Nijinsky's theatre

It's ironic that the hotel where Carrie and Alexander stayed in Paris in Sex and the City is just one block east of an historic theatre, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. This is the site of the world premiere in 1913 of the musical score by Igor Stravinsky with the ballet by Vaslav Nijinsky, Le Sacre du Printemps. The company was the legendary Ballet Russe de Diaghilev.

The audience was so unhappy with the new work that they reportedly threw rotten tomatoes on the stage, although it's unclear which they hated more - the music or the choreography. After a few performances, the ballet disappeared from repertory, although the music survived. To this day, dance historians have labored to reconstruct the choreography.

Here's an exterior view of the theatre, located on Avenue Montaigne, just east of Place de L'Alma and a short block north of the Seine.

I couldn't get inside the theatre itself, but here is the elegant lobby, which appears to be of historic vintage.

The character Carrie Bradshaw and the real life actress Sarah Jessica Parker are serious balletomanes, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, who played her boyfriend, is often compared to Nijinsky. Is it really a coincidence that the producers of the HBO series chose the hotel next-door to this historic theatre?

Here's the Theatre's web site: http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/

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