Paris Opera (Palais Garnier) question
 

Our family is traveling to Paris in late March and we plan to book a tour at the Palais Garnier and also see a ballet there. My 10 year old daughter is a talented ballet dancer and is obsessed with all things dance. I know this is a long shot, but is anyone aware of a tour (or another strategy - lol) for being able to walk onto the stage at the opera house? There are “backstage” tours and also after hours tours but it’s not clear to me if either of those might include a walk (or pirouette, in my daughter’s case) on the actual stage. Thanks so much for any ideas!

no, absolutely not. They don't allow tourists to walk on the stage.

I'm not sure Christina is correct. Walking on the stage is not guaranteed, but if the current performance schedule/rehearsals/etc allow, yes, the backstage tour does walk onto the stage. (because I have been -- this was maybe 7 or 8 years ago so the tour may have changed) Do not get your daughter's hopes up -- then IF your tour does enter the stage it wiil be a very special memory for her.

It won't hurt to ask when you are there. The employees have a heart, and if your daughter has a real passion, they might see it.

We also walked on and behind stage at Opera Garnier. That was maybe 10 years ago so things might have changed. I also remember a friend saying he went backstage in 2019. He was thrilled because he worked in a backstage as a job.

You know, your remark about LOL implies you want to break rules or even go where you aren't allowed. What are you thinking? I took class many years also, and even worked professionally as an accompanist for a couple companies, and that isn't funny to me, outsiders who want to go where they aren't allowed.

There are some private guides who conduct private tours, I've been on one, but I don't know if the one I'm thinking of is in English. Do you all speak French? Because there is one French company with authorized official guides who say they can set you up with a meeting of one of the dancers, and I think you can tour backstage nearby, stuff like that. The backstage tours are for workshops, and there is stuff down below the stage, of course, as theaters do. this is the contact

https://www.greetsparis.com/fr/73-vi...e-l-opera.html

"You know, your remark about LOL implies you want to break rules or even go where you aren't allowed. What are you thinking? "

Why so nasty? She asked a simple question and as mentioned above yes, the tour can/does walk on to the stage when possible. I didn't take the LOL to mean anything nefarious . . .

Thanks so much everyone - sounds possible but not guaranteed (or likely?) on the backstage tour. I think we’ll take a chance and try it. Appreciate the info.

And no, I wasn’t looking for a nefarious way to break the rules and sneak on the stage …

Could you write an e-mail in French, citing the girl's "raison por intereste" (using Google translate) to the Garnier administration? naught to lose

good idea :)

Here is the website for l'Officiel des Spectacles, the link is for the section that covers dance events in Paris. Just plug in your dates in the calendar so you can see what is going on. BTW, there are quite a few sites that host ballet.

https://www.offi.fr/theatre/operas-ballets-danse.html