Cover The Paris Opera Junior Ballet dances ‘Eternal Rift’ in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo: Chanel)
The Paris Opera Junior Ballet dances ‘Eternal Rift’ in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo: Chanel)
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When Chanel brought the Paris Opera Junior Ballet to Malaysia, history was made
The Dewan Filharmonik Petronas is a Kuala Lumpur institution. Gleaming marble and glass on the outside; warm, womb-like wooden cladding on the inside. It’s a space where we come to marvel at the best of Malaysian and global talent, and have done since 1998.
In contrast, the Paris Opera Junior Ballet is a comparatively young institution, the newest arm of the venerable Paris Opera Ballet. Made up of dancers between 18 and 23, the Junior Ballet was formed in 2024 with the support of Chanel as Major Patron of the Paris National Opera. Young dancers from all around the world come together to dance in the Junior Ballet company, with a repertoire that fittingly spans classical and contemporary.
For two special nights in November, these two icons came together. The dancers of the Paris Opera Junior Ballet travelled halfway around the world for two exclusive performances at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. It was a historic occasion, marking the company’s Asian debut, as well as the global debut of Eternal Rift, a new contemporary piece by choreographer Julian Nicosia, in which the dancers wore custom Chanel costumes.
Also read: The Chanel 55.55 necklace: A history-defining icon
Above The Paris Opera Junior Ballet company is made up of dancers aged 18-23 from all over the world
The Paris Opera Junior Ballet company is made up of dancers aged 18-23 from all over the world
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It was a finely, delicately paced evening, with each performance creating a new step in the journey. The dancers of the Junior Ballet, joined by Paris Opera Étoiles Sae Eun Park and Roxane Stojanov, Premier Danseur Francesco Mura and Sujet Antonio Conforti, held the audience in the palm of their lightly flexed hands.
“For me, the Paris Opera is a unique place, precisely because of its history,” Étoile Sae Eun Park told us. “I believe that the role of the Junior Ballet, of recruiting talents from around the world, is one of great importance. The Paris Opera is not only a place where you learn technique, but also a place where you can really be inspired by so many people, and where you can dance in a very varied way. With the Junior Ballet, I want to tell young dancers to observe, observe the dancers, observe the culture, observe everything that is composed. Again and again, and from there, find your own personality, your own way of being an artist.”
Above Sae Eun Park and Francesco Mura dance ‘Giselle’
Sae Eun Park and Francesco Mura dance ‘Giselle’
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Because though at times the dancers move as one, it’s clear there is no one way of being a dancer within the Paris Opera companies. Park’s journey to the Paris Opera was a unique one, coming from Seoul and not through a traditional dance school route. Premier Danseur Francesco Mura is a tightly coiled spring of emotion on stage but relaxed and smiley offstage—and also on his YouTube channel.
Above Paris Opera Junior Ballet dancers wear Chanel costumes for ‘Eternal Rift’
Paris Opera Junior Ballet dancers wear Chanel costumes for ‘Eternal Rift’
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“I think sometimes in our job it’s hard to find a way to use social media well, and mostly people use it just to lose time and just scroll,” he says. “But actually it can also be something very creative and where you can really express a message that you want to bring. And so, yes, dance is the most important, but as we are living in the modern world, it's also part of dancers to try to communicate what we do in the best way so that dance continues to grow.” It’s a welcome sign that ballet is maybe no longer the buttoned-up artform of Hollywood clichés. Mura grins. “I say to them, try to stop being a good student! Try to put something more personal. If you really work to find and to express yourself, it's also something that becomes unique on stage and more touching.”
In Kuala Lumpur, Park and Mura performed the pas de deux from Giselle, Act 2. It’s a role Park is known for, one that represents the classical, technically exacting form at one end of the Paris Opera spectrum. At the other end of that spectrum sits Eternal Rift, the new contemporary piece by choreographer Julian Nicosia. Here the Junior Ballet dancers used their classical training in service of a bold new vision—a dance that explored themes of transformation, tension and fragility, brought to dramatic life with costumes by Chanel. Here was an opportunity to depart from tulle skirts; instead the dancers moved in sleek black unitards, accented with embroidered golden sheafs of wheat.
Above In ‘Eternal Rift’ an oversized jacket becomes a character in itself
Above Dancers wore black unitards accented with golden embroidered sheafs of wheat
In ‘Eternal Rift’ an oversized jacket becomes a character in itself
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“I think that the fact that this tour is supported by Chanel has a very strong meaning for young dancers,” Park says. “Chanel is not only the founder of the Junior Ballet, it is also a house that has maintained a very deep relationship with dance for a long time. It’s not just about wearing beautiful costumes. It creates a reason for the dancers to push themselves to go further, to surpass themselves, both artistically and in their way of presenting themselves.”
Credits
Photography: Chanel
Emma Chong is the Managing Editor of Tatler Malaysia, overseeing the editorial direction and vision for the print, digital and social media arms of the title. She has over 15 years experience in fashion and lifestyle publishing, and has led print and digital editorial teams at ELLE Malaysia, Time Out Kuala Lumpur, The Luxe Nomad and more.
Outside of work, Emma spends her time wrangling children (only her own) and boosting the Malaysian economy through her support of local fashion and homeware brands.
