Despite the implications of its name, the Lyon Opera
Ballet’s performances are missing all of the standard ballet
accoutrements. There are no princesses in tutus and tiaras,
pirouettes in pointe shoes or a corps de ballet of swans.
There is nothing balletic in the program,” said Yorgos
Loukos, the troupe’s artistic director.
Tonight, the Lyon Opera Ballet will come to Royce Hall in a UCLA
Live performance with a showcase titled “Great Women
Choreographers of Europe”.
Filling the positions left vacant by the absence of
“Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella” are
original neoclassical and postmodern works by Europe’s most
accomplished choreographers. The visionary company will dance works
by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Sasha Waltz and Maguy Marin, who
were commissioned to do pieces for the program.
The Lyon Opera Ballet is the second largest dance company in
France and widely regarded as its most experimental. Founded in
1969, the troupe has blossomed during Loukos’ tenure.
Loukos admits that the company’s newest program is not
what audiences are expecting.
“I think it will be appealing to theatergoers and fans of
modern dance. But it might be something new for the general public
not familiar with abstract and post-modern dance,” Loukos
said. “The program is typically European in its theatricality
and echoes some American modern dance, but it is all
atypical.”
While it may seem that the Lyon Opera Ballet eschews the looming
shadow of classical dance, Loukos explained that even though the
company is ostensibly modern-based, ballet is at the core of all
their work.
“In the background of this program is classical ballet.
What we are doing is using it to create new ways of moving and new
technique styles,” he said. “Every day in class we use
ballet in a multilingual way. Now kids don’t do just one
technique. They have to do everything and possess adaptability that
helps them go from one thing to another.”
One of the Lyon Opera Ballet’s most unique elements is its
international sensibility. The program’s choreographers hail
from Belgium, Germany and, of course, France.
Loukos cannot account for the international flavor of the
company, explaining that it was not intentional.
“Globalization started so many years ago that I never
thought about it. Only the work counts, not whether someone is
German, Russian or Chinese. The background doesn’t
matter,” Loukos said. “On one hand, you don’t
choose someone’s background, but then again, in choosing
them, you also choose their influences that affect their
work.”
Despite its unconventional approach, the new tour is receiving
praise from both the critics and the public. Loukos is already
looking ahead.
“For the future, I hope to have a stronger connection to
universities and school,” Loukos said. “Maybe have a
smaller group of young dancers who train while performing for two
to three years. I want to create a new connection to the young
public to educate people early.”