View source for Paris Opera Ballet

{{Short description|French ballet company}}
{{Infobox ballet company
| name                    = Paris Opera Ballet
| logo                    = Paris_Opera_Ballet_(Transparent)_Logo.png
| caption                 = Logo of the [[Paris Opera]]
| local_name              = {{nowrap|Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris}}
| previous_names          = {{unbulleted list
  | Académie Royale de Musique
  | Académie Impériale de Musique
  | Théâtre National de l'Opéra
  }}
| founded                 = {{start date and age|1661}}
| founders                = 
| venue                   = [[Palais Garnier]], [[Place de l'Opéra]], [[9th arrondissement of Paris|Paris, 9th arrondissement]], France
| website                 = [https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet www.operadeparis.fr]
| chief_executive         = 
| director                = [[José Carlos Martínez (dancer)|José Martínez]]
| administrator           = Flavien Moglia
| ballet_master_in_chief  = 
| associated_schools      = [[#Paris Opera Ballet School|Paris Opera Ballet School]]<ref name=Crane>"Paris Opera Ballet" in Crane and Mackrell 2000, pp. 360–361.</ref>
| formation               = Étoile<br />Premier Danseur<br />Sujet<br />Coryphée<br />Quadrille
}}

The '''Paris Opera Ballet''' ({{Langx|fr|Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris|italic=no}}) is a French [[ballet company]] that is an integral part of the [[Paris Opera]]. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded as one of the five most prominent ballet companies in the world, together with the [[Bolshoi Ballet]] in [[Moscow]], the [[Mariinsky Ballet]] in Saint Petersburg, the [[Royal Ballet]] in [[London]], and the [[New York City Ballet]].<ref>"There are three world-best ballet companies, unquestionably the Royal Ballet, unquestionably the Bolchoi Ballet, and unquestionably the Paris Opera Ballet" - « Il y en a trois meilleures compagnies du monde, sans doute Le Royal Ballet, sans doute Le Bolchoï et sans doute Le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris.», Philippe Noisette, journaliste, dans [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwb6wm_danse-a-tout-prix-1ere-partie_sport La Danse à tout prix], television documentary by Carlos Simoes, 2012, 129 min, broadcast on 26 December 2012 on France 2.</ref><ref>[http://www.operadeparis.fr/videopera/haut-vol Haut vol] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328211844/http://www.operadeparis.fr/videopera/haut-vol |date=2015-03-28 }} interpreted by Éleonore Baulac and Allister Madin, choreography by Benjamin Millepied, film by Louis de Caunes.</ref><ref name=articlemartinerobert>[http://www.lesechos.fr/27/12/2013/LesEchos/21593-071-ECH_pourquoi-les-ballets-de-l-opera-de-paris-font-partie-des-spectacles-favoris-des-fetes.htm Pourquoi les ballets de l'Opéra de Paris font partie des spectacles favoris des fêtes], article by Martine Robert, 27 December 2013, Les Echos.</ref><ref>If you add the [[Mariinsky Ballet|St Petersburg Mariinsky Ballet]] and the [[New York City Ballet]] to the list, you get the top five ballet companies in the world. <!-- For general reference you may cite Philippe Noisette (Le Figaro, Les Echos, France Culture), Ariane Bavelier (Le Figaro), Alastair Macauley (The New York Times, formerly The Financial Times), Laura Capelle (Pointe magazine). --></ref>

Since December 2022, the company has been under the direction of [[José Carlos Martínez (dancer)|José Martínez]], the director of dance. The ballet company consists of 154 dancers, among them 17 ''[[Danseur Étoile|Danseurs Étoiles]]''. The [[principal dancer]]s give 180 dance performances each year, primarily at the [[Palais Garnier]].<ref>[https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet/ballet-company Paris Opera Ballet], site of the Paris Opera.</ref>

Just as prestigious as the Paris Opera Ballet is its dance school, the Paris Opera Ballet School (French: École de danse de l'Opéra national de Paris), considered to be one of the world's best dance schools.<ref name=filmgrainesetoiles>[http://www.schuchprod.com/wp-content/files_mf/revuedepressegraines.pdf Paris Opera Ballet School - a World of its Own] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170402/http://www.schuchprod.com/wp-content/files_mf/revuedepressegraines.pdf |date=2016-03-03 }}, L'école de danse, un monde à part, review of the press of April 2013.</ref> Its former pupils have won a record of 20 [[Prix Benois de la Danse|Benois de la Danse]] awards. The school celebrated its [[Anniversary|tercentennial]] in 2013.

The competition for admission to both institutions is extremely fierce.<ref>See below (paragraph hierarchy).</ref> For a dancer to enter the Paris Opera Ballet, it is almost compulsory to be admitted to the Paris Opera Ballet School, to pass the annual competitive examinations in May, and to attend at least the final two classes.<ref name=interviewmathildefrousteyjan2014/> 95 percent of the admitted dancers in the Paris Opera Ballet are French.<ref name=interviewmathildefrousteyjan2014>[http://archives.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2014/01/23/interview-with-new-san-francisco-ballet-principal-mathilde-froustey Interview with New San Francisco Ballet Principal, Mathilde Froustey], by Laura Jaye Cramer, 23 January 2014, SF Weekly, extract: "You cannot get into the company if you have not done the school" (Mathilde Froustey).</ref>

