Elizabeth Greisman
Guest Visual Artist of the Paris Opera Ballet in October 2025

Elisabeth Greisman, Canadian visual artist from Toronto, had the privilege of being artist-in-residence at the Paris Opera Ballet in October 2025.

The Paris Opera Ballet, the cradle of classical dance, has maintained a tradition of excellence for more than three centuries, built on the preservation of its repertoire and openness to new creations. The Paris Opera Ballet is directed by José Martinez, Director of Dance since December 2022.

Excerpt from Elisabeth Greisman’s residency report:

“The dancers of The Paris Opera Ballet are sublimely talented. They inspired me to work in pencil and in watercolour in the studio to capture the many layered form of the figure in motion. Once seated in the theatre at the Opera Garnier, I captured parts of the run through of Giselle, in pencil. The scenery of the historic and iconic ballet was beautifully layered on the stage. At the Paris Opera Bastille, I watched the Company class where I was able to sketch in both pencil and watercolour.

In the theatre, while working in pencil, I had the pleasure of watching the triple bill of Racines, with each segment distinct from the other.

My movement memory of the human dance form and sensitivity to the emotion of colour, will guide my choices in my home studio in Toronto. To create the sketches, it was essential that I enter the movement through the heart and soul of each piece. I will now begin to work the sketches into mid-sized compositions, with abstraction, colour and form in water-based media and oils.

I have spent years capturing dancers in motion, yet nothing prepared me for the extraordinary level of excellence I witnessed at The Paris Opera Garnier and The Paris Opera Bastille.”

More information : elizabethgreisman.ca