Follow along with Paris Opera's fascinating creative program where young apprentices from various professions come together to learn about the world within the opera house.

What can an ordinary person gain from the world of opera and dance? The answer might surprise you. In this fascinating artistic experiment young apprentices, including pastry chefs, mechanics, sales professionals, and jewelers, come together at the illustrious Paris Opera to learn about the many jobs and skills found within the opera house. 

Through a series of exercises including musical training, dance classes, and set design courses, these young professionals unveil the unique synergy between artistry and craftsmanship that transforms their outlook and skill set. Along the way, director Cyril Leuthy highlights the individual experience of each student revealing the importance of this unique cultural education program. 

Follow along with Paris Opera's fascinating creative program where young apprentices from various professions come together to learn about the world within the opera house.

OpérApprentis

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back is a portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man from his tap-dancing childhood fame to today in Broadway and Hollywood.
Maurice and friends—Chita Rivera, Mercedes Ellington and Debbie Allen—tell tales from his seven-decade career, including Broadway shows, a co-starring role in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club and about his loving yet complex relationship with his superstar brother, the late Gregory Hines. Ever battling the challenges of being a gay, black man in show biz, Maurice shares his story with humor and grace.

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back is a portrait of the charismatic song-and-dance man from his tap-dancing childhood fame to todayn in Broadway and Hollywood.

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back

This documentary takes you inside the creative world of Australia's visionary choreographer, Meryl Tankard as she crafts a new work - Aurora.  

As the Artistic Director of the Australian Dance Theatre, Meryl Tankard became known for her out-of-the-box, innovative, and humorous works. This biographical film reveals Tankard's boundless creativity and satirical flair through extracts from her seminal works like ''Two Feet,'' ''Furioso,'' ''Songs With Mara,'' and ''Chants de Marriage 2.''  From rehearsals to the stage, watch her creative process unfold as choreographs her new take on the classic ballet Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, and join Tankard as she reunites with her former mentor, the legendary Pina Bausch.  

This documentary takes you inside the creative world of Australia's visionary choreographer, Meryl Tankard as she crafts a new work - Aurora.  

The Black Swan: Meryl Tankard - Choreographer

Ignite your passion for music with conductor Sir Antonio Pappano. In this exclusive Marquee TV series, Pappano explores the history and artistry of three iconic symphonies, revealing the secrets that make them so extraordinary. In this episode, Pappano explores the life and work of Gustav Mahler taking a close look at his groundbreaking ''Symphony No.1.'' 

Stepping out into nature, where Mahler drew his inspiration, and back into the rehearsal room, Pappano unpacks the genius of Mahler's work. Learn how Mahler stretched the boundaries of the symphony, capturing the spirit of nature in his music, and how his First Symphony evolved from its disastrous premiere to one of Mahler's most beloved works. Along the way, musicians from The London Symphony Orchestra share their experiences and insights, offering a unique perspective on this heroic symphony. 

Explore Mahler's groundbreaking ''Symphony No.1'' with Sir Antonio Pappano, revealing the history and genius behind the work. 

Antonio Pappano: Behind the Symphony - Mahler

Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative journeys of dynamic dancers and choreographers in this short film series. Produced with Sadler's Wells, each episode offers an intimate look at an artist's journey, process, and inspirations as they overcome challenges and seek new artistic heights.  Feel enriched, enlightened, and deeply moved by the passion and dedication of today's most talented dance artists. 

Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the creative journeys of dynamic dancers and choreographers in this fascinating short film series. 

Danceworks

Essential viewing, this meticulously crafted biography captures the power, spirit, and heartbreak of ballet’s most captivating star.

From Rudolf Nureyev's dramatic Cold War defection to his meteoric rise as a global sensation, complete with adoring fans, to his iconic partnership with Margot Fonteyn, this documentary traces an extraordinary career. Nureyev’s magnetic stage presence—marked by panther-like grace and fierce intensity—comes alive through newly unearthed footage of his collaborations with legends Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, and Murray Louis. With an evocative original score by Alex Baranowski and mesmerizing dance tableaux by Russell Maliphant, Nureyev’s performances are vivid and spellbinding.

Offstage, intimate moments reveal the poignant reunion with his mother after years in exile and his complex relationship with fellow dancer Erik Bruhn. Nureyev lived as he danced—boldly, passionately, and without limits.

From his daring defection to his meteoric rise, this portrait of ballet’s first global superstar is as captivating as the man himself.

Nureyev: Lifting the Curtain

Witness the transformative power of dance as a group of inmates participate in choreographer Angelin Preljocaj's dance workshops behind bars. 

Sylvie, Lili, Sophia, Annie, and Malika are serving long sentences in Marseille's Beaumettes prison. For four months, they are visited by renowned choreographer Angelin Preljocaj whose dance classes are a welcome reprieve from life behind bars. Together they choreograph a new work to be performed "outside the walls" at prestigious venues like the Pavillon Noir in Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier's International Dance Festival.  

This moving documentary chronicles their profound journey as they discover the unyielding spirit that emerges when art meets confinement, revealing a gripping tale of human expression and liberation through dance.

Witness the transformative power of dance as a group of inmates take part in choreographer Angelin Preljocaj's dance workshops behind bars.