==History==
{{See also|History of ballet}}

===Naming===
The Paris Opera Ballet has always been an integral part of the [[Paris Opera]], which was founded in 1669 as the Académie d'Opéra (Academy of Opera), although theatrical dance did not become an important component of the Paris Opera until 1673, after it was renamed the Académie Royale de Musique (Royal Academy of Music) and placed under the leadership of [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]].<ref name=Crane/><ref name=Christout86>Christout 1998, p. 86.</ref> The Paris Opera has had many different official names during its long history, but since 1994, it has been called the Opéra National de Paris (Paris National Opera).<ref>[https://www.operadeparis.fr/lopera-de-paris/histoire ''Histoire de l'Opéra national de Paris''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403204201/https://www.operadeparis.fr/lopera-de-paris/histoire |date=2016-04-03 }} (in French) at the Paris Opera website. Retrieved 19 July 2011.</ref>

===Background===
[[File:Ballet de la nuit 1653.jpg|thumb|[[Louis XIV]] as Apollo in the ''[[Ballet Royal de la Nuit]]'' (1653)]]
The Paris Opera Ballet had its origins in the earlier dance institutions, traditions and practices of the court of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]. Of particular importance were the series of [[Comédie-ballet|''comédies-ballets'']] created by [[Molière]] with, among others, the choreographers and composers [[Pierre Beauchamps]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]]. The first was ''Les Fâcheux'' in 1661 and the most important, ''[[Le Bourgeois gentilhomme]]'' in 1670.<ref>Guest 2006, pp. 5–7.</ref> Many of these were also performed by [[Molière's company]] at the public [[Théâtre du Palais-Royal (rue Saint-Honoré)|Théâtre du Palais-Royal]] in Paris, which was later to become the first permanent home of the opera company and the opera ballet.

Also in 1661, Louis XIV had founded the [[Académie Royale de Danse]] (Royal Academy of Dance) in an effort "to improve the quality of dance instruction for court entertainments". Members of the academy, as well as the dance teachers who were certified by it, and their students, participated in creating the ballets for the court, Molière, and later the opera.<ref>Astier 1998a, p. 3.</ref> In 1680, Beauchamps became the chancellor (director) of the Académie Royale de Danse.<ref name=Christout86/><ref name=Astier396>Astier 1998b, pp. 396–397.</ref> Although the Académie Royale de Danse and the Opera were closely connected, the two institutions remained separate, and the former disappeared with the fall of the monarchy in 1792.<ref>Astier 1998a, p. 4. The last list of its members was published in the 1779 ''Almanach des spectacles de Paris'' [http://www.larousse.fr/archives/danse/page/2 Archive Larousse].</ref>

===Founding and early history===
On 28 June 1669, Louis XIV granted a [[Letters patent|privilege]] to the poet [[Pierre Perrin]] giving him a monopoly to form a separate academy for the performance of opera in French. The first production of the company founded by Perrin, the Académie d'Opéra (Academy of Opera),<ref>Also referred to as the Académie Royale des Opéra (Powell 2010, p. 178).</ref> was [[Pomone (opera)|''Pomone'']], which was first performed on 3 March 1671 at the [[Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille]] and included ballets choreographed by Anthoine des Brosses.<ref>Powell 1995, p. 179; Guest 2006, p. 7; Powell 2010, p. 178. It is frequently stated that Beauchamps choreographed the ballets for ''Pomone'' (e.g., Astier 1998a, p. 3). According to Powell, this misunderstanding is based on the 'Recueil de Tralage' (ca. 1697; MS 6544, Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, Paris). A manuscript legal document in the Archives of the Comédie-Française makes clear, however, that Anthoine des Brosses, who had earlier served as dancing master for the [[Théâtre du Marais]], choreographed the ballets for ''Pomone''. Beauchamps only took over des Brosses's position with Perrin's company in the late autumn or early winter of 1671, when des Brosses moved back to the Marais to choreograph [[Jean Donneau de Visé]]'s musical machine-play ''Le Mariage de Bacchus et d'Ariane'' (performed at the Théâtre du Marais in the winter of 1671–1672).</ref>

In 1672, Lully purchased Perrin's privilege and also obtained new letters patent limiting the use of musicians and dancers by other French companies. With Anthoine des Brosses and Lully as choreographers and [[Carlo Vigarani]] as stage designer, Lully's company, now called the Académie Royale de Musique, produced Lully's first opera, ''Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus'' (a ''pastorale'') in November 1672 at the [[Jeu de Paume de Béquet]].<ref>Powell 2008, pp. 127, 233 note 44; Powell 2010, p. 178; [[Jérôme de La Gorce]], "Lully's first opera. A rediscovered poster for ''Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus''", ''Early Music'', vol. 15, no. 3, Lully Anniversary Issue (Aug., 1987), pp. 308–314, {{JSTOR|3137552}}. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k72258r.r=.langEN Libretto, 1672]; [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k109668m/f1.image.r=Les%20festes%20de%20l%27Amour%20et%20Bachus.langFR ms score] from the [[Philidor Collection]], 1705.</ref> This work consisted primarily of excerpts from Lully's prior court ballets connected with new ''[[Entrée (ballet)|entrées]]'' choreographed by des Brosses.<ref name=Powell178>Powell 2010, p. 178.</ref> A crucial difference, however, from the previous court ballets was that the members of the court no longer participated, and all of the dancers were professionals.<ref>Astier 1998a, p. 3. Note however that the ''Gazette d'Amsterdam'' reports that nobles did dance in public at certain performances (cited by La Gorce 2002, pp. 189–190).</ref>

