Paris Opera Ballet 2025-2026 Season, Shows, Reviews

byCherilyn J. Lee

January 1, 2020 - Updated on July 12, 2025

Paris Opera Ballet

♦ Location: Paris – France

♦ Artistic Director: José Carlos Martínez

♦ Orchestra: The Paris Opera Orchestra

♦ Affiliated School: Paris Opera Ballet School

♦ Founded in 1669 by the court of Louis XIV

♦ Official Website of Paris Opera Ballet

Table of Contents

Paris Opera Ballet 2025-2026 Season

Alexander Neef and José Martinez, General Director and Dance Director of the Paris Opera, respectively, have announced programming for the Paris Opera Ballet 2025-2026 Season under the motto of “And above all, the intoxicating thing: freedom!”

Per tradition, the season opens with a Gala including the youngest talents from the Paris Opera Ballet School up through the Étoiles. This year, the Défilé du Ballet will be followed by the Junior Ballet dancing Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the main company performing the epitome of romantic ballet, Giselle.

Along with a run of Giselle, Paris Opera Ballet is scheduled for five other full lengths in the City of Light that range from the classical to the contemporary:

Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, inspired by Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name;
Angelin Preljocaj’s Le Parc, the choreographer’s answer in 1994 to the question, “What is love today?”;
Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet and La Bayadère, staples of the classical ballet canon set to scored by Sergei Prokofiev and Ludwig Minkus, respectively;
John Neumeier’s La Dame au camélias, inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ tragic love story between Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval

Four mixed repertory programs showcase the company dancing works by some of the most prolific 20th and 21st century choreographers.

Roots is the season’s first triple bill featuring George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Mthuthuzeli‎ November’s Rhapsodies, and Christopher‎ Wheeldon’s Corybantic Games, while later in 2025, Contrasts will bring pieces by Trisha Brown, David Dawson, and Imre and Marne van Opstal to the Palais Garnier.

In spring and summer of 2026, Empreintes by Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica‎ Wright, Étude by Marcos Morau, Dreams This Way by Micaela Taylor, Solo for Two by Mats Ek, and The Seasons’ Canon by Crystal Pite will be seen in the Impressions and Vibrations programs.