Film shares backstage story of French ballet legend Agnes Letestu

In this footage from the documentary "Agnes Letestu — A Shining Star,” Paris Opera Ballet etoile Agnes Latestu bids farewell to the audience during her final performance at the Opera Garnier in Paris in October 2013. / Courtesy of Pancinema

By Do Je-hae

A rare ballet documentary opened in a local theater last week, retracing the exceptional career of Paris Opera Ballet (POB) ‘etoile’ (star) Agnes Latestu.

“Agnes Letestu — A Shining Star” shows what it takes to command respect as a dancer and survive at the world’s most prestigious ballet troupe. The film’s focus is on the last two years of Letestu’s career at the Opera Garnier in Paris.

The POB is notorious for its competitive environment. Only a handful achieves the status of an etoile, the pinnacle of the POB hierarchy after quadrille, coryphee, sujet and premier danseuse.

A POB etoile is one of the most coveted positions in the dance world. As former POB director Brigitte Lefevre said in the film, once an etoile, always an etoile. All artists of France’s national ballet company must retire by 42. Sadly for many fans, Letestu’s career at the world’s most prestigious ballet troupe ended last year.

The film documents Letestu’s final moments as etoile, with footages from her trademark roles. The dancer talks about her life at the company and her post-retirement plans, while colleagues remember their partnership with the dancer and pay tribute to her.

scene from "Agnes Letestu — A Shining Star”

An etoile is not something one can achieve by just dancing ability. It is a combination of so many factors — early training, technique, musicality, stage presence, and a certain amount of luck.

What makes Letestu truly unique is her versatility in contemporary and classic works. The film shows her in various settings and costumes. Each time she is completely immersed in the role she is dancing. Her acting skills and interpretation of the music were truly phenomenal, particularly in excerpts from “Swan Lake” and “La Dame Aux Camelias,” the ballet version of the tragic opera “La Traviata.”

The film includes interviews with major choreographers of our time, including Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Carolyn Carlson, Jiri Kylian, Rudolf Nureyev, George Balanchine as well as her famous colleagues like Jose Martinez, Stephane Bullion, Ghislaine Thesmar who had partnered her in some of most famous roles.

The film ends with the official farewell of Letestu in “La Dame Aux Camelias,” by John Neumeier on Oct. 10, 2013. The final footages are particularly breathtaking, with Letestu as Marguerite against the backdrop of the hauntingly beautiful tunes by Chopin. It was as if she were born into that role. After watching her dance Marguerite, it’s hard to imagine anyone else equaling such ravishing interpretation. Letestu’s legacy at the POB will be with fans for a long time to come.

By the end of the film, one feels a sense of sadness at the end of such a remarkable career. But the dancer seemed to look forward to her life after Opera Garnier, which she said she will fill with dance projects and master classes. Her devotion do dance seemed very much intact.

Letestu is not only a talented dancer but also an eloquent speaker, as demonstrated in her testimonies about the works and the people she collaborated with.

The film include many excerpts from classical and contemporary ballet: “Cinderella” and “Swan Lake” by Nureyev; “The Prodigal Son” by Balanchine; “Dances at a Gathering” by Jerome Robbins; “Signs” by Carolyn Carlson; and “Wound work” by Forsythe.

The POB is undergoing a generational shift, with stars like Aurelie Dupont nearing retirement. Hopefully, the POB will find luck in filling the huge shoes left by the likes of Letestu and Dupont.

There were many dancers in the audience, including Lee Eun-won, youngest principal dancer at the Korean National Ballet.

The 90-minute film is mostly in French, with sometimes inaccurate Korean subtitles. It is playing at Lotte Cinema Broadway in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.