Lully's next production, ''[[Cadmus et Hermione]]'' (27 April 1673), the first ''[[Tragédie en musique|tragédie lyrique]]'' (with a libretto by [[Philippe Quinault]]), also premiered at the Jeu de Paume de Béquet and was choreographed by Anthoine des Brosses.<ref name=Powell178/> Pierre Beauchamps, who had been working with Molière at the Palais-Royal, joined Lully's company in June 1673 (not long after Molière's death), when Lully took over the Palais-Royal theatre, forcing Molière's troupe to move to the [[Théâtre Guénégaud]]. Lully and Quinault continued to collaborate on a series of successful productions, in the process creating a new genre of French opera in which dance interludes played an important part in the musical drama.<ref>Christout 1998, pp. 86–87.</ref> The ballets for these works were created by Beauchamps, des Brosses, and d'Olivet. [[Jean-Baptiste Dubos]] explains that Beauchamps and des Brosses were responsible for the ''ballets ordinaires'', while d'Olivet specialized in ''ballet-pantomime'':

<blockquote>
Lully paid such great attention to the ballets mentioned here that he engaged for their choreography a 'maître de danse particulier' named d'Olivet. It was he, and not des Brosses or Beauchamps, whom Lully engaged for the 'ballets ordinaires', who composed the ballets of the infernal scenes of ''[[Psyché (opera)|Psyché]]'' and ''[[Alceste (Lully)|Alceste]]''. It was also d'Olivet who composed the ballet of the old men in ''[[Thésée (Lully)|Thésée]]'', of the baneful dreams in ''[[Atys (Lully)|Atys]]'', and of the tremblers in ''[[Isis (Lully)|Isis]]''. This last was composed solely of pantomimic gestures by men seized with cold, and he did not introduce a single usual dance step into it.<ref>Quoted and translated by Powell 1995, p. 185, citing ''Réflexions critiques sur la poésie et sur la peinture'', Paris, 1719, p. 357. See [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6544468q/f265.image.r=olivet.langEN p. 247 of the ''Troisième Partie'' of the 1740 edition] at Gallica.</ref>
</blockquote>

Initially the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet were all male. [[De Lafontaine|Mademoiselle de la Fontaine]] (1665–1738) became the first professional [[ballerina]] when she danced in the premiere of Lully's ballet ''Le Triomphe de l'Amour'' on 21 January 1681.<ref>Guest 2006, p. 9; Pitou 1983, pp. 249, 325–326. [http://operabaroque.fr/LULLY_TRIOMPHE.htm ''Le Triomphe de l'Amour''] at operabaroque.fr. [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b9062398b/f4.image.r=.langEN Score of ''Le Triomphe de l'Amour''] at Gallica.</ref> Pierre Beauchamps continued to collaborate with Lully at the Paris Opera until Lully's death in 1687.<ref name=Astier396/>

===Subsequent history===
[[File:Adelaïde Simonet as the Princess in the pantomime-ballet 'Ninette à la Cour' – International Encyclopedia of Dance 2004, vol. 5, p. 86.jpg|thumb|Adelaïde Simonet as the Princess in the pantomime-ballet ''{{Ill|Ninette à la cour|fr}}'', first produced by the Paris Opera Ballet in 1778 with choreography by [[Maximilien Gardel]], as performed in London in 1781]]

The 18th century saw the creation of an associated school, now referred to as the Paris Opera Ballet School ([[French language|French]]: École de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris), which opened in 1713. The operas of [[Rameau]], and later [[Gluck]], raised standards for the dancers. [[Jean-Georges Noverre]] was a particularly influential ballet master from 1776 to 1781. He created the ballet ''[[Les petits riens]]'' in 1778 on [[Mozart]]'s music. [[Maximilien Gardel]] was ballet master from 1781, with his brother [[Pierre Gardel]] taking over after Maximilien's death in 1787. Pierre Gardel survived the [[French Revolution|Revolution]] creating ballets such as ''La Marseillaise'' and ''Offrande à la Liberté''.<ref name=Crane/> He remained the ballet master until 1820 and continued to work up to 1829.<ref name=Babsky>Babsky 1998, p. 202.</ref>

In 1820, Pierre Gardel was succeeded as ballet master by [[Jean-Louis Aumer]], who was however highly criticized for using too much mime and failing to use choreography which furthered plot or character.<ref name=Babsky/> In 1821, the company moved to a new house, the [[Salle Le Peletier]], where [[Romantic ballet]] was born. In 1875, the company moved to the [[Palais Garnier]], where it continues to perform.<ref name=Crane/>

===Serge Lifar as ballet director===
In 1929, [[Jacques Rouché]] invited 24-year-old dancer [[Serge Lifar]] to become the maitre de ballet of the Paris Opéra Ballet, which had fallen into decline in the late 19th century.

As [[ballet master]] from 1930 to 1944, and from 1947 to 1958, he devoted himself to the restoration of the technical level of the Opéra Ballet, returning it to its place as one of the best companies in the world.

Lifar gave the company a new strength and purpose, initiating the rebirth of ballet in France, and began to create the first of many ballets for that company.<ref name="Crisp 2002 3–15">{{cite journal|last=Crisp|first=Clement|title=ICARE: Remembering Serge Lifar|journal=Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research|date=Winter 2002|volume=20|series=2|issue=2|pages=3–15|doi=10.3366/1290812}}</ref> During his three decades as director of the Paris Opéra Ballet, Lifar led the company through the turbulent times of [[World War II]] and the German occupation of France. Lifar brought the Paris Opéra Ballet to America and performed to full houses at the [[New York City Center]]. Audiences were enthusiastic and had great admiration for the company of dancers.<ref name="Crisp 2002 3–15"/>

===Era of Rudolf Nureyev===
In the world of ballet, [[Rudolf Nureyev]] is regarded as the greatest classical dancer ever and as one of the most preeminent choreographers.<ref name=articlephilippenoisette_2013_03_01>Philippe Noisette, [http://www.lesechos.fr/01/03/2013/LesEchos/21387-438-ECH_que-reste-t-il-de-noureev--.htm « Que reste-t-il de Noureev ? »] ''[[Les Échos (France)|Les Échos]]'', 1 March 2013.</ref> In 1983, Rudolf Nureyev was appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet, where, as well as directing, he continued to dance and to promote younger dancers.

