Photo : Laurent Philippe
« Rave + L’Âge d’or » by CCN – Ballet de Lorraine - Karole Armitage and MazelFreten
Prepare to have your perception of classical dance completely upended as twenty-five performers ignite the stage with a high-voltage mix of voguing, techno, and raw club culture. This genre-bending collaboration channels the spirit of a modern rave, delivering an infectious burst of energy that refuses to leave you sitting still.
Théâtre de la Ville - Sarah Bernhardt (Paris 4th)
About
The Théâtre de la Ville – Sarah Bernhardt presents a high-energy double bill featuring the CCN – Ballet de Lorraine, with choreography by Karole Armitage and the duo MazelFreten. From June 15 to June 23, 2027, dancers explore the intersection of classical ballet precision and the raw power of urban dance, ranging from voguing to electro. This 1h20 performance takes place daily at 20:00. Tickets are available for purchase, with prices ranging from 17 to 41 euros, and advance booking is recommended to secure your seat for this unique contemporary dance experience.
Created in 2001 for the Ballet de Lorraine and now passed on to a new generation of performers, Rave has the feel of a virtuoso, festive, and colorful parade. American choreographer Karole Armitage orchestrates an encounter between voguing – with its quick hand and arm movements – and various forms of martial arts, set to catchy techno by composer David Shea. The electricity of the music drives the bodies of the 25 dancers into a state of explosive tension. They make the heart of a piece beat that is envisioned as a celebration of life and of the balls, ballets, and carnivals of the 21st century that enhance its flavor. Upon its creation, Karole Armitage was in the midst of an exceptional and unique career. Trained in classical ballet, she joined the Merce Cunningham company in 1976 but soon began creating her own pieces, most notably Drastic Classicism in 1981, which combines the rigor of ballet with the raw energy of punk. Since then, the choreographer has constantly fostered a dialogue between the worlds of high-art dance and popular culture.
It is almost the opposite journey that Brandon Masele and Laura Defretin have been taking for 10 years under the alias MazelFreten. The duo seizes the vocabulary of electro and hip-hop dances to forge a new language acclaimed worldwide, with their piece Rave Lucid but also the Obscurité segment of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Beyond their own creations, the two artists are fond of different experiences, such as their collaboration with singer Hervé at Chaillot in 2025. Today, MazelFreten imagines a grand format for the Ballet de Lorraine, set to music by electronic composer Chloé Thévenin. Inspired by the technique of sampling – which lifts, transforms, and reinvents existing material – the duo subverts the codes of classical ballet to make it resonate differently, bolstered by the visceral energy of electro dance. The encounter opens an unexpected space where disciplines complement, contaminate, and transform each other.
Vincent Théval
Duration: 1h20
Category:
- Dance
- MazelFreten - Artists associated with Chaillot - National Dance Theatre
Our take on this event
Between June 15 and June 23, 2027, the Théâtre de la Ville – Sarah Bernhardt hosts a vibrant collaboration involving the CCN – Ballet de Lorraine. The program opens with Rave, a 2001 work by Karole Armitage that bridges the gap between voguing's intricate hand movements and martial arts, set to a driving techno score by David Shea. Twenty-five dancers bring this festive and explosive piece to life, reflecting the choreographer's career-long commitment to blending high art with popular culture.
Sharing the stage is a new piece by MazelFreten, the duo of Brandon Masele and Laura Defretin. Drawing on their expertise in electro and hip-hop, they collaborate with electronic musician Chloé Thévenin to deconstruct classical ballet conventions. By utilizing sampling techniques to reinvent existing movement, the performance generates a visceral energy that highlights the mutual influence between different dance disciplines.
Performances are scheduled every day from Monday to Saturday at 20:00, with a total running time of 1h20. Admission is priced between 17 and 41 euros. Please ensure you book your tickets in advance to attend this showcase of contemporary movement at the heart of Paris.
