News

On July 30, 2025, Patrice Bart celebrated his 80th birthday! The Staatsballett Berlin sends its warmest congratulations — not only belatedly on this milestone, but also on a rich artistic life that the French dancer, ballet master, and choreographer can proudly look back on. Deeply connected throughout his career to the Paris Opera Ballet, he has also left a lasting mark in Berlin with no fewer than seven productions: Don Quixote (1993, with José de Udaeta), Swan Lake (1997), The Nutcracker (1999), Verdiana (1999), Giselle (2000), Romeo and Juliet (2002), and The Flaming Heart (2009, inspired by the poet Percy Shelley).

With more than 200 performances each, Giselle and Swan Lake remain part of our repertoire to this day. As cornerstones of Berlin’s ballet season, they continue to captivate audiences year after year — not least because they so beautifully showcase both the art of classical dance and the refinement of the French ballet tradition.

Bart’s first invitation to Berlin, incidentally, came as ballet master and artistic assistant to Rudolf Nureyev, when he was entrusted with staging Nureyev’s production of The Sleeping Beauty at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in 1992.

Joyeux anniversaire, Patrice! We wish you happiness and good health — and we are already looking forward to the revival of your Swan Lake this December.