The top female ballet dancer at that time, if not of all times,<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/dance/what-to-see/sylvie-guillem-the-greatest-female-dancer-i-have-ever-seen/ Sylvie Guillem: the greatest female dancer I have ever seen], article by Sarah Crampton, 4 November 2014, The Telegraph.</ref><ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/dance/sylvie-guillem-life-in-progress--the-greatest-dancer-of-our-time-calls-it-quits-20150810-givh00.html Sylvie Guillem: Life in Progress - the greatest dancer of our time calls it quits], article by Nick Miller, 1 August 2015, The Sydney Morning Herald.</ref> was [[Sylvie Guillem]], who was nominated principal dancer at the age of 19 by Rudolf Nureyev in 1984. They were an exceptional dance couple.<ref name=profilcultureshow>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsXXycSjgcs « ''Sylvie Guillem:Force of Nature'' »], ''[[The Culture Show]]'', [[BBC Two]], 9 octobre 2013.</ref> The years of Nureyev marked a golden era of the Paris Opera Ballet.<ref name=articlephilippenoisette_2013_03_01/>

===Brigitte Lefèvre===
[[Brigitte Lefèvre]], director from 1995 to 2014, with Patrice Bart as maitre de ballet from 1990 to 2011, succeeded to maintain the high standard that Nureyev has set.

Brigitte Lefèvre invited some of the most preeminent choreographers, such as [[William Forsythe (dancer)|William Forsythe]], [[Angelin Preljocaj]], [[Saburo Teshigawara]], and [[John Neumeier]].<ref name=inter>{{cite web|url=http://www.franceinter.fr/personne-brigitte-lefevre|title=Brigitte Lefèvre|publisher=France Inter|access-date=18 March 2014 |language=fr}}</ref>

===Transition===
There were turbulent times for the company with [[Benjamin Millepied]], director of the Paris Opera Ballet from November 2014 until he quit on 15 July 2016.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/arts/dance/benjamin-millepied-opens-up-on-leaving-paris-opera-ballet.html Benjamin Millepied Opens Up on Leaving Paris Opera Ballet], article by Roslyn Sulcas, 10 February 2016, The New York Times.</ref> There were two stumbling blocks with Millepied, a French dancer and choreographer, who left France in 1993, at the age of 16, got his main professional education as a dancer and choreographer in the United States and came back to France in 2014 as newly appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.liberation.fr/culture/0101599511-les-mille-et-une-vies-de-benjamin-millepied | title = ''Les mille et une vies de Benjamin Millepied'' (The Many Lives of Benjamin Millepied) |work=Libération |language=fr | author = Vernay, Marie-Christine | date = 27 October 2009}} ([https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.liberation.fr/culture/0101599511-les-mille-et-une-vies-de-benjamin-millepied English translation via Google])</ref> The first one was that Millepied wanted the Paris Opera Ballet dancers to interpret ''La Bayadère'', a classic ballet choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev in 1992, like a contemporary ballet.<ref name=millepiedsexitarticlelemonde>[http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2016/02/04/benjamin-millepied-va-t-il-quitter-l-opera-de-paris_4858949_3246.html Benjamin Millepied démissionne de ses fonctions de directeur de la danse à l’Opéra de Paris], article and interview by Rosita Boiseau, 4 February 2016, [[Le Monde]].</ref> To achieve this goal, he had already hired guest principal dancers to present ''La Bayadère''.<ref>[http://www.lefigaro.fr/theatre/2015/12/17/03003-20151217ARTFIG00225-benjamin-millepied-le-ballet-doit-sortir-de-sa-bulle.php Départ surprise de Benjamin Millepied: les sujets qui fâchent], interview of Benjamin Millepied by Ariane Bavélier, 17 December 2015, [[Le Figaro]]</ref>

The other stumbling block was that Millepied had broken the hierarchy of the "Danseurs Étoiles" dancing the leading roles, as he had chosen for the cast of his first contemporary ballet creation "Clear, Loud, Bright, Forward" (the first one in his time as director) out of the 154 danseurs a "dream team" of 16 dancers which he considered to be the fittest to put to practice his ideas and visions (on the programming, the dream team was named "United visual artists").<ref>Benjamin Millepied explained his ideas in a documentary "Relève" which could be watched in a preview on 25 November 2015 and broadcast regularly on Canal+ on 23 December 2016.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GydXpJ44RNU Relève, le documentaire sur le ballet de Benjamin Millepied - Bande annonce CANAL+], 1:07 min</ref><ref>[http://www.canalplus.fr/c-infos-documentaires/pid8295-releve-millepied.html documentary "Relève"], site of canal+.</ref> Karl Paquette, principal dancer, said in an interview that he had never felt as bad in his 30 years at the Paris Opera Ballet as he had the past 6 months. Stéphane Bullion, principal dancer, added that it was clear that things could not be straightened out.<ref name=millepiedsexitarticlelemonde/>

[[Stéphane Lissner]], the Paris Opera director who hired Benjamin Millepied in January 2013 — and who has final authority on decisions about budget, hiring and promotion — said at a news conference at the Palais Garnier on Thursday 4 February 2016 that he had no regrets about that choice.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/arts/dance/benjamin-millepied-paris-opera.html Benjamin Millepied to Step Down From Paris Opera Ballet], article by Roslyn Sulcas, 4 February 2016, ''The New York Times''.</ref> “He leaves too soon, but others leave too late.” Lissner added, “I think that the two jobs, director of dance and a choreographer who is more and more in demand, not just at the Opera, raised a certain number of questions.”

