Nelly Gorlia (DANSEUSES)
11 Rue Jean-Macé, 75011 Paris, France

Dancer Nelly Gorlia was a member of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris from the 1960s onwards. In the 1980s she danced under the direction of the 20th Century’s greatest male ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. In 1971 Gorlia was promoted to the rank of Sujet. There are five ranks of dancers in the Paris Opera Ballet; from highest to lowest they are: Danseur Étoile, premier danseur, sujet, coryphée, and quadrille. A Sujet in the Paris Opera Ballet performs soloist roles and small ensemble parts.

Irène Rollin / Irène de Paz (Poete)
18bis Rue Chanzy, 75011 Paris, France

Irène de Paz was one of those irrepressible creative talents whose work deserves much more recognition. In the 1940s she was a singer on French radio but switched to art in the 1950s, exhibiting under her married name, Irène Rollin. She exhibited her work at the Galerie du Passeur, and Galerie Zak, the gallery that hosted the first solo exhibition of Vassily Kandinsky in Paris. Throughout her life she wrote poetry, and published a book, Voyage dans mon cœur in 1979.

Andre Savoret (Poete)
181 Bd Voltaire, 75011 Paris, France

Born in Paris, André Savoret (real name Ab Gwalwys) was a druid, alchemist, Christian mystic, writer and poet. Originally trained as a chemist he was influenced by writers such as Fabre d’Olivet, Edgar Allan Poe and Omar Khayyam. This led him to explore and write about occultism, linguistics, mythology, astrology, and hermeticism. Alongside the musicologist Jacques Heugel and Philéas Lebesgue, Savoret formed the Collège bardique des Gaules, a neo-Druidic association affiliated with the Gorsedd de Bretagne.

Lucette Sahuquet (CHANTEURS ET CHANTEUSES)
143 Rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris, France

Lucette Sahuquet was an actress and humourist best known for her comic sketches in the pied-noir style during the early 1960s until the late 1970s. The term pieds-noir refers to French people of European origin who lived in North Africa until the time of independence. A pied-noir herself, Sahuquet was born in Algiers, at that time located in French Algeria. From her 1964 film debut in L’Insoumis to Jean Luret’s C’est facile et ça peut rapporter… 20 ans in 1983, she often worked alongside her husband, the actor Robert Castel.

Alexandre Dumas
2 Rue Alexandre Dumas, 75011 Paris, France

On the corner of Rue Alexandre Dumas and Boulevard Voltaire look up and you’ll see the magnificent bust of Alexandre Dumas towering over you. A prolific writer, Dumas first wrote successful vaudeville and historical dramas but turned to historical novels, achieving considerable success with his classic musketeer trilogy Les Trois Mousquetaires (1844-1850) and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (1844-1846).

Guy Motta (Piano)
240 Bd Voltaire, 75011 Paris, France

Pianist and bandleader Guy Motta accompanied the legendary singer Dalida for nearly 30 years in the studio and on stage. He was a first-prize winner at the Paris Conservatory, before making a name for himself in Parisian music halls of the 1950s, where he played in small and large combos, like the orchestra of Marcel Coestier. He will be best remembered though as Dalida’s faithful accompanist. My favourite from this era is Dalida and Alain Delon’s hit duet Paroles… Paroles…., which featured the magnificent Orchestre Guy Motta.

Léo Bardollet (ARTISTES LYRIQUES)
65 Av. Philippe Auguste, 75011 Paris, France

A regular performer on the stage of the Théâtre municipal de la Gaîté-Lyrique, Léo Bardollet was an operetta singer and actor known for his impeccable comic timing. In the 1920s he wowed theatre critics and captivated audiences with his charming wit and unique style. As one journalist described it, “for my part, I’d prepared a girdle to avoid popping the buttons on my trousers.” In the 1940s he was the darling of Opéra-comique, the genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. Although the Opéra-comique is not necessarily comical in nature, when Bardollet was performing there was always a boisterous and humorous air to proceedings. He is the father of actress Michèle Bardollet.

Claude Vasse – Trompette
25 Pass. du Bureau, 75011 Paris, France

One of the finest representatives of the French style, trumpeter Claude Vasse obtained a first prize in cornet (1956) and trumpet (1957) from the Paris Conservatory. He went on to play with the French contemporary chamber group, Ensemble Ars Nova, and the ORTF Chamber Orchestra. Vassé taught at the Conservatoire du Mans from 1970 to 1984, then in Istres and Toulon. In 1984, he joined the Opéra de Marseille, where he continued his musical career.