Gigabarre Brings Ballet Warmups in the Open-Air

Claudine Colozzi

Who says ballet isn’t open to all? For the past 25 years, Le Temps d’Aimer la Danse festival in Biarritz has brought together hundreds of non-professional dancers every year for a supersize barre routine facing the ocean. Recently, several festivals in France have copied the concept, which turns dancers’ daily warm-ups into an intergenerational experience for everyone. 

“First position. Light hand on the barre, straighten your back, lower your shoulders. And plié…” On Biarritz’s Grande Plage promenade in Biarritz, dancers of all ages and abilities begin moving to music. Each Sunday, during the Le Temps d’Aimer la Danse festival – which has been held each September since 1990 – hundreds of non-professional dancers can follow a one-hour outdoor ballet barre class by a professional dance instructor. During the event, technical precision matters less than the energy of the participants. “You can immediately feel you’re part of a group, even if you don’t know anyone there,” says Carole, 48, who discovered the festival’s “Gigabarre” while staying with a friend. “It’s quite moving actually to see all these people of various ages come together in their love of dance.” 

For more than 25 years, Gigabarre has been a highlight of the Biarritz festival, directed by choreographer Thierry Malandain. “We were inspired by the event held each year in April in San Sebastian, facing the Playa de la Concha,” explains Richard Coudray, a ballet master with Malandain Ballet Biarritz. “Over 1,500 students from dance schools all over the Basque Country gather for a huge ballet class.”

A simple, yet daring idea: whereas barre is usually done indoors in a closed dance studio, Gigabarre is held outdoors. “This event quickly became emblematic of the festival,” says Eloixa Ospital, an artistic and community development advisor in Malandain Ballet Biarritz. “People come with their families, their friends. Ballet students dance alongside professionals, beginners and seasoned dancers.”

Throughout the years, several dance professionals have led Gigabarre, including Malandain Ballet Biarritz company members. “I give exercises that everyone can do, without compromising on the demands of an actual barre,” explains Coudray. “Everyone should feel they can give it a try without fear of being judged.” Some years, guest artists such as Nicolas Le Riche or Marie-Claude Pietragalla, both former principals at the Paris Opera Ballet, have also taught the class. The presence of such star dancers highlighted the exceptional quality of the event, while still keeping it accessible to all. Last year, Martin Harriague, current Director of Dance at the Grand Opera Grand in Avignon and who will replace Thierry Malandain in Biarritz in 2027, was particularly innovative with his reggae playlist.

A playful teaching moment and a great event for the visibility of ballet, the Gigabarre has inspired similar events in seaside cities. In September, the Cadences Festival in Arcachon, a seaside town near Bordeaux, will host a Beach Barre. And in late July, another coastal town 200 kilometers north will host its third edition of a similar event, taught by another former Paris Opera Ballet principal Karl Paquette. “It’s a great way to dispel any preconceived ideas people might have about ballet being elitist,” says Bruno Bouché, Director of The Opéra national du Rhin Ballet, which has also organized outdoor barre events in Strasbourg and Mulhouse. “People come as they are: some are wearing leotards and dance gear, others just drop their shopping bags and join us on the spot. It’s fun and festive.”

The festival Vaison Danses, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is also proud to propose this collective event. “It’s close to the Biarritz Gigabarre: we want to create connections through dance,” says Pierre-François Heuclin, Artistic Director of the festival since 2018. In a bucolic provençal town, one of the dancers from the guest companies led their daily barre event under the gaze of tourists sitting outside in cafes. “I remember one woman, hovering nearby, who copied our warm-up while holding onto a fence,” says Heuclin. “When I came closer she said, ‘I’m too embarrassed to join in, given my age, but thank you for making my dream come true – I’ve always wanted to take a ballet class!’.”

In the mid-1990s, while she was still a student majoring in journalism in Lille, Claudine Colozzi interned at the dance magazine Les Saisons de la danse, where she learned to sharpen her critical perspective. As a journalist, she works for magazines, teaches, and writes on a variety of topics, notably disability. She continues to feed her insatiable curiosity for dance by writing for websites such as Danses avec la plume and Coups d’œil. She has written documentary books for young audiences : L’Encyclo de la danse (Gründ), Dans les coulisses de l’Opéra, La danse classique et Passion hip-Hop (Nathan).

Méga-Giga barre workshop (acte 2) with le Ballet de l’Opéra Grand Avignon
on July 25, 2026, in Vaison-la-Romaine
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Le Temps d’Aimer la Danse Festival, 
from 10 to 21 September 2026 in Biarritz
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Gigabarre workshop with le Ballet de l’Opéra Grand Avignon
on September 13, 2026, in Biarritz
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