===Aurélie Dupont===
[[Aurélie Dupont]] took over the direction of the ballet company on 1 August 2016. She was Danseuse Étoile from 1994 to 2015.

Dupont was the inspiration behind the Cédric Klapisch film about the star,<ref>In 2010, [[Cédric Klapisch]] released a documentary about Dupont, ''L'espace d'un instant'', which had been made over the previous two years. See {{IMDb title|qid=Q19606543|id=tt1611812|title=L'espace d'un instant}}</ref> considered the ''grande dame'' of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Dupond is stepped down from the position on 31 July 2022, as announced in June of that year.<ref name=Marshall>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/arts/dance/paris-opera-aurelie-dupont.html|title=Paris Opera Ballet Loses Its Second Head in Six Years|work=[[The New York Times]]|last=Marshall|first=Alex|date=16 June 2022}}</ref>

===José Martínez===
[[José Carlos Martínez (dancer)|José Martínez]] took over the company in December 2022.<ref name=Sulcas>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/arts/dance/jose-martinez-paris-opera-ballet-director.html|title=José Martinez Named New Director of Paris Opera Ballet|work=[[The New York Times]]|last1=Sulcas|first1=Roslyn|last2=Cappelle|first2=Laura|date=28 October 2022}}</ref>

==Hierarchy==
The hierarchy of the Paris Opera Ballet is very strict. For a dancer, it is virtually compulsory to enter first the Paris Opera Ballet School. As [[Mathilde Froustey]] put it: "You cannot get into the company if you have not done the school".<ref name=interviewmathildefrousteyjan2014/> The competition for admission to both institutions is extremely fierce, as well as the competition for the highest ranks in the ballet company.

More than 90 percent of the candidates don't pass the Ballet School entrance examination, and 20 percent of its pupils have to leave at the end of the year after failing the annual competitive examinations ("les concours annuels") in May.<ref name=filmgrainesetoiles/> Only 5 to 20 percent of the Ballet School graduates are accepted in the Paris Opera Ballet, initially as dancers on trial (the "stagiaires").<ref>"Graines des étoiles", documentary film by Françoise Marie from 2013, was broadcast starting on 2 February 2013 on France 3, 156 min, six episodes of 26 min.</ref>

To become a regular member of the Paris Opera Ballet as "Quadrille" (fifth and lowest rank in the hierarchy), you have to pass the annual competitive examination in November. Promotion to the next rank depends exclusively on success in the following annual competitive examinations ("les concours internes de promotion") in front of a board of judges. To achieve the highest rank as Danseur Étoile (only by nomination) you have to perform in leading roles as "Premier Danseur" for many years before you are nominated due to outstanding excellence and merit.<ref name=ladanse>[[La Danse (film)|La Danse]], film by [[Frederick Wiseman]], 2009, 159 min.</ref>

==Small scandals and the lost generation==
As the Paris Opera Ballet has a large quantity of first-class French dancers, there are hard times for those who have not been promoted to the highest ranks as dancers or have not been appointed afterwards to positions for which they would have been extremely qualified.<ref name=laurahecquetfinallyprincipaldancer/>

[[Mathilde Froustey]], Sujet from 2005 till 2013, left the Paris Opera Ballet in July 2013 and joined the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer because there was no chance for her becoming eventually Danseuse étoile (principal dancer) in this company.<ref>[http://www.dansesaveclaplume.com/pas-de-deux/laura-hecquet-avoir-des-responsabilites-est-quelque-chose-qui-me-plait/ Laura Hecquet : « Avoir des responsabilités est quelque chose qui me plait »], article by Amélie Bertrand, 27 March 2015, extract: "Quand je suis rentrée à l'École, j'ai tout de suite beaucoup apprécié cette danseuse. Avoir Mathilde Froustey dans votre classe vous tire vers le haut. ... Nous sommes rentrées ensemble dans la compagnie. Nous avons été poussées très vite toutes les deux, avant de nous retrouver bloquées dans la classe des Sujets. Je crois que nous l'avons vécu de la même manière, même si Mathilde a dansé un peu plus que moi des premiers rôles. On ne comprenait pas pourquoi nous étions bloquées. Sans forcément que l'on en parle, ce sentiment nous a unies et nous a donné énormément de force. ... Mathilde Froustey a continué, mais ça ne marchait pas mieux pour elle, ça ne décollait pas non plus. Elle a pris cette décision de partir. J'ai trouvé qu'elle avait eu beaucoup de courage d'aller tenter sa chance ailleurs." (Laura Hecquet).</ref> In November 2014 [[Benjamin Millepied]], a former principal dancer of the [[New York City Ballet]] and French, took over the direction of the company and promised a change: "They asked for a change and they will get a change."<ref>[http://madame.lefigaro.fr/celebrites/benjamin-millepied-variation-libre-300115-94145 Benjamin Millepied fait souffler un vent nouveau sur l'Opéra], interview of Benjamin Millepied by Élisabeth Quinn on [[Madame Figaro]] 6 February 2015.</ref> When Benjamin Millepied nominated for the first (and only) time a "Danseuse étoile", Laura Hecquet was chosen. Laura Hecquet and Mathilde Froustey were described in the press as "the lost generation" of dancers working up the ranks who have become soloist (Sujet) but have been unlucky for years as far as climbing up the last step of the career ladder is concerned.<ref name=laurahecquetfinallyprincipaldancer>[http://www.dansesaveclaplume.com/en-coulisse/laura-hecquet-nommee-danseuse-etoile/ Laura Hecquet nominated Principal Dancer], article "Laura Hecquet nommée Danseuse Étoile" by Aurélie Bertrand, 27 March 2015.</ref><ref>[http://pointemagazine.com/inside-pt/truly-exceptional/ Truly Exceptional - Our Top 12 Standout Performances of 2015], review containing a paragraph on Laura Hecquet by Laura Capelle, [[Pointe (magazine)|Pointe]], extract: "Like her classmate, San Francisco Ballet principal Mathilde Froustey, Hecquet was pegged as a future star when she graduated from the POB School in 2002. A decade as a sujet and a serious knee injury later, it seemed like the company would never give her the opportunity to prove herself.".</ref>

