Paris Opera Ballet: Caligula

About the Event

First performed in 2005, "Caligula" is Étoile Dancer Nicolas Le Riche's first choreography for the Paris Opera Ballet.

Intrigued by the complex and troubling personality of the Roman emperor, the choreographer evokes the torments of a frail man capable of loving the moon and idolizing his horse, a man impassioned by theatre and constantly playing a role himself. Constructed as a tragedy, the choreography follows the inexorable progression of this solitary hero towards death.

Accompanied by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, which illustrates the irremediable passage of time, the dance, in all its depth and energy, translates the poetry and the violence inherent in a life consumed at lightning speed by excess.

Antonio Vivaldi, Music "The Four Seasons"
Louis Dandrel, Electro‐acoustic creations
Nicolas Le Riche, Choreography
(Opéra national de Paris, 2005)
Daniel Jeanneteau, Scenography
Raymonde Couvreu, Video
Olivier Bériot, Costumes
Dominique Bruguière, Lighting
Guillaume Gallienne, Dramaturgy

The Étoiles, Principal Dancers and Corps de Ballet
Paris Opera Orchestra

Frederic Laroque Conductor and violin solo