Dismissal, resignation, suspension… How the authority of ballet directors is questioned

by time news

Rudolf Nureyev (circa 1982) was fond of throwing a thermos, to show his displeasure. John Downing/Getty Images

INVESTIGATION – Dance news has been hectic lately. Whether classical or contemporary, the balance of a master’s relationship with his dancers, even if fragile, remains fundamental.

Do ballet directors have trouble keeping their balance? In Toulouse, Kader Belarbi has just been dismissed from his position as head of the Ballet du Capitole. At the Lyon Opera Ballet, Julie Guibert, in office since February 2020, announced her retirement at the end of the season. In Hanover, choreographer Marco Goecke has been suspended.

No relationship between these three characters. Belarbi, former star of the Paris Opera, is blamed for his brutal management. He says to himself “victim of a rude settling of accounts dictated by a real intention to harm and instrumentalized to get rid of the choreographer and director of the dance of the Capitol”.

Julie Guibert, contemporary dancer, seems to have tried to practice co-management with the dancers, to build other relationships between the director and his troupe than the traditional relationships of authority. The dancers felt lost, the older ones asked for his departure: “What you have to remember is what he…

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