Aurélie Dupont, Paris's latest étoile

by Patricia Boccadoro

PARIS, 6 February 1999- Amid cheers from her colleagues backstage at the Palais Garnier, Aurélie Dupont was nominated "Etoile" on December 31st, 1998, after her performance as Kitri in Rudolf Nureyev's production of Don Quixotte.

A ravishingly pretty girl, she is a dancer of great intelligence with perfect physical proportions in the style of Margot Fonteyn or Elisabeth Platel.

The twenty-five year old ballerina, who has repeatedly proved her worth for several seasons, entered the Opéra school in 1983, joining the company six years later. Gold medallist at Varna (category juniors) in 1992, winner of the French Prix du Cercle Carpeaux in 1993, and that of the A.R.O.P. (Association pour le rayonnement de l'Opéra de Paris) in 1994, Aurélie Dupont is a very dramatic dancer able to adapt to any style. Equally at ease in works of Pina Bausch or Angelin Preljocaj, she also has that pure classical line necessary for all the Petipa heroines.

She can also adapt to any partner. Rehearsing for the 1998 production of The Nutcracker with Nicolas Le Riche, who fell sick the night before the performance, she danced for the first time with Laurent Hilaire who injured himself in the second act. Few were those who noticed that the Prince had taken on the features of José Martinez who had fortunately been watching from the wings, and gallantly helped her out in the last act!

Aurélie Dupont was also acclaimed the night before as a particularly brilliant Gamzatti in The Bayadère.

What a happy start to 1999 for Aurélie!


Photo : Aurélie Dupont
Credit : Icare / Moatti