At the Paris Opera, Jerome Robbins purifies dance

Certainly, nothing new under the Garnier vault. But what a program! and what covers! With these three ballets by Jerome Robbins, we achieve perfection, even its quintessence. It is believed that they were created for this troupe, even though En sol was written for the New York City Ballet in 1975. Six months later, the piece entered the repertoire of the Paris Opera. In The Night, created in 1970, was not presented in Paris until 1989 and The concert, composed in 1956, did not join Garnier until 1992, 26 years later. These three works require impeccable classical technique to dance them – Jerome Robbins playing pointes and arabesques to achieve an extraordinary purity of gesture. Apparently very well crafted, they are riddled with technical difficulties that the stars – whose cast changes every day – overcome sumptuously.

If En sol is more Balanchinian in inspiration, we find in The concert or the misfortunes of each one all the playfulness and humor which overflows this choreographer who is so New York, and who knew he was brilliant! We smile, we laugh even more. The main role is played by one of the pianists from the opera rehearsals, Vessela Pelovska. She embraces her role wonderfully and makes life difficult for the dancers. In the night, the most frequently performed of the three ballets by the Opera troupe over the years, presents three pas de deux in succession, bewildering in their technical complexities – we are then dazzled by the mastery of the stars, delighted to witness to this limpidity that dance sometimes achieves, and which reminds us of Serge Lifar's response when we asked him to define his dance: "I draw the air". A must see.

Opera Garnier until November 10