La Danse: Le Ballet de l'Opera de Paris
Dec 04 - Dec 16, 2009
(Fredrick Wiseman, 2009, USA/France, DVCAM, 160 min)
Sponsored by the Consulate General of France, San Francisco
Held over for additional dates!
The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the world’s storied ballet companies and Fredrick Wiseman is one of the world’s legendary filmmakers. In his latest film, Wiseman employs his fly-on-the-wall technique to following the rehearsals and performances of seven ballets: Genus by Wayne McGregor, Le Songe de Medée by Angelin Preljocaj, La Maison de Bernarda by Mats Ek, Paquita by Pierre Lacotte, Casse Noisette by Rudolph Noureev, Orphée and Eurydice by Pina Bausch, and Romeo and Juliette by Sasha Waltz. The film reveals the work of administering the company and the coordinated and collaborative work of choreographers, ballet masters, dancers, musicians, and costume, set and lighting designers.
Introductions will be made by the following people:
Dec 4: Alice Kaderlan (KUOW Dance Critic)
Dec 5: Lodi McClellan (Cornish)
Dec 6: Rosie Gaynor (Seattledances critic)
Dec 7: Sandi Kurtz (Seattle Weekly Dance Critic)
Dec 8: Peter Boal (Artistic Director PNB)
Dec 9: Dean Speer (Dance critic)
“It all adds up to a portrait of an exquisitely ephemeral art, all the more beautiful for its fleeting quality.” —Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
"To say that the film, sumptuous in its length and graceful in its rhythm, is a feast for ballet lovers is to state the obvious and also sell Mr. Wiseman's achievement a bit short. Yes, this is one of the finest dance films ever made, but there's more to it than that." -A. O. Scott NY Times
