Patrick Dupond (14 March 1959 – 5 March 2021) was a French ballet dancer and artistic director. He made a name for himself in 1976 when he won the gold medal at the

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 ...

in Bulgaria. A virtuoso dancer, he was named

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 ...

in 1980 and met with considerable success in France, which did not prevent him from having an international career. He worked with eminent dancers such as

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 ...

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 ...

and

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

, and in 1990 he became dance director of the

, succeeding Nureyev. He left this position in 1995, then the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

in 1997, dismissed, in his words, for "his insubordination and indiscipline". Subsequently, he appeared on various occasions on television sets as a contestant or juror for shows (for example: '' Danse avec les stars'') while continuing to perform on stage.

Early life and training

Dupond's father left the family early. Patrick Dupond spent a simple and modest childhood with his mother and her partner. In order to channel her son's energy, his mother decided to enroll him in a football club and then in judo classes, but he quickly abandoned these activities. He discovered his vocation by watching a ballet class, and his mother enrolled him in a dance class. His abilities were quickly noticed, and his dance teacher advised him to take classes at a higher level. At the end of 1967, his parents met by chance Tessa Beaumont and , a former dancer at the

. The latter immediately sensed the young dancer's talent and agreed to take over his training. In May 1968, he had to temporarily stop his school activities and dance classes. When he returned to school, he was the victim of ostracism from his classmates because of his status as a young dancer. He was admitted to the

in 1969, at the age of ten, for the three-month preparation course. He then passed the entrance test to the dance school and did all his training as a classical dancer there, while continuing to take private lessons with Bozzoni every evening. He continued to study with but his main teacher remained Bozzoni. He was also a pupil at the

lycée Racine The lycée Racine is a public school in the quartier de l'Europe located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It consists of a lycée as well as BTS assistant manager and BTS bank staff courses. It takes the name of Jean Racine, playwright and his ...

in Paris.

Paris Opera Ballet and international career

On 14 March 1975, Dupond became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet, at age 16. He won the gold medal at the

in Bulgaria, with Albrecht's variation from the second act of ''

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, ...

'' and Siegfried's variation from the third act of ''

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 ...

'', the solo from the Lander's '' Études'', Basilio's variation from ''

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 Wester ...

'', a variation from '' Le Corsaire'', and finally a contemporary choreography created by him. In December of the same year, he was named ''

coryphée 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 ...

''.

From then on, his career took off. He created various title roles and continued his training as a soloist. He had the opportunity to dance both at the Opera and on international stages. In December 1978, following the internal promotion contest, he was appointed ''

premier danseur 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 ...

''. He then danced for choreographers such as

and

. He was named ''

'', the highest rank in the company, on 30 August 1980, at age 21. His ballet partners included , Françoise Legrée,

Monique Loudières Monique Loudières (born 15 April 1956) is a French ballet dancer and teacher. A member of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1967, she received the status of principal dancer in 1982. After retiring from the stage in 1996, she continued to accept invitat ...

Sylvie Guillem Sylvie Guillem (; born 23 February 1965) is a French ballet dancer. Guillem was the top-ranking female dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet from 1984 to 1989, before becoming a principal guest artist with the Royal Ballet in London. She has ...

Isabelle Guérin Isabelle Guérin (born 1961) is a French ballet dancer. She was a member of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1978. In 1985, she received the title of '' Danseuse Étoile'' from Rudolf Nureyev. John Rockwell has described Guérin and Laurent Hilaire as " ...

and

Marie-Claude Pietragalla Marie-Claude Georgette Yvonne Pietragalla (born 2 February 1963 in Paris) is a French dancer and choreographer. Biography Pietragalla was born in Paris to a Coriscan father and mother from Bordeaux. At 16, she joined the Ballet de l'Opera Natio ...

. Dupond was appointed

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

of the in 1988. At the age of 31,

Pierre Bergé Pierre Vital Georges Bergé (; 14 November 1930 – 8 September 2017) was a French industrialist and patron. He co-founded the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent, and was a longtime business partner (and onetime life partner) of its namesake des ...

appointed him the Director of Dance of the Paris Opera Ballet, a position he held from 1990 to 1995. Choreographers such as

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 inc ...

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 ...

Yury Grigorovich Yury Nikolayevich Grigorovich (russian: Ю́рий Никола́евич Григоро́вич; born 2 January 1927 in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian dancer and choreographer Alwin Nikolais Alwin Nikolais (November 25, 1910 – May 8, 1993) was an American choreographer, dancer, composer, musician, teacher. He had created the Nikolais Dance Theatre, and was best known for his self-designed innovative costume, lighting and production d ...

and

Twyla Tharp Twyla Tharp (; born July 1, 1941) is an American dancer, choreographer, and author who lives and works in New York City. In 1966 she formed the company Twyla Tharp Dance. Her work often uses classical music, jazz, and contemporary pop music. Fr ...

gave him leading roles. He also acted and danced in several films and created the group "Dupond et ses Stars", with

, Fanny Gaida,

Manuel Legris Manuel Legris is a French ballet dancer, born in Paris on October 10, 1964. He was an ''étoile'' (star dancer) of the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years. On September 1, 2010, he began direction of the Vienna State Ballet. He was appointed artisti ...

