Élisabeth Platel (born 10 April 1959) is a French

prima ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

Career

After studying at the conservatoire in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

, she entered the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

in 1971, graduating with First Prize, which allowed her to complete her studies at the École de Danse de l'Opéra National de Paris. Influential teachers of Platel were

Pierre Lacotte Pierre Lacotte (4 April 1932 – 10 April 2023) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, and company director. He specialised in the reconstruction of lost choreographies of romantic ballets. Early life Lacotte was born on 4 April 19 ...

, who worked with her in the Paris Opera School and Raymond Franchetti, who owned a studio where the budding dancer was able to watch professional artists taking class, among others soloists from the Paris Opera like Noëlla Pontois, or guest stars like

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

. Élisabeth entered the corps de ballet of the

Paris Opéra 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 ...

in 1976 as a ''quadrille'' at the age of 17. She advanced quickly to successive ranks of the company's hierarchy. The following year she was promoted to ''coryphée''. In 1978 she became ''sujet'' and danced her first soloist roles in ballets by

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

, ''Divertimento No. 15'' and '' The Four Temperaments''. In 1979, at nineteen, she was appointed ''première danseuse''. In 1981 Platel started to prepare her first great classical ballet, ''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' (; ) 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. Bournonville's is the only ve ...

'' with

, her former teacher. La Sylphide, a landmark work from 1832 which introduced romanticism in ballet and made

Marie Taglioni Marie Taglioni, Comtesse de Voisins (23 April 1804 – 22 April 1884) was a Swedish-born ballet dancer of the Romantic ballet era partially of Italian descent, a central figure in the history of European dance. She spent most of her life in t ...

a world-famous ballerina, became one of Platel's signature roles during her career at the Paris Opera. In that same year she also learned and danced the leading roles in ''

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

'', ''

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 c ...

'', and ''

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

''. Upon her debut as Giselle on 23 December 1981 she was nominated "étoile". When Rudolf Nureyev was invited in 1981 to mount his ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'' for 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 kn ...

, he chose Platel to dance the Queen of the Dryads. For Platel, it meant the beginning of a successful artistic collaboration with Nureyev, who became one of the most important figures in her career, especially when he was director 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 ...

(1983–1989). In 1983, Nureyev mounted his first full-length ballet as recently appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet,

Marius Petipa Marius Ivanovich Petipa (; born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa; 11 March 1818) was a French and Russian ballet dancer, pedagogue and choreographer. He is considered one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history ...

's late masterpiece ''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' () is a ballet, grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov (his Opus number, opus 57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was creat ...

''. Platel was chosen to dance the title role at the premiere. The following year, she created the roles of Odette/Odile in Nureyev's new version of ''Swan Lake'' for the Paris Opera. Swan Lake is her most frequently performed ballet. Nureyev also entrusted her with the creation of the leading roles in his versions of '' The Sleeping Beauty'' (1989) and his final work for the Paris Opera ''

La Bayadère ''La Bayadère'' ("the temple dancer") ( ru. «Баядерка», ''Bayaderka'') is an 1877 ballet, originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by the French choreographer Marius Petipa to music by Ludwig Minkus and libretto by . The ba ...

'' in 1992. Platel has been a guest artist with

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

(London), Danish Royal Ballet,

Hamburg Ballet The Hamburg Ballet is a ballet company based in Hamburg, Germany. Since 1973, it has been directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. In addition there is a ballet school, , established in 1978. The performances of the Hamb ...

, Ballet of the Vienna Opera, Ballet of the Berlin Opera,

Finnish National Ballet Finnish National Ballet (Suomen Kansallisbaletti) is a professional ballet company at the Finnish National Opera, in Helsinki, Finland. The company was founded in 1922 and it currently employs 73 dancers. It is the only Finnish company that regular ...

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest Ballet company, ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it ca ...

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's ...

Royal New Zealand Ballet The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a ballet company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was originally known as The New Zealand Ballet Company. History New Zealand Ballet was established in 1953 as an independent charitable trust by Royal Danis ...

, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Municipal Theatre in Rio de Janeiro.

Retirement from the Paris Opéra Ballet

On 9 July 1999, Platel gave her farewell performance as danseuse étoile of the Paris Opera in ''

''. At that time, Paris Opéra rules required female étoiles to retire at 40 (male étoiles retired at 45). Now, female and male étoiles retire at 42 and a half. For the occasion she performed with two of her favourite partners, Nicolas Le Riche and

Manuel Legris Manuel Legris (born 10 October 1964) is a French ballet dancer. He was a danseur étoile (principal dancer) with the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years. On 1 September 2010, he became the director of the Vienna State Ballet. In December 2020, he ...

