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....but not of the northern sky Vincent last saw – this is south of France, where he set his heart, and lost it (and Arles is not too distant from here, Nîmes). With the starlit sky above, getting a bit sentimental, and I briefly thought about him. Then you look down, and on the stage no less spectacular sight is being unfolded, illuminated by the three outstanding etoiles, stars of today's ballet world: Aurélie Dupont, Manuel Legris & Laurent Hilaire.

Outdoor ballet was something I never previously experienced and before the trip couldn't imagine it'd feel this good. Released from the piercing heat under the daylight, yet the remains are still felt, warm night breeze gently touches your cheeks..... it liberates your senses. The stage was set in the backdrop of the medieval walls (at Carcassonne) and in the Roman arena (at Nîmes) - terribly atmospheric, to say the least.

In the settings and on the occasions Mahler did best for me, in the shape of the pdd from Alles Waltzer and the male duo of Le Chant du Compagnon Errant. As to dancers, perhaps the one most getting out of the opportunities was POB's young Sujet, Dorothée Gilbert. Not a stranger to the local climate (the lady was born and raised in Toulouse), she was in a teriffic form and showed off her talent and charms in both classical and contemporary works. Particularly impressive was her expressiveness when she danced the pdd with Legris in Alles Waltzer to Mahler's adagiette (5th symphony). Reflecting melancholic, quiet wave-like music, a woman in black leotard with some ornament made slow, repetitive motions on pointe – in her partner's arms she bended her upper body repeatedly, then up, tried to reach out and capture something, as if longing for a freedom. A man captured and released her in repetition, showed her a way and guided her from her shell to the outside world (that's how it appeared to me). Towards the climax of the music, the two bodies sang and moved as one – a very emotional and beautiful sight.... A remarkable partnership, and Gilbert's expressiveness, long and flexible limbs suited the choreography as a dream. She is a marvel to watch, and we need to see more of her in central roles in regular performances on Paris's stages.

Onto the main event..... What brought me here, to south of France at the cost of missing Kirov's Balanchine bill, was to see Béjart's 'Le Chant du Compagnon Errant' (Songs of a Wayfarer) that blew my mind when I saw it for the first time exactly a year ago. Danced to Mahler's , originally created by Rudolf Nureyev and Paolo Bortoluzzi in 1971, this is a very literary piece; so lyrically expressed by dance are monologue by a young man-wayfarer followed by dialogue between him and his Destiny. A young man (Hilaire) moans over a lost love and his destiny to suffer – a loner, his only companion is his own shadow, or Destiny (Legris), who never leaves him in peace. What counts here, it seemed to me, is inwardness in both movements and expressions, - for instance control of movements rather than explosion of them do matter. The vocabulary used here is mostly classical, and Hilaire's sculpted body seized decisive moments of the choreography, cut them out and held them to the limit - so great was his afterimage. Armed with delicate, well controlled movements and the romantic air around him, Hilaire makes an ideal dancer for the role, yet no doubt it's the presence of Legris, his long-time colleague and rival, that made him such an eloquent performer. Destiny is the shadowy role of the two, and except for brief moments when displaying virtuoso dancing he remains an observer, setting an eye on a young man-wayfarer. Legris created effectively cold persona for the role, and with a quiet authority pursued the young man to a depth of the darkness, a possible death....... This work takes two equally powerful male dancers, they fit the bill, and the dialogue between the two men expressed by the beautiful dancing was thrilling, intense.... simply awesome.

On other works - less said is better on Neumeier and Kylian, as I've never been a good audience for them, but..... I couldn't quite shed uneasiness with Kylian's Petit Mort, danced to the slow movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21. It was my third viewings, and the uncomfortableness felt at the first encounter still remained. The reason's simple - to my eyes the choreograpny is not in accord with the music; at times the movements are so abrupt and mechanical – moreover, why the battle of sexes? This music is not in conflict with anything – it just flows and flows; why not let the movements be that way too.....

A few words on classical bits, which turned out to be rather dissappointing, except for wonderful performances by Gilbert in Grand Pas Classique. I somehow expected Legris would show us exemplary performances just as he did last summer in Tokyo, in the similar gala, but it was not to be, and these works were left with a female etoile, Dupont, and youngsters. (It's likely he didn't take a chance after the long absence from the stage in recent months.) If the memory serves, Aurélie Dupont never officially danced Swan Queen on the Paris's stage (her debut in the role is eagerly anticipated in the coming season), so I was impressed by her courage to choose the more difficult role of the two – she could have opted for the easier one, Odile - but not by her rendition. Clearly a transformation from a maiden to a swan for the ballerina has only just begun, the release at this stage seemed a bit premature. As to the other bit - I understand the full length ballet of Le Corsaire, despite the fact it was premiered at the Paris Opera in the mid 19th century, was long forgotten in the country and has not been in the company's repertoire. It's been essentially a Russian ballet, what we see now, so I was well biased, for sure. It may have been just a difference in style, but the young pair's approach looked too tamed and lacked spark and panache, vital ingredients of the piece. Given that they were both Quadrille dancers (the company's lowest rank), their performance could have been commended as competent – but it was totally a lackluster. (But then the audience clearly loved their attempts and cheered loudly, so at least their sweat was not wasted.....)

.....the last word, quickly, on my favourite Béjart's work, Seven Greek Dances – its music and dance inspired by, and built into the Mediterranean mould to the core, this would make a perfect piece to be shown in the setting like this. I've already started dreaming of one day seeing the work in its entirety in some Roman theatre, in a wide open space, and (again) with Laurent Hilaire in the solo......

“Etoiles de l'Opéra de Paris et les danseurs de l’Opéra National de Paris”
Grand Théâtre de la Cité, Carcassonne, 25th July 2005
Arènes de Nîmes, 26th July 2005

Spring and Fall (Neumeier) with Laurène Levy, Axel Ibot & Adrien Bodet
Le Lac des Cygnes - grand adagio, White Swan pdd with Aurélie Dupont & Grégory Dominiak
Grand Pas Classique (Gsovsky) with Dorothée Gilbert & Audric Bezard
'Hasapiki solo' from Sept Danses Grecques (Béjart) with Laurent Hilaire
Petite Mort (Kylian) with Aurélie Dupont & Manuel Legris

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Alles Walzer (Zanella) with Dorothée Gilbert, Manuel Legris, Axel Ibot, Adrien Bodet, Audric Bezard, Mathias Heymann, Grégory Dominiak
Bedroom pdd from Manon with Aurélie Dupont & Laurent Hilaire
Le Corsaire pdd with Laurène Levy & Mathias Heymann
Le Chant du Compagnon Errant (Béjart) with Laurent Hilaire & Manuel Legris