Night of Parisian ballet to grace Hanoi

At a press conference held on Wednesday, creative director Frederic Fontan expressed the performance as a journey through the history and styles of French ballet throughout the centuries.

“Paris Ballet par VPBank,” designed especially for Vietnamese audiences, will feature excerpts from nine ballets that best represent the classical Romanticist as well as Contemporary styles of French ballet, known for its elegance and refinement rather than its virtuosity.

The nine ballets are Roland Petit’s "Carmen," Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s "The Nutcracker," Adolphe Adam’s "Giselle," Marius Petipa’s "Don Quixote," Jerome Robbins’ "In the Night," José Martinez’s "Children of Paradise," Ivan Favier’s "No, I Don’t Regret Anything," Roland Petit’s "Proust or the Heart's Intermissions," and Angelin Preljocaj’s "The Park."

The star dancers include Agnès Letestu, Mathilde Froustey, and Alice Renavand, whose mother is Vietnamese.

“Paris Ballet par VPBank” is part of “Paris Dance Galaxy,” a global tour program that Frederic Fontan and his company Alfalibra have been organizing, said he chose Hanoi as the first Asian destination of his upcoming tour. He was very attached to Hanoi and the partners here were very enthusiastic and determined to make the show happen, Fontan said. His next destination will be Dubai next year and he is also considering Seoul.

The night will also feature the participation of French violinist Henri Barda and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Tetsuji Honna. The performance is part of a world tour by Paris Dance Galaxy – a company of ballet dancers. Vietnam is their first stop in Asia. In Vietnam, the performance is sponsored by the Embassy of France, L’Institute Francais and VPBank.