le ballet de l'opera de paris!!!!

wednesday night was basically the best night of my life because i got to see the paris opera ballet at the opera garnier which is basically the reason that i came to paris (no really...after i saw frederick wiseman's documentary la danse about the paris opera ballet i decided i absolutely had to go to paris and then it ended up working out better for my majors anyway).

the program was three ballets from the 1940s and 50s by roland petit: le rendez-vous, le loup, and le jeune homme et la morte. they were all very gene kelly, paris-after-the-war-esque aka fabulous. i wasn't blown away by the choreography but i was impressed by the way petit can evoke an atmosphere. the costumes, and the sets and the dancers of course were beautiful.

the grand foyer where everyone goes during intermission. there's also a balcony with a fabulous view of the city. what i love about the opera garnier is that, unlike most of the old buildings i've been to so far, the louvre, versailles, palais de luxembourg, it is still used for it's original function. instead of being a museum for tourists it is still a theater where ballets are performed every night.  people mill around the grand foyer during intermission just as they did in the early 1900s.

the chagall ceiling. i feel like a lot of people don't like the chagall ceiling but i think it's lovely and goes very well with the decor. the yellow part has scenes from swan lake and giselle : )

the building is just so magnificent. after the ballet my friend hillary and i stood outside staring at the facade for a long time. it was a beautiful night.