Review: Paris Opera Ballet Presents RED CARPET By Hofesh Shechter At New York City Center

“Let’s experience dance as if it were a concert,” says choreographer Hofesh Shechter, in reference to his New York premiere of Red Carpet at New York City Center. Shechter invites New Yorkers into a world of organized chaos and upscale opulence danced by Paris Opera Ballet dressed in Chanel costumes. Red Carpet provokes immediate curiosity: what’s underneath all the glamour?

In classical story ballets, musicians are often tucked into the orchestra pit, heightening focus on the dancers while music floats from below. In Red Carpet, ballet is constructed in an unusual manner: the musicians, including longtime collaborator Yaron Engler, are onstage behind the dancers, elevated and illuminated on a circular podium. For 75 minutes, the sound score oscillates between thrashing rock-like music and echoing hymnal opera. Engler, who performs double-duty as drummer and vocalist for Red Carpet, sings, shouts, and whispers Middle Eastern chants with command and gusto, accompanied by Marguerite Cox on double bass, Olivier Koundouno on cello, and Brice Perda on all wind instruments.

Hofesh, who is Israeli-born and London-based, is known for his signature raw, eccentrically ritualistic contemporary works, often including vivid influence from his previous dance career at Batsheva Dance Company. The grotesque, gritty nature of his repetitive movement instinctively opposes the set design which is sparkling, regal and quaint. When heaps of red velvet drapery begins to open, the dancers appear dressed to the nines. Chanel’s craftmanship transforms the stage to a haute-couture runway. The dancers whirl, flick, and punch the air in sleek, sequined evening gowns, long silk gloves, button down shirts, and bow ties. And yes, they’re all in socks.

Being the first company tour to the United States since 2012, as an audience member, it feels almost jarring to witness Paris Opera Ballet so grounded, persuasive and unfiltered. The audience is left to detach to the expectation of a streamlined narrative and open themselves up to the idea of simply enjoying the fashionable contemporary-infused rock rave that Red Carpet is. The high fashion tribe circles, tip toes, and jumps around a massive golden chandelier hanging over centerstage. Inspired by the auditorium chandelier in Palais Garnier, the crystal fixture hangs midair, an instant visual reference to Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera.

While moments of dim lit synchronized choreography impress, many transitions leave curiosity to the progression and meaning of the work. Sudden floods of hypnotizing indigo, hazy gold, and darkness wash over the stage before one can blink, leaving bodies and faces only partially visible. At times, the dancers are active participants of the musicians’ concert, jumping up and down in a rave-like manner, clapping their hands, thrashing their heads, and even miming playing instruments themselves. The organized chaos is equally entertaining and confusing.

When one female dancer is left alone, it is the first time there are no distractions onstage: in the movement or music. She gently unzips the back of her skirt facing away from the audience, calmly and casually revealing the outline of her body. This moment, fragile and simple, is the first time we feel presence from the dancers as humans. When the company reappears in pairs only dressed in nude spanx-like garments, suddenly, they are bare. When there’s nothing to hide behind, their movements feel more stoic, wondrous, and meaningful.

Red Carpet is an ode to the idea of how glamour and humanity twist, oppose, and conceal. External appearance meets vulnerability in unexpected ways. What does it mean to show off when everyone else is too? “I think the best way to get into dance is to let yourself be carried away,” says Shechter. “Let’s experience dance as if it were a concert.”

Director of Dance: José Martinez

Choreography, Music, & Set Design: Hofesh Shechter

Costume Design: Chanel

Lighting Design: Tom Visser

Assistant to Lighting Designer: Reed Nakayama

Assistant to Choreographer: Kim Kohlmann, Hofesh Shechter Company

Music Collaborator Yaron Engler

Ballet Master: Grégory Gaillard

Dancers: Adèle Belem, Takeru Coste, Alexandre Gasse, Marion Gautier De Charnacé, Clémence Gross, Julien Guillemard, Antoine Kirscher, Mickaël Lafon, Laurène Levy, Loup Marcault-Derouard, Caroline Osmont, Hugo Vigliotti, Ida Viikinkoski

Musicians: Yaron Engler (Drums), Olivier Koundouno (Cello), Marguerite Cox (Double Bass), Brice Perda (Wind Instruments)

Photo Credit: Julien Benhamou