This weekend I traveled to Versailles, and let me tell you, with the rainy weather, I really had to motivate myself to go.
However, I didn’t regret my choice at all because La Voie de l’Écuyer (The Rider’s Way) by the pioneer of equestrian performance, the famous Bartabas, is worth the trip, even from the other side of the Ile-de-France (but remember, we are now de-zoned on weekends!).
This original show, designed for the Académie du spectacle équestre de Versailles (Versailles Equestrian Performance Academy), is presented in several acts. It evolves and is enriched each year by the experience of the riders and the progress of the horses.
Taking place in the magnificent Grandes Écuries riding arena, a setting of raw wood, are the Lusitano Carousel, the Argentinian Criollos performing fencing, and improvisations by horses left at liberty, all with an equestrian corps de ballet unique in the world that combines contemporary creation, equestrian art, revisited heritage, appropriation of tradition, and the transmission of knowledge.
The arena echoes the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles with its grand Murano glass chandeliers and mirrors where horses and riders are reflected infinitely.
For the 2012/13 season, a new act inspired by the Academy’s collaboration with Carolyn Carlson and the CCN of Roubaix-Nord-Pas de Calais, ‘we were horses’ (2011), concludes the final scene in a surprising way, with the riders dancing with reins held at their waists.
After the performance, spectators are invited to discover the Château’s Great Stables, a place steeped in history and life, which for the past 10 years has returned to its original function to host the Equestrian Performance Academy. They house about forty horses (Lusitanos, Criollos, Quarter Horses…) in boxes that have replaced the old stalls.
For a bit of history, the Great Stables were built and completed in 1683 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart to house the prestigious royal cavalry. In 2003, architect Patrick Bouchain restored these buildings, which are remarkable for their size and the quality of their sculpted decor.
The show is suitable for children aged 6 and up, and as a tip, make sure to bundle up because even though the riding arena is covered, it is not heated.
LA VOIE DE L’ECUYER Show choreographed by Bartabas and the Academy riders (1h20) Académie du spectacle équestre / Manège de la Grande écurie Avenue Rockfeller 78 000 Versailles RER/Train: RER C, stop Versailles Rive G. From Saint-Lazare or Paris-La-Défense: Versailles Rive Droite. From Paris Montparnasse: Versailles Chantiers
Find all my articles about the Île-de-France region below:
⇒ All my articles about Île-de-France
⇒ All my articles about the Yvelines
⇒ All my articles about Versailles
MY ARTICLES ABOUT VERSAILLES
⇒ Brunch at Positive Café in Versailles
⇒ A day at the Palace of Versailles
⇒ Lunch at the Trianon Palace
⇒ The Grandes Écuries of Versailles
Photo credits: Agathe Poupeney