The Paris Opera Ballet School has churned out some of the most famous dancers of all time, such as [[Sylvie Guillem]] and [[Laurent Hilaire]].<ref name=interviewmathildefrousteyjan2014/>

Yet Sylvie Guillem, being principal dancer since 1984, left the company in 1989 at the age of 24 because she wanted more freedom, the right to perform with other companies, an arrangement the management of the Paris Opera Ballet declined.<ref name=profilcultureshow/>

Laurent Hilaire was highly appreciated as principal dancer. After his farewell as a dancer he continued his career in the company attaining in 2011 the second-highest position as "Maitre de ballet associated to the direction". Laurent Hilaire was the favourite of Brigitte Lefèvre, director of the ballet, and [[Nicolas Joel]], director of the Paris Opera at the time.<ref>[http://www.revistadadanca.com/?p=922 Brigitte Lefèvre quittera le ballet de l'opéra de Paris en 2014], 29 September 2012, Revista da danca.</ref> In January 2013 Stéphane Lissner the new director of the Paris Opera (in the hierarchy above the Paris Opera Ballet's director) appointed Benjamin Millepied. Hilaire announced in May 2014 his departure and quit the company in July. The Paris Opera Ballet's new director Benjamin Millepied on his part stayed only two seasons and was followed in August by [[Aurélie Dupont]], who was as Danseuse étoile the Grand-dame of the Paris Opera Ballet.

==Paris Opera Ballet School==
The Paris Opera Ballet School ([[French language|French]]: École de danse de l'Opéra national de Paris) is one of the most preeminent dance schools in the world.<ref>[https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet-school/history The Ballet School], site of the Paris Opera.</ref> It has six classes for boys and girls separately named ''sixième division'' to ''première division''.

In 1987, the Paris Opera Ballet School moved from the [[Palais Garnier]] (where most of the Paris Opera ballets take place) to a new building located 10 kilometres west of the centre of Paris, in [[Nanterre]]. The new dance school building was designed by [[Christian de Portzamparc]]. Since 1995, the Paris Opera Ballet School has been a [[boarding school]].<ref>Between 1987 and 1995 the Paris Opera Ballet School was a boarding school as well, but obtaining the bac was not compulsory.</ref> Nowadays, from 8&nbsp;a.m. until noon, all pupils attend school classes leading to the obtention of the French ''[[baccalauréat]]'' (the ''bac''), the general qualification for university entrance in France.

Among the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, 95 percent have attended the Paris Opera Ballet School.<ref>[http://www.lesechos.fr/27/12/2013/LesEchos/21593-071-ECH_pourquoi-les-ballets-de-l-opera-de-paris-font-partie-des-spectacles-favoris-des-fetes.htm Pourquoi les ballets de l'Opéra de Paris font partie des spectacles favoris des fêtes], article by Martine Robert, 27 December 2013, Les Echos</ref> To describe it differently, for a young dancer to be accepted in the Paris Opera ''[[corps de ballet]]'', it is virtually obligatory to enter the Paris Opera Ballet School and attend at least the final two classes (''deuxième et première division''). More than 90 percent of the candidates do not pass the entrance examination.<ref>The first entrance examination is a physical test, the second one an audition.</ref> Even some of the dancers who have later become ''premiers danseurs'' (first soloists) or ''[[Danseur Étoile|danseurs étoiles]]'' ([[principal dancer]]s) of the Paris Opera Ballet passed the entrance examination only on the second attempt, or were accepted only as fee-paying pupils.<ref>For example Laura Hecquet and Léonore Baulac, who passed only on the second attempt, or Mathias Heymann, who was accepted only as a fee-paying pupil.</ref>

==Choreographers==
Choreographers associated with the Paris Opera Ballet and works created for the Paris Opera Ballet are:<ref>[https://www.memopera.fr/ MémOpéra] Retrieved 16 May 2020.</ref>

