Aurélie Dupont

Aurélie Dupont joined the Paris Opera’s Ballet  School in 1983. She attended all its classes and participated in  performances and official tours.After entering the Paris Opera’s Corps  de Ballet in 1989, she was promoted to “Coryphée” in 1991 and “Sujet” in  1992. The same year, she won the Gold Medal (in the junior category) at  the Varna International Ballet Competition.
She received the Prix  AROP (Association pour le Rayonnement de l’Opéra de Paris) in 1993 and  the Prix du Cercle Carpeaux in 1994. After entering the Company, Aurélie  Dupont performed in all the major productions from the classical and  the contemporary repertoires. She was also cast in solo roles in Pierre  Lacotte’s Giselle and La Sylphide, George Balanchine’s The Four  Temperaments, Roland Petit’s world premiere production of Rythme de  Valses (1994), Rudolf Nureyev’s La Bayadère, Roland Petit’s Le Loup,  Angelin Preljocaj’s Annonciation, Rudolf Nureyev’s The Nutcracker, and  Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring (“The Chosen One”).

Promoted to  “Première Danseuse” in 1996, she danced the principal roles in Soir de  fête (Léo Staats), Raymonda, Don Quichotte and La Bayadère – three  productions by Rudolf Nureyev, Manon (Kenneth MacMillan) and Casanova in  Angelin Preljocaj’s world premiere production at the Paris Opera  (1998).
At the end of the performance of Don Quichotte (Rudolf Nureyev) – on December 31 1998 – she was made an “Étoile”.

Étoile  dancer Aurélie Dupont made her official farewell to the stage of the  Paris Opera on Monday, May18, 2015, after a performance of Kenneth  MacMillan’s Manon.
In 2001, Aurélie Dupont, received the Prix Benois de la Danse for her interpretation of the roles of Nikiya in La Bayadère (choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev) and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (choreographed by John Neumeier).
She is a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and a member of the Ordre National du Mérite.
Appointed  by the Paris Opera’s Director Stéphane Lissner on February 4 2016,  Aurélie Dupont officially took over as the Paris Opera’s Director of  Dance on August 1 2016.
She succeeds Benjamin Millepied.

Source: Opéra National de Paris

More information: www.operadeparis.fr/en