By Marisa C. Hayes Seven months ago, when “socially distanced pas de deux” had not yet entered the balletomane’s vocabulary, the Paris Opera Ballet was just beginning to emerge from an unprecedented strike. Within weeks, the company’s two opera houses, as well as all theatres across France, were forced to close in response to the
By Victor Swoboda Opportunity in the arts sometimes knocks at unexpected doors. Montreal choreographer Helen Simard heard the knocking last March when the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly closed all theatres as well as the rehearsals of her new trio, Papillon, for the company she co-founded and co-directs with musician Roger White, We All Fall Down. Simard
By Kathleen Smith Once upon a time, dance was an integral part of the opera experience. Following the Greek model, in which opera comprises a plurality of forms — dance, music, song, poetry, design, acting — the work of early European composers such as Monteverdi, Rameau and Lully always contained a ballet or two. In