Héloïse Bourdon
Principal Dancer
of the Paris Opera Ballet
Héloïse Bourdon began dancing at the age of 8 in the classes of Max Bozzoni. One year later, she won the First Prize of the Scène Française unanimously awarded by the jury. In 2000, she entered the Paris Opera Ballet School. At the age of 16, she joined the Paris Opera Ballet Corps de Ballet. Promoted to the rank of Sujet in 2011, Héloïse has since performed in all the company’s major productions, where she has been entrusted with leading soloist roles.
She distinguished herself at the age of 20 as “Nikiya” in La Bayadère (R. Nureyev), “Myrtha” in Giselle (P. Bart), the “Queen of the Dryads” in Don Quixote, and “Aurora” in The Sleeping Beauty (R. Nureyev). Benjamin Millepied entrusted her with the role of the “Star” in Swan Lake at the Opera (R. Nureyev).
She has also performed the title role in Études (Lander), Themes and Variations (Balanchine), “Clara” in The Nutcracker, “Gamzatti” in La Bayadère, Carmen (R. Petit), Paquita (P. Lacotte), and “Diana” in Sylvia (M. Legris). She has also danced contemporary works by choreographers such as Crystal Pite, Damien Jalet, and Hofesh Shechter.
As a guest artist, she was invited to the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg to perform the dual role of “Odette/Odile” in Swan Lake (Petipa), and to Moscow to dance “Clara” in The Nutcracker and “Kitri” in Don Quixote.
In 2010, she received the Cercle Carpeaux Prize, followed in 2011 by the AROP Audience Prize. In 2013, following the Paris Opera Ballet’s tour in New York, Héloïse was selected by renowned American journalist Jennifer Stahl of Pointe Magazine among the Top 10 Best Performances of the Year, alongside artists such as Alina Cojocaru and Sylvie Guillem, for her interpretation of the “Pas de Deux of the Peasant Couple” in Giselle.
She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2021.
