The China Mail - Bejart Ballet's iconic Bolero ignites Istanbul

Marked by its stark staging and ritualistic intensity, the work remains one of the most enduring interpretations of Ravel's best-known work and continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Once again, the Bejart Ballet Lausanne (BBL) -- which was in Istanbul to kick off a new international tour -- closed each of its four performances with the monumental "Bolero."

The 15-minute orchestral piece has inspired seven different choreographies, but is most widely associated with the version created by Bejart, which remains the best known.

"We call it a table, but it could be an altar or a pyre," Julien Favreau, BBL's artistic director, told AFP as he contemplated the 4.5-metre-diameter red structure which folds up like a camping table so it can travel around the world.

Favreau, who joined the BBL at the age of 17, danced his last Bolero in June 2024 in Tokyo, just before taking over the reins of the company, aged 47.

In his experience, performing this work meant everything.

"For a dancer, it is the ultimate achievement, the crowning glory," he said.

- Challenges-

But the work is very demanding.

"The main difficulty is respecting the score's crescendo and keeping your energy and strength intact until the big leaps, when your legs start to burn," he said.

Memorising the choreography without being able to rely on variations in the music -- whose melody and rhythmic pattern hardly changes -- is another challenge.

"Some people ask for a teleprompter that displays the ballet sequences, but not at the BBL!" he laughs.

Towards the end, the whole body of dancers becomes engaged, menacing as they approach, their tense stomachs flexing as if hungry.

"According to Maurice Bejart's interpretation, the soloist represents the melody who knows from the outset he's going to die," explained Favreau, who speaks of the figure being "slain", the dancers acting like a "deadly jaw" that closes in.

Created in 1961 for a female soloist, it was later adapted in 1979 for the Argentine star dancer Jorge Donn, Bejart's partner.

Today, the role is played by a woman, with performances rotating between three different performers -- although a male dancer is expected to join them soon.

He will join an illustrious lineup that includes the late French ballet legend Patrick Dupont, former Paris Opera star Nicolas Le Riche and its current star, Hugo Marchand.

"The main thing is ultimately to show who you are," said Favreau.

- 'Oskar': A new work -

Also on Swiss ballet troupe's Istanbul programme was another classic Bejart interpretation of Stravinsky's "Firebird" -- but the performance opened with a new work: "Oskar".

Performed for the first time abroad, it is a frenzied work choreographed by Italian duo Riva & Repele which brings virtually the entire 40-strong ensemble onto stage, dressed in red.

It weaves the tale of a solitary artist whose dreams come up against the hard walls of reality -- effectively the life story of the lead performer Colombian dancer Oscar Chacon who joined BBL in 2004 and has performed its entire repertoire.

"It's a ballet created especially for me, a reflection of my own life," he told AFP.

"I too am a street artist .. To come to Europe, I had to overcome barriers and travel long distances."

Favreau was keen to invite outside choreographers "to highlight the company's technical and artistic qualities and show it could do more than just Bejart".

When he took over in June 2024, Favreau inherited a ballet company shaken by allegations of harassment with a tarnished reputation and financial difficulties.

"It was a period when we all suffered greatly, but it brought us together and made us stronger. And today, we're touring more, our finances are in good shape, the overall atmosphere is great," he said.

There are 17 different nationalities among the dancers, who range in age between 17 and over 50, their experience further enriched by dancers who joined since the Russia-Ukraine war began exactly four years ago.

K.Lam--ThChM