Dancing Free

This documentary is a fascinating window into the incredible creative process behind Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's moving piece, ''Secrets of the Bamboo Grove.''

Choreographer Lin Hwai-min is a visionary of the dance world.  Follow along as he creates a new piece for Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. Follow along behind the scenes of the rehearsal process and see how the dancers implement strict regimens of tai chi and martial arts to help shape their bodies and movements. 

A fascinating documentary that reveals the incredible creative process behind Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's ''Secrets of the Bamboo Grove.'' 

Secrets of the Bamboo Grove

Mats Ek and star dancer Stéphane Bullion revisit their artistic relationship through the experience of the creation and interpretation of Another Place, but also of "Bernarda's House" and "Apartment", two Mats Ek ballets that Stéphane has danced throughout his career.

“I could only bid farewell with a creation by Mats Ek” explains star dancer Stéphane Bullion, a way for him to pay tribute to the great choreographer, one of the most influential in modern dance of the 20th century. ""This duet contains my entire career. With this duet, I conclude what I started more than twenty years ago.”

Echoing the mythical duet of Ana Laguna and Mikhail Baryshnikov in Place performed at the Stockholm Drama Theatre in 2009, Mats Ek composed Another Place at the Paris Opera ten years later. A couple gravitates around a simple table and a carpet. Love, its impulses, its exhaustion, time, wear and tear, the attempt at a new approach between a man and a woman, their anguish, vulnerability and madness... everything is played out carnally, straightforwardly, with humour and harshness in the immensity of a bare and completely open stage, on the uninterrupted thread of Franz Liszt's Sonata in B minor written in one piece. A couple's dialogue as only the Swedish choreographer knows how to portray them.

Mats Ek and Stéphane Bullion revisit their artistic relationship through the experience of the creation and interpretation of Another Place.

Another Place by Mats Ek: Documentary

Filmed on location with Cirque Du Soleil performers, this documentary offers an intimate look at their lives on and off the stage. 

A behind the scenes look at people chasing their dreams and pushing their bodies to the limits.

An intimate documentary following the world-renowned performers of Cirque Du Soleil.

Grazing The Sky - The Art of Cirque Du Soleil

Discover the story of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas through the lens of acclaimed director Tony Palmer's revealing documentary.

Few opera singers have reached the level of acclaim and success like Prima Donna Maria Callas. From her humble beginnings in Manhattan NY to the onset of her career and her turbulent marriage to billionaire Aristotle Onassis, Maria's life was a whirlwind of triumphs and tragedies. With breathtaking archival footage showcasing Callas's iconic performances and intimate interviews about her personal life, this documentary reveals not only Callas the artist but Maria, the woman. 

Delve into the story of world-renowned opera singer Maria Callas through the lens of acclaimed director Tony Palmer's revealing documentary. 

Callas

This film reflects on over 60 years of John Neumeier’s life and career as a dancer and choreographer who has revolutionized the world of ballet.

Director Andreas Morell travels to Milwaukee to explore Neumeier's origins, drawing a portrait of a man deeply rooted in religion and art. Personal insights from friends, colleagues, and his husband, Hermann Reichenspurner, illustrate Neumeier’s genuine compassion and commitment to nurturing the next generation of dancers.

Fly-on-the-wall footage captures rehearsals for new pieces in Hamburg, Paris, and Chicago, intercut with excerpts from some of the 170 dance works that have shaped an extraordinary career.

Step into the world of John Neumeier, who revolutionized modern-day ballet by seamlessly blending the dramatic with the abstract.

John Neumeier - A Life for Dance

This documentary reveals the fascinating life, mind, and work of John Cage, one of the 20th century's most influential composers and thinkers.

Renowned for his groundbreaking work, including his controversial 1952 composition 4'33'', Cage was not only an artistic pioneer but a deep and philosophical thinker. When filmmaker Frank Scheffer first met Cage, their short conversation says Scheffer, ''changed my life as an artist.'' Over a decade, Scheffer collaborated closely with the composer, collecting a treasure trove of historical audio-visual material. This unique archive, comprised of interviews, musical performances, and evocative 16mm footage from Cage’s life comes together to capture the essence of this influential artist who had such a profound impact on the filmmaker. 

An essential watch for creatives, expect to learn some of Cage's creative techniques and guiding philosophies like the old Chinese methods based on the I Ching, and dive into the world of boundary-changing creativity. 

This intimate documentary reveals the fascinating life, mind, and work of John Cage, one of the 20th century's most influential composers and thinkers. 

How To Get Out Of The Cage - A Year With John Cage

With unprecedented access to choreographer Carolyn Carlson's personal archives, this French documentary chronicles her notoriously unique creative process. 

Over the last 40 years, Carolyn Carlson has created an impressive repertoire of innovative and artistic dance works that have made her one of the stand-out names of her generation. Through intimate behind-the-scenes footage and insightful interviews, this documentary peels back the many layers of Carlson's artistic vision. From the choreographer's idyllic childhood in Southern California to her life as a French national, see firsthand the passion, dedication, and artistic genius that have made her a true icon of contemporary dance. 

With unprecedented access to choreographer Carolyn Carlson's personal archives, this French documentary chronicles her notoriously unique creative process. 

Kreativ: A Study in Creativity by Alexander Ekman

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