, Jean-Marie Didière and the pianist/conductor

Elizabeth Cooper Elizabeth Cooper (born Isabel Rosario Cooper; January 15, 1914 (or 1909/1912)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsE1BtsaVKM . Go to 29:20. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – June 29, 1960) was a Philippines, Filipina film actress, vaudeville dancer, a ...

, for a world tour of two years.

Later career

In 1997, he was asked to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. His absence was not accepted by the general management of the Paris Opera, who thanked him.Patrick Dupond, interviewed by Caroline Rochmann
com/People/Patrick-Dupond-J-ai-decouvert-l-amour-avec-une-femme-1340954 " Patrick Dupond : "Leïla m'a fait découvrir l'amour"
'

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

', week of 7 to 13 September 2017, pages 94-99. Dupond was nevertheless offered a contract as a guest danseur étoile, a proposal he refused, preferring to go to court. His application was rejected by the Prud'hommes. In January 2000, he was the victim of a serious car accident which forced him to both rehabilitate physically and relearn to dance. He went through a period of depression and alcoholism, from which he eventually recovered. He then resumed his training with the help of his teacher Max Bozzoni. He returned to the stage in a musical theatre in 2000: ''L'air de Paris'' at the

Espace Pierre Cardin Espace may refer to: *ESPACE, a complexity class in computational complexity theory *Espace musique, a Canadian radio service *Espace 2, a Swiss radio station *Radio Espace, a French radio station *Espace Group, a French media company *Group Espace ...

, with Manon Landowski as his partner. Since 2004, he was a regular teacher at the dance school of Leïla Da Rocha and performs in

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

and

Saint-Quentin, Aisne Saint-Quentin (; pcd, Saint-Kintin; nl, label=older Dutch, Sint-Kwintens ) is a city in the Aisne department, Hauts-de-France, northern France. It has been identified as the ''Augusta Veromanduorum'' of antiquity. It is named after Saint Qu ...

. In August 2017, he announced the opening of an international dance school in Bordeaux with Leïla Da Rocha. Offering two three-year courses for young people aged 10 to 20, the school will aim to prepare young dancers to "bridge the gap between the conservatory and the opera, with local companies as well as national and international". In

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, he was a member of the jury for the show '' Danse avec les stars''.

Death

He died on 5 March 2021, a few days before his 62nd birthday, as a result of a "devastating illness", according to those close to him.

Role creations and company premieres

* 1976 : ''Nana'' (Roland Petit), ''Mahler Lieder'' (Oscar Araiz) * 1977 : '' Les Quatre Saisons'' (

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. Ea ...

), '' Le Chant de la terre'' (Kenneth MacMillan) * 1978 : ''Métaboles'' (Kenneth MacMillan) * 1979 : '' Relâche'' and ''

Sonatine bureaucratique The ''Sonatine bureaucratique'' (''Bureaucratic sonatina'') is a 1917 piano composition by Erik Satie. The final entry in his humoristic piano music of the 1910s, it is Satie's only full-scale parody of a single musical work: thSonatina Op. 36 N° ...

'' (Moses Pendleton), ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'' (after

Léonide Massine Leonid Fyodorovich Myasin (russian: Леони́д Фёдорович Мя́син), better known in the West by the French transliteration as Léonide Massine (15 March 1979), was a Russian choreographer and ballet dancer. Massine created the wo ...

), ''Variations'' (

Violette Verdy Violette Verdy (born Nelly Armande Guillerm; 1 December 1933 – 8 February 2016) was a French ballerina, choreographer, teacher, and writer who worked as a dance company director with the Paris Opera Ballet in France and the Boston Ballet in the ...

), ''Diachronies'' (

Janine Charrat Janine Charrat (24 July 1924 – 29 August 2017) was a French dancer and choreographer. She appeared in ''Ballerina'' at the age of 12, and went on to choreograph over 50 ballets. She was an officer of the Legion of Honour. Filmography * 1938: ...

) * 1980 : ''Le Fantôme de l'Opéra'' (Roland Petit), ''Vaslaw'' (

), ''Schéma'' (Alwin Nikolais) * 1981 : ''Le Bal masqué'' (), ''

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 ''Figure ...

'' (

Heinz Spoerli Heinz Spoerli (born 8 July 1940) is a Swiss dance maker, internationally known. After a long career as a ballet dancer and company director, he is now widely considered to be one of the foremost European choreographers of his time. Early life and ...

's version), ''Le Songe d'une nuit d'été'' (John Neumeier), ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

' (

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 Tran ...

) * 1983 : ''Au bord du précipice'' (Alvin Ailey) * 1985 : ''Arlequin magicien par amour'' ( Ivo Cramer), ''Carnaval'' (

Michel Fokine Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer. Career Early years Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant and a ...

), ''

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme ''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (, translated as ''The Bourgeois Gentleman'', ''The Middle-Class Aristocrat'', or ''The Would-Be Noble'') is a five-act ''comédie-ballet'' – a Play (theatre), play intermingled with music, dance and singing – wri ...

