Élisabeth Platel

Élisabeth Platel is a French ballet dancer, born in Paris on April 10, 1959.

Career

After studying at the conservatoire in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, she entered the Conservatoire de Paris 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, 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.

Élisabeth entered the corps de ballet of the Paris Opéra Ballet 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, "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 with Pierre Lacotte, her former teacher. La Sylphide, this landmark work from 1832 which introduced romanticism in ballet and made Marie Taglioni 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, Paquita, and Giselle. At the issue of her debut as Giselle on 23 December 1981 she was nominated "étoile".

When Rudolf Nureyev was invited in 1981 to mount his Don Quixote for the Paris Opera, 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, especially when he was director of the Paris Opera Ballet (1983-1989), one of the most important figures in her career.

In 1983, Rudolf Nureyev mounted his first full-length ballet as recently appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet, Marius Petipa's late masterpiece Raymonda. Elisabeth 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 in 1992.

Elisabeth Platel has been a guest artist with Royal Ballet (London), Danish Royal Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Ballet of the Vienna Opera, Ballet of the Berlin Opera, National Ballet of Finland, Bolshoi Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Municipal Theatre in Rio de Janeiro.

Retirement from the Paris Opéra Ballet

On the 9th of July, 1999, Platel gave her farewell performance as danseuse étoile of the Paris Opera in La Sylphide. Paris Opéra rules require female étoiles to retire at 40 (male étoiles retire at 45). For the occasion she performed with two of her favourite partners, Nicolas Le Riche and Manuel Legris, 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. On 20 January 2003 she took part in the Gala performance for Rudolf Nureyev at the Palais Garnier, dancing the variation from Raymonda Act III.

Élisabeth Platel succeeded Claude Bessy as director of the École de Danse at the beginning of the 2004-2005 season.

Repertoire

* Le Spectre de la rose, Fokine, young girl 1978.
* Divertimento No. 15 Balanchine, soloist 1978.
* The Four Temperaments Balanchine, third theme 1978.
* Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Balanchine, pas de deux 1979.
* Life Béjart, 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 M. Béjart, The chosen one 1980.
* Vaslaw J. Neumeier, 1980.
* Giselle Petipa after Coralli Perrot, staged Alonso, Myrtha 1980.
* La Sylphide Lacotte after Taglioni, title role 1981.
* Swan Lake Bourmeister after Petipa, Ivanov, Odette-Odile 1981.
* Giselle Petipa after Coralli Perrot, staged Alonso, title role 1981.
* Paquita Vinogradov after Petipa, title role 1981.
* Don Quixote Nureyev after Petipa, Queen of the Dryads 1981.
* Three preludes Stevenson, soloist 1981.
* Le chant du rossignol Massine, the nightingale 1981.
* The Sleeping Beauty Petipa, Nijinska, staged Hightower princess Aurora 1982.
* Voluntaries Tetley, soloist 1982.
* Serenade Balanchine, soloist 1982.
* Pas de quatre Dolin, Lucille Grahn 1982.
* Raymonda Nureyev after Petipa, title role 1983.
* Don Quixote Nureyev after Petipa Kitri 1983.
* Agon Balanchine, pas de deux 1983.
* La Bayadère Act III Kingdom of the Shades Nureyev after Petipa - Royal Ballet, London, Nikiya 1984.
* Marco Spada Lacotte after Mazillier, Marquise 1984.
* Violin Concerto Balanchine, soloist 1984.
* Carnaval Fokine, Estrella 1984.
* Premier Orage Childs, soloist cr 1984.
* Swan Lake 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 Christie, soloist 1985.
* Jardin aux Lilas Tudor, Caroline 1985.
* Song of the Earth MacMillan, soloist 1985.
* La Sonnambula [Balanchine - Ballet de Nancy, title role 1985.
* Sonate à trois Béjart, soloist 1986
* Manfred Nureyev, the countess 1986.
* Cinderella Nureyev, title role 1986.
* Grosse Fugue Van Manen, soloist 1986.
* Apollo Balanchine, Terpsichore 1987.
* Symphony in Three Movements 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 Petit, 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 Nijinska, the bride 1990.
* Variations Lifar, 1st variation 1990.
* A Midsummer Night's Dream Neumeier, Titania 1991.
* Les Biches Nijinska, chanson dansée "la Garçonne " 1991.
* Glass Pieces Robbins, soloist 1991.
* Dances at a Gathering Robbins, soloist 1991.
* La dame aux camélias Neumeier - Hamburg Ballet, Marguerite 1992.
* La Bayadère Nureyev after Petipa, Gamzatti 1992.
* Les forains Petit 1993.
* The Nutcracker Neumeier 1993.
* Till Eulenspiegel after Nijinski 1994.
* La Bayadère 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 Achievement of the Year in Ballet for her role in La Sylphide
* 1983: West End Theatres Award
* 1998: Prix Massine
* 1999: Benois de la Danse

Honours

* 1993 : Chevalier des Arts et Lettres
* 1998 : Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur

External links

* [http://www.ballet.classical.ru/b_platel_eng.html Élisabeth Platel article at Small Ballet Encyclopedia] Source