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Paris Performing Arts
Paris is a city of art – both the visual and performing arts. Paris performing arts have a long and distinguished history. Many of Paris artistic institutions, such as the Paris National Opera and the Comedie Francaise Theater Company, date back to the 17th century. Parisians, and visitors alike, support the arts, by attending a full schedule of productions by two opera houses, a national ballet company, and half-a-dozen major theaters. Paris Opera
Paris has two distinct opera houses. The ornate Beaux Arts Palais Garnier, built in 1875 on Paris' Right Bank, with its huge stage and six-ton chandelier, was the site of the classic novel and play "Phantom of the Opera." The huge, modern Opera Bastille, near the site of the Bastille prison, opened in 1989 on the two-hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. Paris Dance Ballet in Paris started as a part of the Paris Opera. Traditionally, operas encompassed a dance interlude within the production. Today, the Paris Opera Ballet's productions range from the traditional to the avant garde. The company performs at both the Palais Garnier and the Opera Bastille. Modern dance, also, has a long tradition in Paris. Notable are the early 20th century Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, which featured choreography by George Balanchine and Vaslav Nijinsky, set designs by Picasso, Braque, and Utrillo, and music by Stravinsky, Ravel, and Debussy. Also important in the early 20th century dance world was American expatriate, Isadora Duncan, whose unstructured dance school helped to create what we, today, call modern dance. Paris Theater Theater in Paris dates back to the 17th century when King Louis XIV established the Comedie Francaise, a three-theater edifice and state-sponsored theater company, best known for its performances of Moliere's works. France, and Paris in particular, has produced a number of historic playwrights including Moliere, Racine, Corneille, and Beaumarchais. Today, the city boasts a half dozen major theater houses, including the 18th century Odeon Theatre near the Luxembourg Gardens, the Theatre du Chatelet near the Hotel de Ville, and the Theatre National de Chaillot near the Eiffel Tower. Paris Movies Parisians are avid movie buffs and the city boasts hundred of theaters, called cinemas in Paris. These movie houses range from small, one-screen independent houses to large multi-screen complexes. A concentration of movie houses is located along the Champs Elysees and around the Garnier Palais opera house. Many films are shown in English with French subtitles. For More Information on the Performing Arts in Paris Paris Opera Official Site Paris Cultural Events Calendar Paris Voice Magazine Theater and Dance Pages Comedie Francaise Official Site Odeon Theater Official Site Photo Credit
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