Patrick Dupond

Patrick Dupond
Dupond at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
Born(1959-03-14)14 March 1959
Died5 March 2021(2021-03-05) (aged 61)
EducationParis Opera Ballet
Occupations
  • Ballet dancer
  • Artistic director
Organizations

Patrick Dupond (14 March 1959 – 5 March 2021)[1] was a French ballet dancer and artistic director.

He made a name for himself in 1976 when he won the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. A virtuoso dancer, he was named danseur étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1980 and met with considerable success in France, which did not prevent him from having an international career. He worked with eminent dancers such as Rudolf Nureyev, Maurice Béjart and Alvin Ailey, and in 1990 he became dance director of the Paris Opera Ballet, succeeding Nureyev. He left this position in 1995, then the Paris Opera in 1997, dismissed, in his words, for "his insubordination and indiscipline".[2] Subsequently, he appeared on various occasions on television sets as a contestant or juror for shows (for example: Danse avec les stars) while continuing to perform on stage.

  1. ^ Patrick Dupond, ancien danseur étoile de l’Opéra de Paris, est mort, Le Monde, 5 March 2021
  2. ^ (in French) Biography of Patrick Dupond Archived 2010-03-28 at the Wayback Machine on the patrick-dupond website, http://patrick-dupond[permanent dead link]. ifrance.com, consulted on 16 May 2011