A Ballerina Muses on Muses

September 3, 2014

There are wonderful old stories about great choreographers and their muses: Michel Fokine and Vaslav Nijinsky, Frederick Ashton and Margot Fonteyn, George Balanchine and Maria Tallchief…and Tanaquil Le Clercq…and Suzanne Farrell. But what does a modern muse look like? What does does it mean to be a muse in the 21st century?

Makeup company Estée Lauder recently launched an ad campaign, “Modern Muse Moments,” asking just that. And one of the artists featured is gorgeous Paris Opéra Ballet étoile Amandine Albisson.

In a beautiful, serene video, Albisson shows off her impeccable technique, takes an oh-so-romantic bicycle ride around Paris and talks about the qualities that define today’s muse (“someone who makes us dream, who doesn’t have any constraints”). It’s the perfect way to start your Thursday. Take a look!