'' (

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

), ''No Man's Land'' (

Rudi van Dantzig Rudi van Dantzig (4 August 1933 – 19 January 2012) was a Dutch choreographer, company director, and writer. He was a pivotal figure in the rise to world renown of Dutch ballet in the latter half of the twentieth century. Early life and trainin ...

), ''

'' (Rudolf Nureyev), ''Angel Food'' ( Michael Clark) * 1986 : ''Salomé'' (Maurice Béjart) * 1987 : ''Soon'' (Daniel Esralow) * 1988 : ''Le Martyre de saint Sébastien'' ( Bob Wilson), ''Demago Megalo'' (Patrick Dupond), ''Faits et gestes'' (

Ulysses Dove Ulysses Dove (January 17, 1947 in Columbia, South Carolina – June 11, 1996 in Manhattan) was a choreographer. Dove began his dance training at Boggs Academy in Georgia. Dove gave up his premedical studies at Howard University to transfer to ...

), ''Les Illuminations'' (Thierry Malandain) * 1989 : ''Vespers'' (Ulysses Dove), ''Bad Blood'' (Ulysses Dove), ''Rouge Poisson'' (Pierre Darde), ''

Petrouchka ''Petrushka'' (french: link=no, Pétrouchka; russian: link=no, Петрушка) is a ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1911 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes compan ...

'' (after

), ''Idmen'' () * 1992 : ''Push Comes to the Shove'' (

), ''Grand Pas'' (Twyla Tharp), ''

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. ...

'' (

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 ...

), '' Le Tricorne'' (

), ''Retours de scène'' (

Odile Duboc Odile Duboc (23 July 1941 in Versailles – 23 April 2010 in Paris) was a French dancer, choreographer and teacher of contemporary dance. From 1990 until 2008, she was the director of the of Franche-Comté in Belfort where she succeeded . She di ...

) * 1993/1994 : ''

'' (

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 ...

), ''

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 Tchaiko ...

'' (

), ''Déjà Vu'' (

Murray Louis Murray Louis (November 4, 1926 – February 1, 2016) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Life Louis was known as one of the most influential American modern dancers and choreographers. Born in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York, ...

), ''

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; nds, Dyl Ulenspegel ) is the protagonist of a German chapbook published in 1515 (a first edition of ca. 1510/12 is preserved fragmentarily) with a possible background in earlier Middle Low German folklore. Eulenspiegel is ...

'' (

Vaslav Nijinsky Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...

), ''Camera obscura'' (

) * 1995 : ' (), ''Kurozuka'' (

) * 1996 : '' The Four Seasons'' (Jerome Robbins), ''

A Suite of Dances ''A Suite of Dances'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites. The ballet was created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and premiered on March 3, 1994, at the New York State Theater. Production Jerome Robbins ...

'' (Jerome Robbins), ''Ninth Symphony'' (Maurice Béjart)

Filmography

Television

* 1978 : ''Il était un musicien : Monsieur Stravinski'', by

Roger Hanin Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

: ''Nijinski (danseur étoile)'' * 1994 : ''Danse avec la vie'', by : ''Franck Veaujour (danseur étoile)'' * 1996 : ''Patrick Dupond le talent insolent'', by Luc Riolon, France 2 * 2001 : ' : the minstrel * 2005 : '' La Ferme Célébrités (season 2)'' on

TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is par ...

* 2005 : Celebrity Dancing sur

: jury * 2007 - 2008 : ''

La France a un incroyable talent ''La France a un incroyable talent'' ( en, France's Got Incredible Talent), previously known as ''Incroyable Talent'', is a French TV show, based on the ''Got Talent'' series. It debuted on M6 on 2 November 2006, presented by Alessandra Sublet ...

'' : juré, saison 2 et 3 sur M6 * 2014 - 2017 : '' Prodiges'' on

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 ...

: juré, catégorie danse * 2018 – 2020 : '' Danse avec les stars'' : juré, saison 9 et 10 on

Cinema

* 1990: ''

Dancing Machine "Dancing Machine" is a song recorded by American R&B outfit the Jackson 5, and was the title track of their ninth studio album. The song was originally recorded for the group's 1973 album '' G.I.T.: Get It Together'' and was released as a remix ...

'', by

Gilles Béhat Gilles Marc Béhat (3 September 1949) is a French filmmaker and actor. Biography Gilles Béhat (Béat by birth) was born in Lille. The confusion around the "h" in his last name stems from an error in the credits of the first film he participated ...

: Chico * 1999 : ', by Bernie Bonvoisin : the cop

Publication

Dupond wrote an autobiography titled ''Étoile'' and published by

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...

in 2000 .

Awards

* 1988 :

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

* 1990 :

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

* 1997 :

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

References

External links

*
Sa biographie
sur l

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Dupond, Patrick French male dancers French choreographers Dancers from Paris Paris Opera Ballet dancers Modern dance La Ferme Célébrités participants Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur 1959 births 2021 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in France Bisexual men Bisexual artists La France a un incroyable talent