Mathieu Ganio (born 16 March 1984) is a French ''

danseur étoile ''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" in Anglo-Saxon countries or to the title ...

'' of 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 a ...

. Mathieu Ganio was born in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, France, the son of Ballet National de Marseille

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

Dominique Khalfouni Dominique Khalfouni (born 1951) is a French ballet dancer. Once a star ( ''étoile'') of the Paris Opera Ballet and a principal of the Ballet National de Marseille, she is now a ballet teacher. Biography Born in 1951, she attended the Paris Oper ...

and Denys Ganio. He began dance lessons at the age of seven and studied at the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille from 1992 to 1999, before completing his training at the Paris Opera Ballet School. In 2001 he joined the corps de ballet of the Paris Opera Ballet and won promotion to the rank of ''coryphée'' in 2002 and ''sujet'' in 2003. On 20 May 2004, following a performance of ''Don Quixote'', he was appointed ''étoile'', bypassing the rank of ''premier danseur''. In 2005 he was awarded the Benois de la Danse as outstanding male dancer. His younger sister, Marine Ganio, is a ''sujet'' of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Repertoire

*''

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. ...

'' (choreography:

Pierre Lacotte Pierre Lacotte (born 4 April 1932) is a French ballet dancer and choreographer who specialised in the reconstruction of lost choreographies of romantic ballets. His mother was an affirmed musician and he manifested very early his interest for da ...

): James *'' Giselle'' (choreography: Patrice Bart and Eugène Polyakov, after

Jean Coralli Jean Coralli (15 January 1779 – 1 May 1854) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer, best known for collaborating with Jules Perrot in creating ''Giselle'' (1841), the quintessential Romantic ballet of the nineteenth century. Early life ...

and

Jules Perrot Jules-Joseph Perrot (18 August 1810 – 29 August 1892) was a dancer and choreographer who later became Ballet Master of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. He created some of the most famous ballets of the 19th century including ...

): Count Albrecht *''

Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-� ...

'' (choreography: Pierre Lacotte, after Arthur Saint-Léon): Frantz *''

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 comp ...

'' (choreography: Pierre Lacotte, after Marius Petipa): Lucien d’Hervilly *''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' (choreography:

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

, after Marius Petipa and

Alexander Gorsky Alexander Gorsky (August 6, 1871 – 1924), a Russian ballet choreographer and a contemporary of Marius Petipa, is known for restaging Petipa's classical ballets such as ''Swan Lake'', ''Don Quixote'', and ''The Nutcracker''. Gorsky “sought grea ...

): Basilio *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' (choreography: Rudolf Nureyev, after Marius Petipa): Prince Désiré *'' Swan Lake'' (choreography: Rudolf Nureyev, after Marius Petipa and

Lev Ivanov Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (russian: link=no, Лев Ива́нович Ива́нов; 2 March 1834, Moscow – 24 December 1901, Saint Petersburg) was a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer and later, Second Balletmaster of the Imperial Ballet. ...

): Prince Siegfried *''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...

'' (choreography: Rudolf Nureyev): Drosselmeyer/Prince *''

La Fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' (choreography: Frederick Ashton): Colas *'' Onegin'' (choreography:

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Transv ...

): title role *'' Manon'' (choreography:

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. E ...

): Des Grieux *''The Lady of the Camellias'' (choreography:

John Neumeier John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He has been the director and chief choreographer of Hamburg Ballet since 1973. Five years later he founded the Hamburg Ballet School, which also in ...

): Armand Duval *''Proust, ou Les intermittences du coeur'' (choreography:

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...

): Saint-Loup (first interpreter at the Paris Opera Ballet) *''Ivan the Terrible'' (choreography:

Yuri Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Григоро́вич; born 2 January 1927 in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer Nicolas Le Riche Nicolas Le Riche (born 29 January 1972, in Sartrouville, Yvelines) is a French ballet dancer, choreographer and ballet director. Biography Le Riche entered the Paris Opera Ballet school at age ten and joined the corps de ballet six years later; h ...

): title role *''Les Enfants du paradis'' (choreography: José Martinez): Baptiste (first interpreter) *''Psyche'' (choreography:

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (russian: Алексей Осипович Ратманский, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Bolshoi Ballet. He left Rus ...

): Eros *''Daphnis and Chloe'' (choreography:

Benjamin Millepied Benjamin Millepied (; born 10 June 1977) is a French dancer and choreographer, who has lived and worked in the United States since joining the New York City Ballet in 1995, where he became a soloist in 1998 and a principal in 2002. He has also ...

): Daphnis *''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

'' (choreography: George Balanchine): title role *''

The Four Temperaments ''The Four Temperaments'' or Theme and Four Variations (''The Four Temperaments'') is an orchestral work and ballet by Paul Hindemith. Although it was originally conceived as a ballet for Léonide Massine, the score was ultimately completed a ...

'' (choreography: George Balanchine): Phlegmatic *'' Palais de Cristal'' (choreography: George Balanchine): First Movement soloist *'' Symphony in C'' (choreography: George Balanchine): First Movement soloist *''La Valse'' (choreography: George Balanchine) *'' Agon'' (choreography: George Balanchine): first pas de trois *'' Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet'' (choreography: George Balanchine): First Movement soloist *''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

'' (choreography: George Balanchine): Emeralds, Diamonds *'' Mozartiana'' (choreography: George Balanchine) *''Suite en Blanc'' (choreography:

Serge Lifar Serge Lifar ( ua, Сергій Михайлович Лифар, ''Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar'') ( 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian ballet dancer and choreographer, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. No ...