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*[[Jean Dauberval]]: ''[[La Fille mal gardée]]''  (1789).
*[[Pierre Gardel]]: ''[[Télémaque dans l'île de Calypso|Télémaque]]'' (1790), ''[[Psyché (ballet)|Psyché]]'' (1793), ''Le Jugement de Pâris'' (1793), ''La Dansomanie'' (1800)
* [[Louis Milon]]: ''Les Noces de Gamache'' (1801, in collaboration with Gardel)
*[[Philippe Taglioni]]: ''[[La Sylphide]]'' (1832)
*[[Jules Perrot]]: ''[[Giselle]]'' (1842)
*[[Jean Coralli]]: ''[[Giselle]]'' (1842)
*[[George Balanchine]]: ''[[Symphony in C (ballet)|Le Palais de cristal (Symphony in C)]]'' (1947)
*[[Carlo Blasis]]
*[[Arthur Saint-Léon]]:  ''[[Coppélia]]'' (1870)
*[[Louis Meranté]]: ''[[Sylvia (ballet)|Sylvia]]'' (1876)
*[[Serge Lifar]]: ''Les Créatures de Prométhée'' (1929), ''Icare'' (1935), ''Istar'' (1941), ''Suite en blanc'' (1943)
*[[Kenneth MacMillan]]: ''Métaboles'' (1978), ''Les Quatre Saisons'' (1978)
*[[Rudolf Nureyev]]: ''[[Raymonda]]'' (1983), ''[[Swan Lake]]'' (''Le Lac des cygnes'') (1984), [[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo and Juliet]] (1984), [[The Nutcracker]] (1985), [[La Bayadère]] (1992)
*[[Maurice Béjart]]: ''Arepo'' (1986)
*[[William Forsythe (dancer)|William Forsythe]]: ''In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated'' (1987), ''Woundwork I'', ''Pas./Parts'' (1999), ''Blake Works I'' (2016)<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/arts/dance/review-william-forsythes-james-blake-paris-opera-ballet Review: William Forsythe’s Wonderful Love Letter to Ballet], by Roslyn Sulcas, 5 July 2016, [[The New York Times]].</ref> 
*[[Angelin Preljocaj]]: ''Le Parc'' (1994), ''Annonciation'' (1996), ''MC/14-22 (Ceci est mon corps)'' (2004), ''Le Songe de Médée'' (2004)
* [[Roland Petit]]: ''[[Notre-Dame-de-Paris]]'' (1965),<ref>[http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=dvww-blnot JARRE, M.: Notre-Dame de Paris (Petit, Paris National Opera, 1996) (NTSC)].</ref> ''Clavigo'' (1999)
* [[Pina Bausch]]: [[Le Sacre du printemps]] (1997), ''Orpheus et Eurydice'' (2005)
* [[Wayne McGregor]]: ''Genus'' (2007), ''L'Anatomie de la sensation'' (2011)
* [[Sasha Waltz]]: ''Romeo and Juliet'' (2007)
* [[Saburo Teshigawara]]: ''Air'' (2003), ''Darkness is Hiding Black Horses'' (2013)
* [[John Neumeier]]: [[La Dame aux Camélias]] (2006), ''Song of the Earth'' (2015)
}}

==Dancers==
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''. Promotions to the higher rank depend on success in the annual competitive examinations, except for ''danseurs étoiles'' who are nominated by the Director of the Opera, on a proposal from the Director of the Ballet.

===Étoiles===
<!-- please refer to the inline reference at the start of The Company section when updating these details
 and update the accessdate there accordingly
 -->
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Nationality
!Training
!Joined POB 
!Promoted to Étoile
!Other companies <br /> (incl. guest performances)
|-
| Amandine Albisson
|rowspan="12" |{{flag|France}}
| Art et Danse studio<br/>Paris Opera Ballet School
|2006
|2014
|[[Hamburg Ballet]]
|-
| Bleuen Battistoni
| Ecole Guillemette Meyrieux [[Conservatoire de Paris]]<br/>Paris Opera Ballet School
|2017
|2024
|
|-
| [[Léonore Baulac]]
| [[Conservatoire de Paris]]
Paris Opera Ballet School
|2008
|2017
|
|-
| [[Valentine Colasante]]
| Paris Opera Ballet School 
|2006
|2018
|
|-
|[[Guillaume Diop]]
| Paris Opera Ballet School
|2018
|2023
|
|-
| [[Mathieu Ganio]]
| École Nationale Supérieure de Danse Marseille
Paris Opera ballet School
| 2001
|2004
|[[Mariinsky Ballet]]
|-
| [[Dorothée Gilbert]]
| Toulouse National Conservatoire
Paris Opera Ballet School
| 2000
|2007
|[[Stuttgart Ballet]]
|-
| Mathias Heymann
| Academie Danse Attitude
Paris Opera Ballet School
| 2004
|2009
|[[American Ballet Theatre]]
|-
|Germain Louvet
| Paris Opera Ballet School
|2011
|2014
|
|-
|[[Hugo Marchand]]
|Nantes Conservatory
Paris Opera Ballet School
|2011
|2017
|[[Hong Kong Ballet]]
[[La Scala Theatre Ballet]]
|-
|[[Paul Marque]]
|Paris Opera Ballet School
|2014
|2020
|
|-
| Marc Moreau
| Paris Opera Ballet School
|2004
|2023
|
|-
| [[Hannah O'Neill]]
|{{flag|New Zealand}}<br/>{{flag|Japan}}
|Kishibe Ballet Studio
Mt Eden Ballet Academy

