Notre Dame de Paris (Ballet by Roland Petit in two acts)

Libretto: Roland Petit after Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name

Choreography: Roland Petit
Scenery: René Allio
Costumes: Yves Saint Laurent
Lighting: Jean-Michel Désiré
Music Director and Conductor: Arman Urazgaliyev
Ballet Master-Producer: Luigi Bonino
Assistant Ballet Master-Producer: Gillian Whittingham
Production Coordinator: Jean-Michel Désiré
Revival Costume Designer: Aurélie Lyon
Chief Chorus Master: Vyacheslav Podyelsky
Chorus Master: Sergei Tenitilov

Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most renowned ballets of Roland Petit. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name the choreographer created a true colossus of a performance about love, death, loyalty and treachery.

“I’d love to see the dark ages forsaken and the true tragic meaning of Victor Hugo’s novel revealed to the audience”, Roland Petit used to say. The ballet master decided to cut the narrative down to four main characters. Images of lovely Esmeralda, appealing Quasimodo, treacherous Frollo and selfish Phoebus were all provided with vibrant choreography, where classical ballet heritage is nicely toned off by a striking grotesque of modern moves.

Notre Dame de Paris was first staged in 1965 for The Paris Opera Ballet company. This masterpiece was bound to succeed not only because of Roland Petit’s modern choreography, and Maurice Jarre’s vivid, avantgarde music score, but also thanks to bold costume decisions of a famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent and gorgeous scenery created by a well-known production designer René Allio. This young buoyed team presented the Parisian audience with a ballet, accomplished in a minimal art style, which was popular back then, thus creating one of the most artful performances of that time.

NOVAT will see Notre Dame de Paris as staged by ballet master Luigi Bonino, the keeper of Roland Petit’s heritage, his assistant and friend. For a long time he had been dancing with the Ballet National de Marseille under Roland Petit and forged a successful career as a dancer. Later he became ballet master’s assistant and took part in staging his ballets. Luigi Bonino still holds in reverence Petit’s genius — reviving his ballets with companies of the world still plays a significant role of his artistic life. This work ensures preservation and succession of the master’s heritage.