Established in 2024, Paris Opera Junior Ballet has been touring extensively since early 2025, with Bonn’s Opera House the latest stop. The programme, unchanged since last year, sees an ambitious quadruple bill, its roots mainly in the classical genre, as Director José Martínez seeks to showcase this exciting troupe of 24 dancers.
Broadly, the dancing was excellent, with the company members exhibiting wonderful, fluid musicality, strong stage presence and solid technique. The chosen pieces however, were not all flattering for this talented group, in an evening that started well but sadly trailed off in quality.
George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante was an encouraging start, with light, bright dancing, the group handling the fast feet and physical demands of the choreography comfortably, having been performing this for a while now. Barbara Karinska’s simple pastel costumes with a glittering embellishment were elegant and enhanced the whimsical, spontaneous quality of the piece. The corps de ballet performed confidently with all the necessary dynamism in the endless jumps, pirouettes and piqué turns.
Natalie Vikner and Santiago Sales Manzanera further raised the bar as the principal couple. Vikner has a gorgeous arabesque and uses her back beautifully, she is a fine technician who dances with ease and assurance, although her smile drops slightly when she approaches the trickier sections of choreography.
The technical prowess continues with the focus on four dancers for Cantate 51, inspired by the Annunciation and choreographed by Maurice Béjart. Unfortunately, despite dramatic music from Johann Sebastian Bach, the steps are rather lacklustre compared to the excitement of the Balanchine beforehand and the storytelling does not translate well. However, on this occasion, Jackson Smith-Leishman’s Angel steals the show, a dancer with true aura and presence. His calm and controlled execution contrasting with his explosive jumps, incredible elevation, he uses his long legs to their full potential.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose is a more rewarding watch, the sweeping score from Franz Schubert sees the dancers negotiating the ebbs and flows of the music making for hypnotic viewing. There’s an intense start with the spotlight on Shani Obadia, her body undulating beautifully to the pulses of the music, an athletic and feminine dancer who hits every line with precision.
Visually too, Tatyana van Walsum’s burgundy skirts worn by both the men and women fit well with the aesthetics of the piece, enhancing the moments of more dreamy and romantic choreography, the stage feels filled with flushes of crimson. When facing away from the audience, the dancers backs are fully visible, and in moments of stillness we see every muscle slowly respond with sensitivity and strength to Schubert’s lilting strings.
Mi Favorita was a baffling conclusion that left me deeply confused, despite many of the German audience being on their feet at the curtain call. Created in 2002 by Martínez himself, the issue lies with the choreography and not the dancers. Designed to be a pastiche of ballet tropes, it was not only clichéd but its comedic objectives were not clear until far too late. Early on, one ballerina is frustrated and storms off leaving her partner alone, he shrugs confused, the audience unsure whether it’s deliberate or part of the show. There is later some improvement with some hearty bravado from a trio of males, each attempting to upstage the other, they nail their tours before sharing manly back pats.
Naturally there’s a section with a costume malfunction and more partnering “woes”, and the piece concludes with some references to famous classical moments. The entrance of swans in Swan Lake is depicted, in which a couple of the men gallantly flap their wings and hop from foot to foot among the elegant cygnets.
These dancers are mostly still developing their on stage charisma, and although they make an admirable go of Martinez’ work, I would have preferred a better finale to properly showcase their clear talents. Enjoyment of Mi Favourita will depend entirely on personal taste.
What is undisputed, however, is that these dancers are going places. Performing in this junior company won't be their final destination. There is of course a youthful spark about them but many have polished technique and performing abilities too. Bookmark the names – no doubt we will be seeing many of them again in the future.
