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 invitations until 2010. From 2001 to 2008, she was artistic director at the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower.

Early life and education

Born in Choisy-le-Roi, a suburb of Paris, Loudières had enjoyed music from an early age but it was her doctor who recommended she should take up ballet, given her rather fragile constitution. After studying for five years at the Paris Opera Ballet School (1967–1972), she was admitted to the Paris Opera at the age of 16.

Career

When she was 19, she danced her first solos in ''L'Oiseau bleu'', Michel Fokine's '' Le Spectre de la Rose'' and Paul Taylor's ''Aureole''. Between the age of 13 to 26, Loudières was mentored by Yves Brieux who gave her an understanding of theater, stage, and the idea of projection. George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins helped her develop musicality as well as her breathing technique. After she had danced Kitri in Rudolf Nureyev's ''

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 ...

'', the artistic director Rosella Hightower elevated her to étoile in 1982. She went on to dance the roles of dramatic heroines in '' Giselle'', '' Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)'' and ''Onegin''. She also danced roles in the ballets of contemporary choreographers including Balanchine, Maurice Béjart, and John Neumeier. She has also worked with Alvin Ailey, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Jiří Kylián, Serge Lifar,

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 ...

, Roland Petit, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp. She created roles in ballets choreographed by Nureyev: ''Black and Blue'', ''Washington Square'' and ''La Dansomanie''. Loudière danced as a guest around the globe in performances of the Boston Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, La Scala,

The 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 ...

, Stuttgart Ballet, Teatro Colón and at the Havana Ballet Festival. In 1993, she was awarded the Grand Prix National de la Danse and was decorated in 1996 as a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres.

Retirement

After retiring from the stage in 1996, she continued to accept invitations until 2010. She has sought balance between work and family life, being married with two children. Loudière has taught dance since the age of 30. From 2001 to 2008, she was the Artistic and Pedagogical Director at the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Loudieres, Monique 1956 births Living people People from Choisy-le-Roi French prima ballerinas Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres