Ballet, as a dance form, is attributed to Ita­ly around 1500; soon after adopted into the French (royal) court. The Paris Opera, founded in 1669, went on to include classical ballet, and became known as the Paris Opera Ballet. Sometime later, ballet made its way across the Channel to Britain, with the Royal Ballet (Lon­don) only being established in 1931. However, this does not detract from the fact today that the Royal Ballet is globally among the most renowned troupes, along with the Paris Opera and the Bol­shoi Ballet in Russia. Recently I met Alizé Biannic, Managing Direc­tor of One World Theater and the Director/ Founder of Solis Performing Arts, in Kathmandu. Although I have known Biannic for a few years I never sat down to talk about her life or her work in Nepal until now…

Born in France, Biannic joined the Paris Opera at the age of 10 to study ballet. Such was her talent that at the age of 12 she was awarded a scholarship in Berlin to study the Nureyev tech­nique. Gaining her first job as a ballet dancer in Barcelona aged 14, Biannic went on to join the Royal Ballet in London, where she remained for four years. However, ballet is tough on the body and Biannic developed a knee problem which meant she had to retire from this prestigious troupe. With great spirit, she went on to study drama which lead her into the theater and mov­ie world in the UK. Appearing in ‘Skyfall’, a Bond movie with Daniel Craig, was a positive outcome of this transition into films. A negative outcome was the realization that the movie world requires (for women) more than talent to get ahead (#metoo). Somewhat disillusioned, Biannic arrived in Nepal in 2013.

Gaining her first job as a ballet dancer in Barcelona aged 14, Biannic went on to join the Royal Ballet in London, where she stayed for four years

Naturally someone with such a background does not sit still for long and soon she was integrating herself into the art scene in Kath­mandu. You may have seen Biannic in Gross Indecency, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arjuna’s Dilemma, or Café de Flore, to name just a few productions. Her desire for perfection, her ded­ication to the art of dance, and her love of Nepal led her to open Solis Performing Arts which runs dance classes, from ballet, and contemporary to jazz and hip hop, from Bollywood to Klaphirati. In addi­tion, Solis offers classes in acting techniques, physical theater, and singing.

Open to current and aspiring actors and dancers, and those who are more enthusiasts than stars, Bian­nic explains that “I want to increase and improve the standard of art in Nepal. There are several barriers in the way of achieving this: financial insecurity—per­formers do not earn a living wage here—and their ego—performers often do not understand the depth their art demands, nor are they dedicated to improving and growing through hard work. With Solis offering dance and theater together, I want to increase their drive, teach the basics of dance and of anatomy to improve their body awareness and decrease incidents of injury. My main aim is to bring the talent in Nepal up to international standard. My dance company and students know this can only be done with hard work. And Pilates,” Biannic says with a laugh.

Biannic is currently working on bringing three pro­ductions to Nepali audience: a dance extravaganza called Hip Hop Coppelia taking place from Jan 17-20 in the Russian Culture Center; an adaptation of The Little School (true stories of political conflict in Colum­bia circa 1960), and The Plight, about trafficking in Nepal. Not content with confining her talents to the stage, Biannic is also working on a television series set in Nepal. Collaborating with writers from Nepal, Australia and the UK, and talent such as actor Namrata Shrestha, production on this will start in early 2019.

For further information, facebook.com/ solisperformingarts