It all starts on March 11, 2023 in Seoul. After a performance of Giselleflagship of the romantic ballet tradition, Guillaume Diop is named star dancer of the Paris Opera. Tears of joy and consecration for those who worked “like crazy” to reach the peaks, at the risk of physical and moral exhaustion. Almost in spite of himself, the young artist then saw himself established as a “model”: the first mixed race to reach the highest step, an example for new generations who cherish the dream of passing through the doors of a venerable institution guaranteeing the great repertoire.
In rehearsal, with his comrades, young fans or with family, Guillaume Diop recalls how much “in the collective imagination, classical dance was for a long time reserved for white people”. And to mention the derogatory remarks he received about his physique. It’s hard to imagine it, as it radiates so much grace and beauty today…
Refuse determinism
It is undoubtedly, beyond general considerations, in the multitude of concrete details of one’s daily life that we measure the obstacles marking the path of dancers from diverse backgrounds. What color of tights, what makeup, what hairstyle to choose when everything has been planned for uniformly light skin and straight hair?
In the orchestra pit, double bassist Sulivan Loiseau, member of the Paris Opera Academy, did not “never said I wanted to be the first black girl in a double bass class at the Conservatory”. And if she misses the lessons she gave in Martinique, she is delighted to discover a fascinating repertoire. Philosopher and lucid, she admits “used to be one of the rare black instrumentalists in the world of classical music”. However, it refuses any determinism and underlines the crucial question: that school gives young people the means to study, and love, an art which should be accessible to everyone.
Being black at the Opera, at 11:05 p.m. on Arte and until July 22, 2025 on arte.tv