, who danced the role of James Act I and II respectively. Élisabeth Platel continued to perform with the Paris Opera as "étoile invitée" (principal guest artist). In 2000 she performed La Bayadère and Raymonda, in 2001 ''

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

''. On 20 January 2003 she took part in the Gala performance for

at the Palais Garnier, dancing the variation from Raymonda Act III. Élisabeth Platel succeeded Claude Bessy as director of the École de Danse de l'Opéra at the beginning of the 2004-2005 season. She currently serves as a Jury Member for the Youth America Grand Prix.

Repertoire

*''Le Spectre de la rose'', ( Fokine), young girl 1978. *''Divertimento No. 15'' (

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century. Sty ...

), soloist 1978. *'' The Four Temperaments'' (Balanchine), third theme 1978. *'' Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme'' (Balanchine), pas de deux 1979. *''Life'' (

Béjart Béjart is the name of several French actors of the 17th century. Family The four actors listed here were children, and grandchildren, of Marie Hérve and Joseph Béjart (died 1643), the holder of a small government post. There were 10 children ...

), soloist 1979. *''Serait-ce la mort?'' (Béjart), soloist 1979. *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' ( Petipa, staged Alonso), Lilac Fairy 1979. *''Schema'' ( Nikolais), soloist 1980. *''

Le sacre du printemps ''The Rite of Spring'' () is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky ...

''" (Béjart), The chosen one 1980. *''Vaslaw'' (

John Neumeier John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He was the director and principal choreographer of Hamburg Ballet from 1973 to 2024 and the artistic director of the ballet at the Hamburg State ...

), 1980. *''

'' (Petipa after

Coralli Coralli is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Claudio Coralli (born 1983), Italian footballer *Giulio Coralli (born 1641), Italian painter * Jean Coralli (1779–1854), French dancer and choreographer See also *Corallo Corallo ...

Perrot, staged Alonso), Myrtha 1980. *''

'' (Lacotte after Taglioni), title role 1981. *''

'' ( Vladimir Bourmeister after Petipa,

Ivanov Ivanov, Ivanoff or Ivanow (masculine, , Sometimes the stress is on Ива́нов in Bulgarian if it is a middle name, or in Russian as a rare variant of pronunciation), or Ivanova (feminine, , ) is one of the most common surnames in Russia and Bu ...

), Odette-Odile 1981. *''Giselle'' (Petipa after Coralli Perrot, staged Alonso), title role 1981. *''

'' (Vinogradov after Petipa), title role 1981. *''

'' ( Nureyev after Petipa), Queen of the Dryads 1981. *''Three preludes'' (

Stevenson Stevenson is an English language patronymic surname meaning "son of Steven". Its first historical record is from pre-10th-century England. Another origin of the name is as a toponymic surname related to the place Stevenstone in Devon, England. The ...

), soloist 1981. *'' Le chant du rossignol''" Massine, the nightingale 1981. *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' (Petipa, Nijinska, staged Hightower) princess Aurora 1982. *''Voluntaries'' (

Tetley Tetley is an English beverage manufacturer founded in 1837 in Yorkshire. It is the largest company of tea in the United Kingdom and Canada, and the second-largest in the United States by volume. Since 2000, Tetley has been a wholly owned subs ...

), soloist 1982. *''

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

'' (Balanchine), soloist 1982. *''

Pas de Quatre ''Grand Pas de Quatre'' is a ''ballet divertissement'' choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin Lumley, Director at Her Majesty's Theatre, to music composed by Cesare Pugni. On the night it premiered in London (12 J ...

'' ( Dolin), Lucille Grahn 1982. *''

'' (Nureyev after Petipa), title role 1983. *''Don Quixote'' (Nureyev after Petipa) Kitri 1983. *''

Agon () is the Greek personification for a conflict, struggle or contest, describing a concept of the same name. This could be a contest in athletics, in chariot or horse racing, or in music or literature at a public festival in ancient Greece. i ...

'' (Balanchine), pas de deux 1983. *''

'' Act III "Kingdom of the Shades" (Nureyev after Petipa -

Royal Ballet, London The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

), Nikiya 1984. *''Marco Spada'' (Lacotte after Mazillier), Marquise 1984. *''Violin Concerto'' (Balanchine), soloist 1984. *'' Carnaval'' (Fokine), Estrella 1984. *''Premier Orage'' Childs, soloist cr 1984. *''

'' (Nureyev after Petipa, Ivanov), Odette-Odile 1984. *'' Coppelia'' ( Skouratoff - Ballet de Bordeaux), Swanilda 1985. *'' Palais de Cristal'' Symphony in C" (Balanchine), 2nd movement 1985. *''Concerto Barocco'' (Balanchine), soloist 1985. *''Before Nightfall'' (

Christe Christe is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ian Christe (born 1970), Swiss author and disk jockey * Karl O. Christe (born 1936), German-American inorganic chemist See also * Christie (surname) Christie is a surname of Scott ...

