Danseur étoile (for men) or danseuse étoile (for women), literally "star dancer", is the highest rank a dancer can reach at the Paris Opera Ballet. It is equivalent to the title "Principal dancer" used in English or to the title "Primo Ballerino" or "Prima Ballerina" in Italian.
The term étoile had been used to designate the best soloists of the Paris Opera Ballet since the 19th century, but it was only in 1940 that ballet master Serge Lifar decided to codify the title at the top of the company's hierarchy. [1] Unlike all lower ranks in the Ballet (quadrille, coryphée, sujet, premier danseur), promotion to étoile does not depend on success in the annual competitive examinations. Dancers have to perform in leading roles, sometimes for many years, before they can be accorded the rank by the director of the Paris Opera, after nomination by the head of the ballet (directeur de la danse), in recognition of outstanding excellence and merit. [2]
There is no specific rule regarding the nomination. Étoiles are usually chosen from among the premiers danseurs (the highest rank achievable through examinations), but exceptionally some dancers, such as Manuel Legris or Laurent Hilaire, have been promoted directly from the lower rank of sujet. [3] The nominations were initially made in an administrative setting, then later backstage with the curtain closed. They now take place at the end of a performance, with the curtain open.
The title is conferred for life and is therefore kept after retirement, which is set at a maximum age of 42, like for all other dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet. [4] The maximum number of active Danseurs étoiles within the company, originally limited to four, has progressively increased over time and is nowadays set at eighteen. [3] The institution has hosted several invited Étoiles, though the invitation remains extremely rare and is reserved for Principal Dancers of notably high acclaim around the World.
By year of nomination (first date, second date corresponding to year of resignation or retirement):
The Paris Opera Ballet 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 four most prominent ballet companies in the world, together with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg and the Royal Ballet in London.
Aurélie Dupont is a French ballet dancer who performed with the Paris Opera Ballet as an Étoile.
Attilio Labis was a French ballet dancer and teacher. He was regarded as a star of the Paris Opera.
Mathieu Ganio is a French danseur étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Stéphane Bullion is a retired French Étoile dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Laetitia Pujol is a French ballet dancer. She joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1993, becoming a principal in 2000 and a star (étoile) in 2002.
Patrick Dupond was a French ballet dancer and artistic director.
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Wilfride Piollet was a French ballerina and choreographer. She was born in Saint-Rambert-d'Albon. Her philosophy of dance and her research led to the publication of several books. Piollet joined the Paris Opera Ballet company in 1960. She gained the rank "coryphée" in 1963, "sujet" in 1964, soloist in 1966, and was promoted to principal dancer (étoile) in 1969. In 1973, Nouvelle lune c-à-d was created for her retirement of the Paris Opera. Invited as a guest by Rudolf Nureyev, she danced at the Paris Opera until 1990, the year when Jean Guizerix left. At the Paris Opera and worldwide, she performed the classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertory, and from the 1980s, the Baroque and Renaissance ones. She ended her dance career in 2003 with a piece on Isadora Duncan's dances studied with Madeleine Lytton, and performed with Jean Guizerix.
Isabelle Ciaravola is a French ballet dancer. From 1990, she danced with the Paris Opera Ballet where she rose to the top rank of étoile in 2009. Since retiring from the stage in February 2014, she has devoted most of her time to teaching.
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Myriam Ould-Braham is a French ballet dancer. After joining the Paris Opera Ballet in 1999, she became a première danseuse (principal) in 2005 and was elevated to the rank of étoile (star) in 2012.
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Solange Schwarz (1910–2000) was a French ballerina who trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School. After gaining the rank of danseuse étoile at the Opéra-Comique in 1932, she was the first female dancer to earn the official étoile distinction at the Paris Opera in 1940 for performing the leading role in Serge Lifar's premiere of Entre deux rondes. From 1945, she performed with the Ballets des Champs-Élysées and with the companies created by the Marquis de Cuevas. After retiring from the stage in 1957, she taught dance for over 20 years at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Claire Motte (1937–1986) was a French ballerina, choreographer and dance teacher. After studying under Carlotta Zambelli at the company's school, she entered the Paris Opera Ballet when she was 14. Rising quickly through the ranks, she was named a danseuse étoile in December 1960. As a result of her outstanding technique, leading choreographers including George Balanchine and Serge Lifar sought to include her in their ballets. She was frequently a partner of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. In parallel, Motte taught dance and in 1977 was appointed professor at the Paris Opera and at the Conservatoire de Paris. Four years after she had left the stage, in 1983 Rudolf Nureyev appointed her ballet master for Swan Lake.
Marion Barbeau is a French ballerina and actress.
Éric Binh Vu-An was a French dancer, choreographer, and actor.