For over a century, the Paris Opera Ballet’s internal competition has been a platform for promoting dancers. Abolished last year at the dancers’ request, it returns this year in a new form.
With an average age of 28, the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet all excel at pirouettes. Last year, they voted to scrap the internal promotion competition, a public event held annually where dancers compete for higher ranks and salaries. They argued it added “stress and pain” to an already busy schedule and called it a “pure anachronism.” No other company in the world practices it, and management could promote dancers without forcing them into an extra demonstration of excellence.
Despite this, the quadrille class — the company’s lowest rank — was still forced to participate last year. The competition involved performing a set variation followed by a freestyle variation in front of a jury of ballet dancers, the company director, and the Opera’s director. Management argued it could not promote dancers in November who had only just joined the company and rarely appeared on stage. Other promotions were decided by José Martinez in consultation with his ballet masters.
One year later, the competition…
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