Laurent Hilaire


Laurent Hilaire is a French ballet dancer. Regarded as one of the greatest dancers to emerge from ballet over the past few decades, he was etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet for 22 years. From 2011 he was the associate artistic director of the Paris Opera Ballet and a ballet master with the company from 2005 to 2014

Career

Hilaire joined the Paris Opera Ballet school in 1975 and entered the company's corps de ballet in 1979, aged 17. On 2 November 1985 he was promoted to etoile by Rudolf Nureyev after a performance of Swan Lake.
Laurent Hilaire became a ballet master with the company in 2005, occasionally performing as an etoile until he made his farewell performance on 14 February 2007. For it he performed George Balanchine's Apollo and Maurice Bejart's Song of A Wayfarer, in which he was partnered by Manuel Legris. After his farewell performance Hilaire was awarded Commander of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest rank of the order.

Notable awards

Officer of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 1998
Male Dancer, Benois de la Danse 2004
Chevalier of Legion of Honour 2004
Commander of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2007
Lifetime Achievement, Benois de la Danse 2007