Siddharta at l'Opèra Bastille (Cultural Activity 2)

There are so many perks to living in Paris: museums, parks, history, incredible art and architecture wherever you turn to name a few. Being able to attend world premiers at the Opèra Bastille is another. Siddharta is a new ballet written by Bruno Mantovani and choreographed by Angelin Preljocaj (click here and scroll down a bit to see some video clips), and thanks to Dr. Ricks getting tickets well in advance we were able to attend the world premier (read with a posh British accent). In 15 tableaux the company told the story of Siddharta and his quest to find Enlightenment.



The ballet didn’t seem too concerned about the story of Siddharta though; instead I felt like it was an exploration of humanity’s search for truth or the right way in a very general sense. The characters in each tableau retained some of the same names, such as Yasodhara his wife and Ananda his cousin. The music bore some elements associated with the Far East, such as gongs.

But there were many modern and Western elements as well. The choreography was a wonderful combination of old and new ballet movements. My favorite modern scene was the fourth tableau, which depicted an epidemic that ravaged Siddharta’s home village. The dancers were in pairs, one in a black body suit and silver motorcycle helmet and the other in a blotchy grey and flesh-colored suits. The helmeted dancers dragged their limp counterparts on to the stage, then performed a bizarre sort of dance that movingly conveyed the ravages of the unnamed disease on the impoverished villagers.

In addition to the expected sounds of gongs and the usual orchestral instruments (albeit combined in unexpected ways for fantastic and surprising score) an electric guitar was added, which goes remarkably well with the harp by the way. And throughout the ballet unusual and distinctly modern props were used: chrome motorcycle helmets, a hovering and rotating house, and a metro undercarriage of all things. For me these new and modern elements brought the story out of the distant past in Nepal and into the 21st century.