Paris Opera Ballet

Casse-noisette rehearsal

photo Agathe Poupeney

sae eun park and paul marque photographed rehearsing as manon and des grieux for kenneth macmillan’s manon by svetlana loboff

Paul Marque | Paris Opera Ballet | Photos by Matthew Brookes

George Balanchine, Ballet Impérial

Ludmila Pagliero and Paul Marque

ph. Agathe Poupeney

Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture by Simone Rocha (ph: Jean Marques)

Details from Jean Paul Gaultier ss24 Haute Couture by Simone Rocha photographed by Jean Marques

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official lfw a/w '24 schedule

feb 16 | paul costelloe, masha popova, noon by noor, temperley london, bora aksu, edward crutchley, sinead o'dwyer, completedworks, mark fast, huishan zhang, dreaming eli, chet lo, fashion east, on|off presents...jack irving, natasha zinko, central saint martins

feb 17 | 16arlington, roksanda, malone souliers, robyn lynch, molly goddard, erdem, ahluwalia, david koma, simone rocha, richard quinn, ingrid kraftchenko

feb 18 | emilia wickstead, kazna asker, jw anderson, eudon choi, paolo carzana, holzweiler, connor ives, sinead gorey, aaron esh, saul nash, dilara findikoglu

feb 19 | edeline lee, yuhan wang, marques' almeida, knwls, di petsa, colville, susan fang, frolov, derrick, helen kirkum, burberry

Questions because I'm curious! What is your 'holy grail' doll to collect? Have you ever tried making a whole doll from scratch? What's your favourite part of doll restoration? What are your favourite haunts for doll hunting? What doll collectors/restorers do you admire most? And lastly, if you could go back to any period(s?) to get a doll when it was new, what time period(s?) would you go to

Ooooh doll questions! let's go!

Holy grail doll to collect. I already have at least one of them- a late 1860s French fashion doll with an articulated wooden body. She survived the fire and I love her even more for it; her name is Leonore. A few "wouldn't be nice" dolls I don't have yet include:

Antique 18th-century English wooden doll (I have a lovely repro at the moment, Amy)

Simon and Halbig 1159 lady doll

A wax fashion doll. I lost all of mine in the fire, unfortunately

Lenci boudoir doll

Miniature china-headed doll with an articulated wooden body

A Black French fashion doll (SUPER rare, but they did exist)

2. Have I ever made a doll from scratch? Yes, out of polymer clay with jewelry headpins baked in to string her together. She was floppy and had anime eyes drawn on with Sharpie. Not the most successful experiment.

3. Favorite part of doll restoration? Cleaning. They just look so much happier after a bath!

4. Favorite doll-hunting haunts? EBay. Sadly, one doesn't come across the sort of doll I collect in the wild much anymore, though I've had some luck with French fashion doll clothes at the Brimfield Antiques Fair.

5. Admired doll collectors/restoration artists? My friend and Amy's maker, Paul Robinson. Michael Canadas and David Robinson. Kathy Libraty (also a friend- a dealer who does restoration). Illiandra Alvey (another friend). Samy Odin. Kat Davies. Bradley Justice Yarborough (a LOT of these are people I'm friends with). Linda Wall.

6. Time travelling to get a doll when new? 18th-century English wooden. Unless you get VERY lucky, they retail for like $20K right now- the pretty ones in decent condition, that is.

Or an Albert Marque doll, to sell and make like $300K off of.

