Joséphine / The Rite of Spring: a dance tribute at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

From September 24 to 28, 2025, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées will host a diptych of dance around Joséphine Baker and Pina Bausch's Le Sacre, performed by African artists.

To mark the opening of its 2025-2026 season, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is offering a double program featuring two emblematic figures from the cultural and choreographic history of the 20th century: Joséphine Baker and Pina Bausch. From September 24 to 28, 2025, the Théâtre de l'avenue Montaigne will host Joséphine, a world premiere choreographed by Germaine Acogny, followed by a revival of The Rite of Spring choreographed by Pina Bausch, performed this time by some forty dancers from thirteen countries on the African continent.

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With Joséphine, Germaine Acogny - a pioneer of contemporary African dance - pays tribute to another great Franco-Senegalese artist. One hundred years after Josephine Baker 's Paris debut, and fifty years after her death, this solo, choreographed by Alesandra Seutin and directed by Mikael Serre, offers a contemporary take on the story of the music-hall icon. With original music by Fabrice Bouillon-LaForest and costumes designed by Chanel, Acogny embodies a multiple Baker, between homage, introspection and metamorphosis.

The second part of the program brings this creation into dialogue with a classic of the contemporary choreographic repertoire: The Rite of Spring in Pina Bausch's historic version. Since its premiere in 1975, this piece has become a benchmark for dramatic intensity and ritualized dance. For this revival, the African performers will be accompanied by the ensemble Les Siècles, conducted byAntonello Manacorda, in a bid to restore the raw power of the work with a new energy, rooted in other bodily traditions.

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The show would appeal to audiences interested in seeing artistic memories and contemporary gestures intersect, particularly those interested in emblematic figures of feminism, postcolonial narratives or reinterpretations of the great works of the repertory. It will appeal as much to contemporary dance aficionados as to those who enjoy bold stage proposals. On the other hand, those expecting a more linear narrative or historical tribute to Josephine Baker may be put off by the resolutely choreographic and performative approach of this proposal.

The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées seems intent on affirming an artistic line that is open to history and resolutely turned towards the world. Joséphine / Le Sacre du printemps offers a sensitive journey, rooted in the bodies, memory and power of dance.

Article based on public sources; the show has not been viewed.

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