Julia B. Laperrière

Bolero Fantasies is a choreographic and performative research project by Julia B. Laperrière. Created in anticipation of the centenary of Maurice Ravel’s celebrated Boléro in 2028, the work reexamines Maurice Béjart’s iconic choreography through the lenses of queer history, gender, and cultural transmission. Inspired by Jorge Donn’s mesmerizing interpretation of the piece—and informed by Laperrière’s ongoing research into masculinity and dance heritage—the project uncovers overlooked narratives surrounding Donn’s relationship with Béjart, the AIDS-era context of the work, and the often-erased contributions of its original commissioner, Ida Rubinstein. Combining dance, lecture-performance, archival materials, and contemporary movement practices, Bolero Fantasies explores the sensuality, seduction, and drag-like qualities embedded within Boléro, while questioning its links to waacking and broader histories of cultural exchange and appropriation. Structured in two parts, the project first stages an intimate dialogue between the artist and Donn’s legacy, then expands into a collective reinterpretation with waackers Krystina Dejan and Maude Beaulieu, foregrounding female and lesbian lineages to reveal new perspectives on this canonical work.

Bolero fantasies