Le gage de solidité d'un positionnement, d'une marque, d'un produit, d'un business-model, est l'abondance de clientèle anglo-saxonne. Exemple dans la restauration à Paris : quel est l'indice infaillible qui marquait le potentiel du nouveau marché du bistro-cantine modèle "Bouillon" début 2000? C'était la soudaine abondance de clients anglo-australo-américains. Le référencement tardif de Chartier dans les guides de voyage anglo-saxons fit exploser l'affluence. Les premiers bouillons parisiens remontent à 1860. Chartier fondé en 1896 était la seule enseigne du genre encore existante début 2000, c'est-à-dire que cette cantine a mis 110 années pour percer vraiment la glace et voir la floraison en 15 ans des nouvelles cantines populaires: Chartier Montparnasse et Chartier Gare de l'Est, Bouillon Pigalle, Bouillon République, Brasserie des Prés, Brasserie Dubillot, Bellanger… Et leurs versions bistronomies plus pointues Le Baratin, L'Ami Jean, Le Comptoir, Quedubon, Le Verre volé, le Repaire de Cartouche, Racines et surtout Le bistro Paul Bert. Ce modèle va désormais s'exporter dans le monde entier. Au moment de la généralisation des pizzerias dans les années 80 si propice au "déjeuner de trente minutes chrono", la cuisine française a souffert de cette image statufiée Bocuse, Escoffier, Le Bec Fin. Nous n'avons jamais mangé de "canard à l'orange et au sang" et n'en voulons à aucun prix. C'est cette cuisine proudhonnienne populaire toute d'intelligence, de vitesse et de simplicité qui rendra justice au pays. Le Français met longtemps à comprendre qui il est par rapport aux autres, mais quand il le comprend et reste loyal il rencontre de beaux succès.

Paris Opera Ballet

Casse-noisette

photo Agathe Poupeney & Vincent L

"Les marchands modernes ne veulent pas non plus que Peter grandisse. Mais ce n’est pas pour préserver son innocence, ni pour le protéger du monde du commerce ; ils veulent faire de lui leur fidèle client, exploiter sa séparation d’avec sa mère et sa famille pour mettre la main sur lui, pour le pousser à acheter cet "amusement" auquel sa jeunesse, autrefois, lui donnait accès gratuitement. Envole-toi pour le Pays imaginaire, Peter, nous t’y attendons avec tout ce que le petit garçon en toi a toujours voulu – mais attention : tu devras l’acheter avec des dollars d’adultes. Ou achète-le, dans ce pays imaginaire perverti qu’a fabriqué la marque Michael Jackson, en vendant à la fois ta famille et ton innocence. Laisse tes parents derrière toi, mais surtout n'oublie pas d’emporter ton porte-monnaie et ton érotisme corrompu."

Benjamin Barber, Comment le capitalisme nous infantilise, trad. Lise et Paul Chemla, 2007.

Paul Marque | Paris Opera Ballet | Roberto Bolle and Friends | Photo by Andre Uspenski | @dancersdiary

Sae Eun Park and Paul Marque in rehearsal for Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon

ph. Svetlana Loboff

Nutcracker thoughts continued…

I ravaged Nureyev’s Nutcracker choreography in a prior post, but I came across this rehearsal with Ines MacIntosh and Paul Marque and the dancing looked so much better, at least these brief sections. (there are more that I didn't upload.) It makes me realize just how ill-suited Tsikaridze is for that choreography.

Still not a convert, but this is at least watchable and I dare say….enjoyable! 🎄

Video: TG @Dance Writer's World (Vita Khlopova)

Also, of you’re not following @laurynjohnson20 on IG then hop on it! She's a dancer, dance historian, designer and all around delightful presence at Lincoln Center where she also works as an usher. She posts a trove of images from the NYPL of Performing Arts, NYCB, and the Balanchine Foundation along with brief histories. It’s a great intro to all things NYCB. She’s been doing a deep dive of Balanchine's Nutcracker all month long.

Gelsey Kirkland & Edward Villella. Kirkland's debut as Sugar Plum. Photo by Fred Fehl, 1969. (via IG @laurynjohnson20) Footage of Gelsey Kirkland is rare, but from what I've seen, her technique and expressiveness is on par with top Mariinsky dancers of today. She really was that damn good.

Paul Marque - París Opera Ballet

Matthew Brookes photography