AISLE SAY Jacob's Pillow

3e ETAGE:
Soloists and Dancers

of the Paris Opera Ballet

Artistic Director – Samuel Murez

at Jacob’s Pillow/Ted Shawn Theatre, August 3-7

Reviewed by Joel Greenberg

3e etage, under the direction of Samuel Murez, made its U.S. debut at Jacob’s Pillow last week. The company, which comprises soloists from the Paris Opera Ballet, is best introduced and understood in a programme note by Murez: “The body of work that’s grown with 3e etage has shown, according to observers, an irreverent, theatrical, and entertaining approach, with a sense of humor and a self-mocking streak. Given our rigorous, competitive, highly pressured Paris Opera Ballet education, it may not be so surprising that our work often features characters who have trouble fitting in and coloring inside the lines, or that it recurringly questions the boundaries, rules, and expectations around live performance. In a sense, much of our work is simply about who we are.”

Strings of superlatives can be tedious and they can also discredit any assessment – how does one reduce to words what can only be fairly understood by seeing the real thing?

3e etage is perfection. This is a company so attuned to its component parts – dancers, choreographers, designers, the whole – that the audience is overwhelmed and left breathless by its artistry.

Jacob’s Pillow continues to make dance as central to the cultural and spiritual experience of live performance as any company in the world. Corny or schmaltzy as this punctuation is, “Bravo!”

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