): Thème varié, Mazurka, Adage *'' Études'' (choreography:

Harald Lander Harald Alfred Bernhardt Stevnsborg Lander (25 February 1905 – 14 September 1971) was a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Lander was born in Copenhagen. He started as a dancer, studying under ballet ...

) *''

Dances at a Gathering ''Dances at a Gathering'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Frédéric Chopin, with costumes designed by Joe Eula. The ballet premiered on May 22, 1969, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet ...

'' (choreography:

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

): Man in Brown, Man in Green *'' In the Night'' (choreography: Jerome Robbins): Second pas de deux *'' The Goldberg Variations'' (choreography: Jerome Robbins): Second Couple *'' Other Dances'' (choreography: Jerome Robbins) *''

Opus 19/The Dreamer ''Opus 19/The Dreamer'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1. The ballet premiered on June 14, 1979 at the New York State Theater, danced by the New York City Ballet. Production ''Opus 19/Th ...

'' (choreography: Jerome Robbins) *''The Firebird'' (choreography:

Maurice Béjart Maurice Béjart (; 1 January 1927 – 22 November 2007) was a French-born dancer, choreographer and opera director who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He developed a popular expressionistic form of modern ballet, talking vast th ...

): title role *''Serait-ce la mort?'' (choreography: Maurice Béjart): The Man *''Yondering'' (choreography: John Neumeier) *''The Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler'' (choreography: John Neumeier): The Man *''Song of the Earth'' (choreography: John Neumeier; world premiere) *''Artifact Suite'' (choreography: William Forsythe) *''Approximate Sonata'' (choreography: William Fosythe; first interpreter at the Paris Opera Ballet) *''Woundwork 1'' (choreography: William Forsythe) *''Amoveo'' (choreography: Benjamin Millepied) *''Genus'' (choreography:

Wayne McGregor Wayne McGregor, CBE (born 12 March 1970) is a multi award-winning British choreographer and director. He is the Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor and Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet. McGregor was appointed Commander of the ...

; world premiere) *''Alea Sands'' (choreography: Wayne McGregor; world premiere) *''Grand miroir'' (choreography:

Saburo Teshigawara is a Japanese choreographer and dancer who was born in Tokyo and became known for founding a company named KARAS along with Kei Miyata in 1985. On September 12, 2013, he performed ''Mirror and Music'' at the Kennedy Center which was highly prais ...

; world premiere) *''Dogs Sleep'' (choreography:

Marco Goecke Marco Goecke (born 12 April 1972) is a German choreographer. He was the director of Staatsoper Hannover, Hanover State Ballet between 2019 and 2023, and had also held positions at Stuttgart Ballet, , Nederlands Dans Theater and Eric Gauthier (dan ...

; world premiere)

Filmography

*''Coppélia'' (choreography: Pierre Lacotte), Paris Opera Ballet School, 2001: as Frantz *''La Sylphide'' (choreography: Pierre Lacotte), Paris Opera Ballet, 2004: as James *''Jewels'' (choreography: George Balanchine), Paris Opera Ballet, 2005: in 'Emeralds' *''Proust'' (choreography: Roland Petit), Paris Opera Ballet, 2007: as Saint-Loup *''Comme un rêve'' (documentary directed by Marlène Ionesco), 2009 *'' La Danse'' (documentary directed by

Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director. His work is "devoted primarily to exploring American institutions". He has been called "one of the most important and original filmmakers wor ...

), 2009 *''La Petite danseuse de Degas'' (choreography: Patrice Bart), 2010: as the Ballet Master *''Les Enfants du paradis'' (choreography: José Martinez), 2011: as Baptiste *'Célébration' (choreography: Pierre Lacotte), Paris Opera Ballet, 2013 *''The Sleeping Beauty'' (choreography: Rudolf Nureyev), Paris Opera Ballet, 2013: as Prince Désiré *''Palais de Cristal'' (choreography: George Balanchine), Paris Opera Ballet, 2014: as the First Movement soloist *''Dances at a Gathering'' (choreography: Jerome Robbins), Paris Opera Ballet, 2014: as the Man in Brown *''Giselle'' (choreography:

Konstantin Sergeyev Konstantin Mikhaylovich Sergeyev (russian: Константин Михайлович Сергеев; 5 March 1910 (20 February Old Style) – 1 April 1992) was a Russian danseur, artistic director and choreographer for the Kirov Theatre. When th ...

), Mariinsky Ballet, 2016: as Count Albrecht *''Swan Lake'' (choreography: Rudolf Nureyev), Paris Opera Ballet, 2016: as Prince Siegfried *''Giselle'' (choreography: Patrice Bart and Eugène Polyakov), Paris Opera Ballet, 2020: as Count Albrecht

References

External links

Mathieu Ganio's page on the website of the Paris OperaArchive of Ganio's performances at the Paris Opera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganio, Mathieu Living people 1984 births French male ballet dancers Ganio Prix Benois de la Danse winners