Pierre Rambert, the artistic director of the French Lido ballet, has brought his troupe to Russia for the first time for one performance

Pierre, I understand your career as a dancer is associated with Lido.

I’ve been at Lido for over 30 years. I’m now the head director and choreographer, and for the first eight years I was the main dancer. I previously worked at the Paris Opera and at the Zurich Opera, and I worked with Roland Peti. I’m a classical dancer by training, but I only did classical dancing at the beginning of my career.

Both classical ballet and variety shows originated in France. Do they have any points of contact?

In physical and emotional tension, Lido is no different from classical dance. So I select dancers of the classical school. An additional requirement for dancers is their height. They should all be tall, the women at least 1.75 meters tall and the men at least 1.85 metres. And this is a height which is not welcome in classical ballet. So many tall artists come to us from there.

How large is the Lido troupe?

There are a total of 70 people of 14 nationalities, including Russians. Two Russian dancers have come with us to Moscow, while other Russian girls and boys stayed in Paris. I love working with Russian dancers, because they have excellent training, they are usually highly professional and disciplined.

In your opinion, are Lido and Moulin Rouge rivals?

Not at all. Moulin Rouge is purely French art. Lido is contemporary popular ballet. Nevertheless, we have great respect for the music hall and traditional cabaret. Our aim is to join the traditional and the modern.

Tell us about your famous costumes.

Many of them really are unique. Most of our collection of costumes are of historic value. We have brought 13 changes of costume to Moscow. That means that every dancer will change costumes 13 times during the show.

How do you select singers?

Just like the dancers – at casting sessions which are held twice a year. Undoubtedly, singers should not just have certain musical gifts. They should also be in good physical form, and be able to move on stage and match the style of Lido. Additionally, I often try to choose artists for certain numbers and images.

Who is your main audience?

People come to see us from all over the world. And so we have to find a type of show which will be understood by all nationalities. Although half the audience are still French, mainly Parisians. They really love Lido.