La Dame aux camélias: a romantic tragedy danced at the Palais Garnier

From May 5 to 23, 2026, the Palais Garnier presents La Dame aux camélias, a narrative ballet by John Neumeier inspired by the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, with music by Chopin.

La Dame aux camélias, presented at the Palais Garnier from May 5 to 23, 2026, plunges audiences into the deeply moving world of Marguerite Gautier, an emblematic figure of Romantic literature. Adapted as a ballet by choreographer John Neumeier, this narrative work skilfully blends literary drama, musical composition and choreographic language.

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The story is based on the novel byAlexandre Dumas fils, in which Marguerite, a courtesan in search of happiness, meets Armand's true love. But their passion, thwarted by social conventions, takes a tragic turn. John Neumeier enriches the plot by weaving a parallel between Marguerite and Manon Lescaut, the heroine of Abbé Prévost, thus introducing a ballet within a ballet, and giving the work a reflective dimension on sacrificed female figures.

The music of Frédéric Chopin, played live, gives rhythm to this sentimental fresco where memories and dreams intertwine. The elegance of the costumes, the richness of the sets and the fluidity of the staging all contribute to making this ballet an immersion in 19th-century Paris, between sumptuous salons and intimate tragedies.

This show will appeal to audiences with a taste for the greatlove stories and for classical dance, as well as to fans of literary narratives supported by an ambitious scenography. Audiences with a taste for contemporary experimentation or more abstract forms may find this a more conventional proposition, but the emotional power of the story and the precision of the choreographic language may surprise them.

Created in 1978 and added to the Opéra national de Paris repertoire in 2006, La Dame aux camélias continues to seduce with its dramatic richness and sensitive interpretation.

This article is based on publicly available information and is not based on direct experience of the show.

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