Lost after its material records were destroyed by fire in 1883, the spectacular ballet La Source originally portrayed the idealistic vision of a magical domain in which a complex but beautiful love story of mythical figures unfolded. Jean-Guillaume Bart has long been captivated by La Source, and his new choreography retains the ballet’s romantic fascinations and its glorious music by Delibes and Minkus. Filled with exotic colour and atmosphere, Bart takes the narrative on an odyssey through near- and far-flung realms of classical dance in a brilliant production, further elevated by Christian Lacroix’s gorgeous costumes and Éric Ruf’s imaginative set designs.

This performance from the Palais Garnier spectacularly brings to life the lost 1866 ballet La Source, showcasing the wonderful dancers of the Opéra national de Paris, to music by Delibes and Minkus arranged by Marc-Olivier Dupin. Jean-Guillaume Bart’s choreography is a grand-tour of the art from, as he himself was a Danseur Noble and Danseur Étoile of the Paris Opéra. The production also features costumes by Christian Lacroix and evocative sets by Éric Ruf.

The New York Times reviewed this production: ‘Much of this production is lovely. The music... is often ravishing, particularly the Delibes score in most of Act II. La Source is a fascinating exercise, a tantalising proposition to a ballet world always in search of its holy grail: the successful full-length production, which audiences appear to crave.’

Seattledances.com added: ‘The Paris Opéra Ballet is a wonder to behold, and Bart is a remarkably gifted choreographer. His sensitivity to the music is innate, and manifested in creative, highly complex sequences of steps that are a feast for the eyes.’

Cast:
- Naila: Ludmila Pagliero
- Djémil: Karl Paquette
- Nouredda: Isabelle Ciaravola
- Zael: Mathias Heymann
- Mozdock: Christophe Duquenne
- Dadjé: Nolwenn Daniel