Racines: a choreographic journey through Russian, African and ancient heritage at the Opéra Bastille

From October 6 to November 10 2025, the Opéra Bastille will host Racines, a three-part program featuring George Balanchine, Mthuthuzeli November and Christopher Wheeldon. An evening of artistic and cultural filiations.

From October 6 to November 10, 2025,the Opéra national de Paris will present an evening entitled Racines, featuring three choreographic works by George Balanchine, Mthuthuzeli November and Christopher Wheeldon. Through this original program, to be discovered at the Opéra Bastille, the ballet seeks to bring together traditions, influences and modernity, in a sensitive exploration of aesthetic origins and identities.

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George Balanchine 's seminal 1947 New York work,Theme and Variations, opens the evening. Conceived as a tribute to the Russian academic tradition and the music of Tchaikovsky, this work testifies to the choreographer's desire to return to the fundamentals of classical ballet.

Mthuthuzeli November would then take over with Rhapsodies, a contemporary work set to the music of George Gershwin, making its repertory debut. This creation summons up both the urban energy of the great metropolises and the deep resonances of her African roots, in a powerful hybrid choreographic language.
Christopher Wheeldon 's Corybantic Games would close the evening. Inspired by ancient Greece and carried by the vibrant music of Leonard Bernstein, this piece evokes the sacred, frenetic dances of the priests of the goddess Cybele, in a flamboyant visual style.

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The Roots evening will appeal to both classical ballet enthusiasts and those curious about contemporary approaches. By combining three very distinct choreographic signatures - the academicism of Balanchine, the expressive physicality of November, the stylized modernity of Wheeldon - the program would offer a great diversity of writing styles and sensibilities. This mix of cultural references (Russia, Africa, ancient Greece) and musical references (Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Bernstein) would provide an original and accessible common thread. On the other hand, those expecting a linear narrative or action ballet might find a more abstract program, focused on aesthetics and form.

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With Racines, theOpéra national de Paris proposes an ambitious choreographic journey between tradition and modernity, bringing together three singular artistic universes. Presented from October 6 to November 10, 2025 at theOpéra Bastille, the program highlights the multiple filiations of ballet language, at the crossroads of continents and styles.

This article has been written on the basis of the information available about the show and is not based on a viewing review.

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