), soloist 1985. *''Jardin aux Lilas'' ( Tudor), Caroline 1985. *'' Song of the Earth'' ( MacMillan), soloist 1985. *''

La Sonnambula ''La sonnambula'' (; ''The Sleepwalker'') is an opera semiseria in two acts, with music in the ''bel canto'' tradition by Vincenzo Bellini set to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a scenario for a ''ballet-pantomime'' written by Eu ...

'' (Balanchine - Ballet de Nancy), title role 1985. *''Sonate à trois'' (Béjart), soloist 1986 *''

Manfred ''Manfred: A dramatic poem'' is a closet drama written in 1816–1817 by Lord Byron. It contains supernatural elements, in keeping with the popularity of the ghost story in England at the time. It is a typical example of Gothic fiction. Byr ...

'' (Nureyev), the countess 1986. *''

Cinderella "Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...

'' (Nureyev), title role 1986. *'' Grosse Fugue'' (

van Manen Van Manen is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from ", a former town in Gelderland now part of Ede.Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

'' (Balanchine), Terpsichore 1987. *''

Symphony in Three Movements The ''Symphony in Three Movements'' is a work by Russian expatriate composer Igor Stravinsky. Stravinsky wrote the symphony from 1942–45 on commission by the Philharmonic Symphony Society of New York. It was premiered by the New York Philha ...

'' (Balanchine), soloist 1987. *''Sans Armes Citoyens!'' van Dantzig, Woman of the people 1987. *''Magnificat Neumeier'', soloist cr 1987. *''Suite en blanc'' ( Lifar), soloist 1987. *'' Four Last Songs'' (van Dantzig), soloist 1987. *''Les anges ternis'' ( Armitage), soloist cr 1987. *''Etudes'' ( Lander), soloist 1988. *''In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated'' ( Forsythe), soloist 1988. *''

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

Petit Petit is a French-language surname literally meaning "small" or "little". Notable people with the surname include: *Adriana Petit (born 1984), Spanish multidisciplinary artist *Alexis Thérèse Petit (1791–1820), French physicist * Amandine Pet ...

, Esmeralda 1988. *''The Sleeping Beauty'' (Nureyev after Petipa), princess Aurora 1989. *'' Les Présages'' (Massine), soloist 1989. *''In The Night'' ( Robbins), soloist 1989. *'' Le Fils prodigue''" (Balanchine), the Siren 1989. *'' Sinfonietta'' ( Kylian), soloist 1990. *''

Les Noces ''The Wedding'', or ''Svadebka (''), is a Russian-language ballet-cantata by Igor Stravinsky scored unusually for four vocal soloists, chorus, percussion and four pianos. Dedicating the work to impresario Sergei Diaghilev, the composer described ...

'' (Nijinska), the bride 1990. *''Variations'' (S. Lifar), 1st variation 1990. *''

'' (J. Neumeier), Titania 1991. *'' Les Biches'' (Nijinska), chanson dansée "la Garçonne " 1991. *'' Glass Pieces'' (Robbins), soloist 1991. *''

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 ...

'' (J. Robbins), soloist 1991. *''La dame aux camélias'' (Neumeier -

), Marguerite 1992. *''La Bayadère'' (Nureyev after Petipa), Gamzatti 1992. *''Les forains'' (Petit) 1993. *''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'' (Neumeier) 1993. *''

Till Eulenspiegel Till Eulenspiegel (; ) is the protagonist of a European narrative tradition. A German chapbook published around 1510 is the oldest known extant publication about the folk hero (a first edition of is preserved fragmentarily), but a background i ...

'' (after Nijinski) 1994. *''

'' (Nureyev after Petipa), Nikiya 1995. *''Rhapsody'' ( Ashton), soloist 1996. *'' Allegro Brillante'' (Balanchine), soloist 1996. *''Sylvia'' (Neumeier), 1997

Prizes

*1978 : Silver medal (Junior Prize) in the International Ballet Competition at Varna, Bulgaria. *1982: Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding First Achievement of the Year in Ballet for her role in ''

'' by

*1983: West End Theatres Award *1998: Prix Massine *1999: Benois de la Danse for her role in '' Sylvia'' by

Honours

*1993: Chevalier des Arts et Lettres *1998:

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

References

External links

Élisabeth Platel article at Small Ballet Encyclopedia
Source {{DEFAULTSORT:Platel, Elisabeth 1959 births Living people French prima ballerinas Prix Benois de la Danse winners Knights of the Legion of Honour Platel 20th-century ballet dancers