Benjamin Millepied gets the Top 14 dancing: "Ravel's 'Boléro' is a must-have in a venue like the Stade de France. It's very sexy music."
Interview by Marie Guichoux
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Benjamin Millepied (shown here in 2024) has designed a unique show with 60 dancers to launch the Top 14 rugby final at the Stade de France this Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP
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Interview: As the curtain-raiser for the Top 14 rugby final, which pits Stade Toulousain against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, choreographer Benjamin Millepied is putting on a unique show at the Stade de France this Saturday evening. He spoke to us about it before kicking off.
This Saturday, June 28, at the Stade de France, we won't just see rugby players battling over an oval ball. The Top 14 final, which pits Stade Toulousain against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, will be preceded by a unique show conceived and choreographed by Benjamin Millepied. Sixty dancers will perform on the pitch, under the direction of the former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet and former artistic director of the Paris Opera. A show sure to attract the 80,000 rugby fans expected in the stands, and broadcast in prime time on Canal+ and France 2.
The combination of dance and rugby is unprecedented. How are you approaching this opening ceremony?Benjamin Millepied It's seven and a half minutes of a grand ballet before a major sporting event. It's a magnificent way to showcase dance, to show it in a different way. It's also an opportunity to reach a huge number of people and celebrate a moment of unity.
How do you design a ballet with the Stade de France as a backdrop?Article reserved for subscribers.
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