgy since we speak “brutally of death” as Marion Motin recognizes. In this work, the choreographer who also works for variety - from Stromae to Angèle - goes far beyond entertainment. Its thirty minutes of strong and captivating dance, on a stage devoid of scenery except a telephone booth, reveal all the questions that haunt those who have lost a loved one – for her, their father – and save them from dereliction. Everything is heard, in this chosen darkness, sculpted by a beautiful lighting.

Next comes the Ballet's second commission. Horizon, specially created by Chinese choreographer Xie Xin. On stage, a permanent fog envelops the dancers and their gestures, all supple and feline. Xie The captivating atmosphere is so natural that you would think you were lost in the mist, on the edge of a smoking wood.

Finally, to close the evening, the ballet reprises the 2016 creation, The Seasons' canon, an incredible recomposition by composer Max Richter, inspired by Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite bases all of her work on this music to push dance beyond a simple illustration, transforming it into a spoken verb. We are impressed by the success of his project.

The four works, - but could we doubt it with the Paris Opera Ballet? – are wonderfully danced. More than an evening: pure pleasure.

Palais Garnier Until October 12