“There is no real school for this,“ she added.Īccording to the director, fashion designer Christian Lacroix said that the Paris Opera was the only place in the world that really knows how to work with tulle fabric. “There are very few people in the world who know” how to make this emblematic ballet skirt, which was first created at Paris Opera in the 19th century, Legrand said. Nearby, dozens of white tutus are hanging up in a historic room known as “central”. With ready-to-wear collections, “it lasts six months, a costume on stage, it’s for life”. “I always dreamed of making timeless clothes,“ says Morais, who is discovering new stitching and finishing techniques. She runs him through the process, from costume design to fitting and adjusting the volumes. In the female costume department at the opera’s historic Palais Garnier site in central Paris, tutor and workshop head Anne-Marie Legrand promises Morais that he will soon put together his first tutu for “Swan Lake” in Jan.

“In some sectors it was a real struggle to recruit people,“ the director said. The concept is to pass on the knowledge of these crafts at risk of disappearing to already experienced professionals who can safeguard the know-how. While other opera houses have workshops in singing and sewing, Paris Opera, the largest in Europe, is the “only one in the world that teaches such a large number of arts”, Myriam Mazouzi, the academy director, told AFP. Thanks to an academy, founded in 2015, to preserve some of those specialised crafts, Brazilian Tulio Morais will finally realise his dream of learning to make ballet tutus.Įvery year, around 40 students like Morais train in skills such as costume making, wig design and tapestry, as well as lyrical singing and music, at the heart of the opera company, which celebrates its 350th anniversary next year. PARIS: At the Paris Opera, people often say that for the curtain to rise on its stars, the talents of 100 different trades are needed behind the scenes.

Paris opera awaiting ahead