[[Australian Ballet School]]
|2013
|2023
|
|-
| [[Ludmila Pagliero]]
| {{flag|Argentina}}
| Colón Theatre Superior Institute of Art
|2005
|2012
|[[Chilean National Ballet]]
[[American Ballet Theatre]]
|-
| [[Sae Eun Park]]
| {{flag|South Korea}}
| Korea's National Academy of Ballet
[[Korea National University of Arts]]<br />ABT Studio Company
|2011
|2021
|[[Korea National Ballet]]
|-
| Roxane Stojanov
| {{flag|France}}<br/>{{flag|North Macedonia}}
| Paris Opera Ballet School
|2013
|2024
|
|}The maximum number of active ''danseurs étoiles'' within the company, originally limited to four, has progressively increased over time and is nowadays set at sixteen. The title is conferred for life and is therefore kept after retirement, which is set at a maximum age of 42, as for all other dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Retraite des danseurs de l'Opera National de Paris|url=https://www.retraite.com/retraite-par-metier/retraite-fonctionnaire-publique/danseur-opera-national-paris.html}}</ref>

===Notable former dancers===
{{columns-list|colwidth=18em|
* [[Cyril Atanassoff]]
*Karin Averty
* [[Jean Babilée]]
* Patrice Bart
* [[Kader Belarbi]]
* [[Claude Bessy (dancer)|Claude Bessy]]
*[[Giuseppina Bozzacchi]]
* [[Yvette Chauviré]]
* [[Isabelle Ciaravola]]
* Florence Clerc
*[[La Camargo]]
* [[Lycette Darsonval]]
* [[Frances Taylor Davis|Frances Davis]]
* Michael Denard
* [[Michel Descombey]]
* [[Patrick Dupond]]
* [[Aurélie Dupont]]
* [[Flemming Flindt]]
* [[Marie-Agnès Gillot]]
* [[Isabelle Guérin]]
* [[Sylvie Guillem]]
* [[Jean Guizerix]]
* [[Laurent Hilaire]]
* [[Josua Hoffalt]]
* Charles Jude
* [[Dominique Khalfouni]]
* [[Attilio Labis]]
* [[Nicolas Le Riche]]
* [[Manuel Legris]]
* [[Pauline Leroux]]
* [[Agnès Letestu]]
* [[Emma Livry]]
* [[Monique Loudières]]
* [[José Carlos Martínez (dancer)|José Martinez]]
* [[Antonine Meunier]]
* Hervé Moreau
* [[Jacqueline Moreau]]
* [[Clairemarie Osta]]
* [[Karl Paquette]]
* [[Lucien Petipa]]
* [[Marie-Claude Pietragalla]]
* [[Wilfride Piollet]]
* [[Élisabeth Platel]]
* [[Laetitia Pujol]]
* Michel Renault
* [[Marie Sallé]]
* [[Marie Taglioni]]
* [[Ghislaine Thesmar]]
* [[Emmanuel Thibault]]
* [[Auguste Vestris]]
* [[Gaetan Vestris]]
* Claude de Vulpian
* [[Carlotta Zambelli]]
}}

==See also==
* [[History of ballet]]
* [[List of productions of Swan Lake derived from its 1895 revival]]
* [[Rudolf Nureyev]]

==References==
'''Notes'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Sources'''
* Astier, Régine (1998a). "Académie Royale de Danse" in Cohen 1998, vol. 1. pp.&nbsp;3–5.
* Astier, Régine (1998b). "Beauchamps, Pierre" in Cohen 1998, vol. 1., pp.&nbsp;396–397.
* Babsky, Monique (1998). "Aumer, Jean-Louis" in Cohen 1998, vol. 1, pp.&nbsp;201–203.
* Christout, Marie-Françoise (1998). "Paris Opera Ballet" in Cohen 1998, vol. 5, pp.&nbsp;86–100.
* Cohen, Selma Jeanne, editor (1998). ''International Encyclopedia of Dance'' (6 volumes). Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-509462-6}} (hardcover). {{ISBN|978-0-19-517369-7}} (2004 paperback edition).
* Craine, Debra; Mackrell, Judith (2000). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Dance''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-860106-7}}.
* Guest, Ivor (2006). ''The Paris Opéra Ballet''. Alton, Hampshire: Dance Books. {{ISBN|978-1-85273-109-0}}.
* [[Jérôme de La Gorce|La Gorce, Jérôme de]] (2002). ''Jean-Baptiste Lully'' (in French). Paris: Fayard. {{ISBN|9782213607085}}.
* Pitou, Spire (1983). ''The Paris Opéra: An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers. Genesis and Glory, 1671–1715''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|978-0-686-46036-7}}.
* Powell, John S. (1995). "Pierre Beauchamps, Choreographer to Molière's Troupe de Roy", ''Music & Letters'', vol. 76, no. 2 (May), pp.&nbsp;168–186. {{JSTOR|737729}}.
* Powell, John S. (2008). "Pierre Beauchamps and the Public Theatre", pp.&nbsp;117–135 in ''Dance, Spectacle, and the Body Politic'', edited by Jennifer Nevile. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. {{ISBN|9780253351531}}. [http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~john-powell/JOHN%27S%20ARTICLES/PierreBeauchampsAndThePublicTheater.pdf Online pdf].
* Powell, John S. (2010). "Performance Practices at the Théâtre de Guénégaud and the Comédie-Française: Evidence from Charpentier's ''Mélanges autographes''", pp.&nbsp;161–183 in ''New Perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier'', edited by Shirley Thompson. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate. {{ISBN|9780754665793}}.

==External links==
{{Commonscatinline}}
*[https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet Official website]

{{Ballet companies}}
{{OlivierAward DanceAchievement}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Paris Opera Ballet| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Paris]]
[[Category:1661 establishments in France]]
[[Category:History of ballet]]