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By Catherine Tharin
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Published on June 5, 2025
Guillaume Diop & Valentine Colasante. Photo:Maria-Helena Buckley
Opéra National de Paris
Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris performs Sylvia
Choreography: Manuel Legris after Louis Mérante
with Étoiles, Premier Danseurs, Première Danseuses, and le Corps de Ballet
Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris Conductor: Kevin Rhodes
Libretto: Manuel Legris and Jean-François Vazelle after Jules Barbier and Jacques de Reinach
Music: Léo Delibes
Set and Costume Design: Luisa Spinatelli
Lighting Design: Jacques Giovanangeli
Dancers: (Sylvia) Valentine Colasante, (Diana) Héloïse Bourdon, (Aminta) Guillaume Diop, (Orion) Jérémy-Loup Quer, (Eros) Jack Gasztowtt, (Endymion) Lorenzo Lelli, (Un Faune) Keita Bellali, (Soliste Naïade) Hohyun Kang
Dates: May 8 - June 4, 2025
Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris or the Paris Opera Ballet, founded in 1669 by Louis XIV, holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest ballet company. Its storied past has inspired artists for centuries, from Edgar Degas’ iconic sketches and paintings capturing the dynamism of its ballerinas to the contemporary series Étoile on Prime, named for the highest rank a company dancer can achieve. Today, the 154-member Paris Opera Ballet continues to inspire with its blend of tradition, refinement, and artistic innovation.
The company performs at the opulent Palais Garnier, a jewel-box of Second Empire architecture commissioned by Napoleon III and completed in 1875. The 1,900-seat theater, gilded in ormolu and crowned by Marc Chagall’s round ceiling fresco, is as much a part of the experience as the performance itself. Designed with a raked stage to improve visibility, the space offers excellent acoustics and elevates the presence of the Paris Opera Orchestra, developed from its beginning alongside the ballet company, and known for its unequivocal depth in the French musical tradition.
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This historic setting provided the perfect backdrop for Sylvia, a myth-based ballet with music by Léo Delibes. The current production, choreographed in 2018 by Manuel Legris after the original 1876 version by Louis Mérante, draws on the 16th century tale of Aminta by Italian playwright, Torquato Tasso. It joins a rich lineage of interpretations, including those by Frederick Ashton (1952) and John Neumeier (1997).
The three-act ballet tells a girl meets boy tale: Sylvia, a huntress and handmaiden to the goddess of the hunt, Diane, resists the affections of the shepherd Aminta, only to be kidnapped by his rival, the hunter Orion. Love triumphs in the end, aided by Eros, the god of love.
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The opening scene introduces this allegorical world: Sylvia (Valentine Colasante) appears under a spotlight, observed from below by the aubergine-costumed Diane (Héloïse Bourdon). Accompanying huntresses in handsome rose skirts and gold-flecked bodices lean back with hunting bows stretched forward, one arm resting on their shoulders. To the clarion call of horns and drums, they take small rhythmic steps before arriving in arabesque. Joined by cavorting fauns in horned headdresses, and a silver-painted Eros (Jack Gasztowtt) housed as a statue in a revolving garden sculpture, the female corps moves in perfect unison, showcasing the understated elegance and control that define the French style.
Keita Bellali (Coryphée - 2nd level up from le corps de ballet), the head Faune, a standout who moves with unreserved fulsomeness, and the charming and precise Clara Mousseigne (Sujet - 3rd level), a principal Chasseresse and Nubienne, led their respective ensembles with clarity and finesse, while Guillaume Diop, dancing Aminta, whose legs are criss-crossed in animal-like skin, delivered an unparalleled performance. Diop’s sensitive partnering and classical purity distinguish him as one of the company’s most virtuosic male dancers. In contrast, Orion (Jérémy-Loup Quer) a powerful jumper whose grand jeté flew through the air, occasionally stumbled on the landings. His heavy-handed partnering may have been intentionally portraying his brash character.
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Colasante’s Sylvia, summons spirited urgency, as well as warmth and tenderness. When she tricks Orion into drunkenness and escapes from his cave with the help of Eros, her resourcefulness and bravery are evident. The final romantic pas de deux between Sylvia and Aminta that features fluid lifts, such as a perch on Aminta’s shoulder and a hoist above his head, radiates joy. The lovers’ musical phrasing elevates the duet and seals their reunion.
The production balances large ensemble scenes with quiet, character-driven vignettes. The townsfolk's dance, with airborne hops and intricate folkdance steps mourning Aminta’s apparent death, adds to the sense of loss. Ultimately Eros, disguised as a cloaked witch, revives Aminta with smokey theatrical flair.
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Seated in the front row, I had the pleasure of witnessing not only the intricacies of the dancers’ footwork and sensitive comportment, but also the expressive conducting of Kevin Rhodes, a fellow Midwesterner. His connection to the Delibes score, and to the dancers and musicians was palpable, adding another layer of vitality to the performance. Sylvia evokes the timelessness of ballet when history and artistry meet.
