Mourad Merzouki's Babel returns to Le Bon Marché in Paris through 31 December 2026, combining dance, circus and martial arts around a 360-degree stage.
Paris's Le Bon Marché is once again becoming a performance venue after dark, with choreographer Mourad Merzouki returning for a second season of Babel. Inspired by the Tower of Babel story, the show transforms the department store's architecture into a stage for dance, circus and martial arts.
The building becomes the auditorium
Audiences are arranged across three levels surrounding a 360-degree performance space, so the perspective changes depending on where each person sits. Specially built structures, including a tower and aerial apparatus, turn the familiar shopping environment into something theatrical.
A myth told through movement
Ten dancers and circus performers share the stage without relying on spoken dialogue, accompanied by a score that blends classical and electronic music. Merzouki reverses the traditional upward ambition of the Tower of Babel, making his structure descend as the performers meet.
An evening with a defined run
The second season is scheduled from 3 September to 31 December 2026, following an opening year that attracted more than 22,000 spectators. For visitors to Paris, it provides a cultural reason to enter the Left Bank landmark well after conventional store hours.
Source
LVMH