Reopening of the Théâtre Sarah Bernardt: 4 recommended shows

After 7 years of titanic renovation, Paris’s most prestigious venue for theater and contemporary dance will reopen its doors on September 9, 2023. The Théâtre de la Ville, located 600 meters away from the Relais du Louvre, will return to the name it once bore: Le théâtre Sarah Bernardt.

We consulted to our artistic advisor, who recommended the shows we present in this article.

Jasmine Morand – “Mire” January 23-27, 2024

Jasmine Morand is a dancer and a choreographer. In Switzerland in 1995 and 1996, she won a classical dance prize and a modern dance prize. Successively hired by the Ballet national de Nancy et Lorraine, the Zurich Opera and the Slovenian National Ballet in Ljubljana, Jasmine Morand is the founder of the “Prototype Status” company based in Vevey (Switzerland).

Mire is a highly visual choreographic installation. Rather than trying to describe it, see it for yourself:

Genre: Contemporary dance
Price : from €8 to €22
Box office opening : 23/12/23
To find out more: https://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/en/spectacles/saison-2023-2024/danse/mire

Crystal Pite / Jonathon Young – “création 2024” April 2-18, 2024

The Canadian choreographer and director Crystal Pite was a member of William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet. Her choreographic language is characterized by a strong theatrical sensitivity.

In this new work, Pite and Young explore the myths and sufferings of exile to show our need to unite as similar beings. They highlight the delicate line between community solidarity and the risk of losing our individual consciousness.

No teaser is currently available. Here is “Revizor”, which was presented by Théâtre de la Ville in 2022, presented hors murs :

Genre: Dance theater – English with French subtitles
From €8 to €32
Box office opening: 23/12/23
To find out more : https://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/en/spectacles/saison-2023-2024/danse/creation-2024

Pina Baush – “Sweet Mambo” April 23 – May 7, 20204

Founder of the Tanztheater Wuppertal company, she is considered as one of the leading figures in contemporary dance and dance theater. Pina Bausch died on June 30th, 2009 in Wuppertal.

A ballet of six graceful, bewitching women, revealing their sorrows, hopes, desires, anger and disappointments. In Pina Bausch’s penultimate work, three men play the role of revealers, offering a feminine look at relationships, seduction and desire.

Genre: Contemporary dance
From €8 to €45
Box office opening : 23/03/24
To find out more: https://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/en/spectacles/saison-2023-2024/danse/sweet-mambo

Dimitris Papaioannou – “Ink”, May 13-15, 2024

Dimítris Papaïoánnou is a Greek choreographer. He directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. In 2017, he was awarded a special prize at the 15th Prix Europe Réalités Théâtrales.

In the midst of a post-apocalyptic nightmare landscape, two bodies confront each other as the waters rise inexorably. In this duel between life and death, love and violence, “Ink” explores the dark recesses of desire and the complex search for oneself in a decaying world.

Genre: Contemporary dance
From €8 to €32
Box office opening : 23/03/24
To find out more: https://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/en/spectacles/saison-2023-2024/danse/ink

Whether you’re a connoisseur, amateur or novice when it comes to contemporary theater and dance, the 4 shows we recommend are created by highly talented artists, yet are culturally very affordable. What’s more, the reopening of one of the world’s most prestigious stages for contemporary theater and dance after 7 years of renovation will provide for sure a good share of astonishment at a very affordable prices.