Supporting Talent
Junior Ballet of the Opéra national de Paris
The Junior Ballet was createdin September2024 and brings together 18 young dancers aged17 to 23. The company is open to artists from all backgrounds, as well as students of the Paris Opera Ballet School. Under the direction of José Martinez, Director of Dance at the Opéra national de Paris, dancers of the Junior Ballet deepen their mastery of the classical and contemporary repertoire of the Opéra national de Paris and gain stage experience through performances and tours.Rudolf Nureyev’s artistic legacy and repertoire is fully integrated into the Junior Ballet programme, and the Foundation’s support enables its transmission to this next generation of talent.
Dancers of the Junior Ballet of the Opéra national de Paris
Prix de Lausanne
The Prix de Lausanne, created in 1973, is an international ballet competition for young dancers aged between 15 and 18 years. It aims to discover, promote and support the finest talent from around the world by awarding annual scholarships for training in the best ballet schools and companies.
The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship, awarded annually over three years, not only supports a talented young dancer on the road to a successful career. It also helps fulfil Nureyev’s wishes, that his legacy be harnessed to provide the stars of tomorrow with the support they need today.
The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation’s Schools’ Partnership Programme
This innovative three-year partnership brings together six prestigious professional international ballet schools:
Ballet School of the Opéra national de Paris, Canada’s National Ballet School, Royal Ballet School, Royal Danish Ballet School, The Australian National Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School.
Each of these schools is affiliated to a company with an historic association with Rudolf Nureyev. This enables access to a wealth of archive material, oral history and artists, teaching and coaching staff with living memory of Nureyev in rehearsal and on stage.
The programme includes
- financial support to students nominated by their school
- integrated coaching sessions in Nureyev’s repertoire, technique and style
- dance history programmes that bring Nureyev’s impact and legacy to life for a new generation.
This investment in student support as well as shared programmes of coaching and dance history across the network of partners develops the next generation of talent while celebrating Nureyev’s distinctive role and legacy in both local and international dance history.
