Hannah O'Neill (born January 8, 1993) is a New Zealand

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

who is an ''

étoile Étoile may refer to: Places ;France * Charles de Gaulle – Étoile, station of the Paris Métro * Étoile-Saint-Cyrice, commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in France * Étoile-sur-Rhône, commune in the Drôme department in France * L'Ét ...

'' with the

Paris Opera Ballet 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 ...

Early life

O'Neill was born in Japan to a Japanese mother, Sumie, and a New Zealand father, Chris, a professional rugby player. She has two younger brothers. O'Neill started dancing when she was three years old. From 1998 to 2007, O'Neill studied at the Kishibe Ballet Studio in Tokyo, Japan. When she turned eight, she moved with her family to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. There, she attended Parnell District School and

Epsom Girls' Grammar School , motto_translation = ''Through difficulties to greatness.'' , coordinates = , type = State Single Sex Girls Secondary (Year 9–13) with Boarding Facilities , established = 12 February 1917 , MOE = 64 , principal = Lorraine Pound , colo ...

. She studied ballet at the Mt Eden Ballet Academy and then in 2008, at the age of 15, moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to study at the

Australian Ballet School The Australian Ballet School is the premier ballet training facility in Australia, located in Melbourne. History The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scot ...

. In 2011 she graduated as dux of the ballet school.

Career

In 2009, O'Neill won the

Prix de Lausanne The Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition a ...

, the world’s most prestigious competition for young dancers. The next year, she won first place in the senior woman's section at the

Youth America Grand Prix Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world's largest non-profit international student ballet competition and scholarship program, open to dance students of all nationalities, 9–19 years old. YAGP annually conducts regional auditions in the Unit ...

in New York. Following these achievements, she passed

's external audition in July 2011 and was accepted into its

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. ...

with a seasonal contract. In August 2012 she was offered a second short-term contract with the company. Succeeding in the external audition in July 2013, O'Neill was offered a life-time contract. Now a regular member of the Paris Opera Ballet, O'Neill moved up through the ranks, being promoted in each Paris Opera Ballet internal promotion contest from 2013 to 2015. On 3 November 2015, she was ranked first in the Paris Opera Ballet internal promotion contest. Consequently, since 1 January 2016 she danced as a ''premiere danseuse'', the second highest rank in the company. In spring 2015, O'Neill danced the role of Odette/Odile in ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'' which is normally reserved for '' étoiles''. Her second leading role as a ''premiere danseuse'' was the title role in ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

''. In 2020, O'Neill danced ''

The Swan A swan is a bird of the genus ''Cygnus'' (true swans) or ''Coscoroba'' (coscoroba swans). Swan, swans, or The Swan may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film and television * ''The Swan'' (1925 film), a 1925 silent film * ''The Swa ...

'' in

Misty Copeland Misty Danielle Copeland (born September 10, 1982) is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African Ameri ...

's fundraiser, Swans for Relief, a response to the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on the dance community, with funds going to participating dancers' companies and other related relief funds. In March 2023, O'Neill was promoted to the rank of '' danseuse étoile'' at the Paris Opera Ballet.

Repertoire

*Odile-Odette in ''

'' *Giselle, Myrtha in ''

'' *Gamzatti in ''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is a ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by French choreographer Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus. The ballet was staged especiall ...

'' *Paquita in ''

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French compo ...

'' *''

Ballet Imperial ''Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2'', also titled ''Ballet Imperial'', is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Tchaikovsky), Piano Concerto No. 2. ''Ballet Imperial'' was choreographed for American B ...

'' *The Sylph, Effie in ''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. Bo ...

'' *Titania in Balanchine's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' *''The Lady of the Camellias'' *''

'' *Carmen in Roland Petit's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' *M in

Mats Ek Mats Ek (born 18 April 1945) is a Swedish dance and ballet choreographer, dancer and stage director. He was the manager of the Cullberg Ballet from 1985 to 1993. Life and career Ek was born in Malmö in 1945, the son of the Royal Dramatic Theatre ...

's ''Carmen''

Awards

O'Neill was the winner of the Prix de Lausanne in 2009 and of the

in 2010. In 2014, she won the silver medal at

Varna International Ballet Competition The Varna International Ballet Competition is a biennial ballet competition held in Varna, Bulgaria. The competition was founded in 1964 and subsequently held in 1965 and 1966, and then every two years starting in 1968. Many dancers have gained the ...

, the oldest and one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world. In 2016, she received the Best Female Dancer award at the Benois de la Danse competition for her performance in the title role of the ballet ''

''. She is the first New Zealand and second Japanese-born recipient of the award, after Mariko Kida.

References

External links

Hannah O’Neill
website of the Paris Opera {{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Hannah 1993 births Living people New Zealand ballerinas People educated at Epsom Girls' Grammar School Paris Opera Ballet dancers Australian Ballet School alumni People from Tokyo 21st-century New Zealand dancers Prix Benois de la Danse winners Prix de Lausanne winners New Zealand people of Japanese descent New Zealand expatriates in France New Zealand expatriates in Australia