Created in September 2024, the Junior Ballet brings together 18 young dancers aged 17 to 23.
It aims to ‘diversify the profile of dancers at the Paris Opéra, to promote professional integration and to perpetuate the 300 year old ‘know how’ of the Opéra de Paris.’ José Martinez, Director of Dance at the Opéra national de Paris.
True to its mission of supporting the next generation of talent as well as preserving and passing on the artistic legacy of Rudolf Nureyev, the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation is supporting the Junior Ballet of the Opéra national de Paris over its first three years.
Throughout their training, the Junior Ballet dancers will deepen their mastery of the classical and contemporary repertoire of the Opéra national de Paris and gain stage experience throughresident performances and tours. Under the direction of José Martinez, Director of Dance at the Opéra national de Paris, the Junior Ballet is supervised by a dedicated artistic, pedagogical and administrative team.
The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation’s support for the Junior Ballet enables the transmission of Rudolf Nureyev’s artistic legacy to these dancers. This legacy is fully integrated into the Junior Ballet programme. In the first year, the young artists had the opportunity to deepen their study of Nureyev’s Raymonda during dedicated workshops, and to perform as part of the Opéra’s Corps de Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty, in performance at the Opéra Bastille from 8 March 2025.
