Sylvie Guillem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvie Guillem
CBE
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Guillem and Russell Maliphant in 2010 at the Bolshoi Theatre
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Sylvie Guillem
23 February 1965 Paris, France
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| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Years active | 1984–2015 |
| Spouse(s) | Gilles Tapie (m. 2006) |
Sylvie Guillem is a famous French ballet dancer. She was the top dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet from 1984 to 1989. After that, she became a main guest dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. She also performed modern dance at London's Sadler's Wells Theatre. Some of her most famous performances were in ballets like Giselle, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote. She stopped dancing professionally in 2015.
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Biography
Early life and training
Sylvie Guillem was born in Paris, France, on February 23, 1965. She grew up in the suburbs. As a child, she trained in gymnastics with her mother, who was a gymnastics teacher.
In 1977, when she was 11, Sylvie started training at the Paris Opera Ballet School. The director, Claude Bessy, quickly saw her amazing talent. In 1981, at age 16, she joined the main ballet company. At first, she liked gymnastics more than dancing. But after performing in a show, she realized she loved being on stage. She said, "One foot on stage. Curtain up. That was it..."
A shining career
In 1983, Sylvie won a special award at the Varna International Ballet Competition. This helped her get her first solo role. She danced as the Queen of the Dryads in Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote.
On December 29, 1984, after dancing in Nureyev's Swan Lake, she became the youngest ever "étoile" (star dancer) at the Paris Opera Ballet. This is the highest rank for a female dancer in the company. In 1987, she performed the main role in a modern ballet called In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. She often danced with her favorite partner, Laurent Hilaire.
In 1988, she danced the main role in Giselle for the Royal Ballet. This performance was a big success. The next year, she moved to London to become a guest dancer with the Royal Ballet. She was known for her strong, independent spirit.
In 1995, Sylvie Guillem created a dance TV show called Evidentia. It won several international awards. In 1998, she created her own version of Giselle for the Finnish National Ballet. She also restaged this ballet in 2001 for La Scala Ballet in Milan.
In 2001, she won the first-ever Nijinsky Prize for the world's best ballerina. By 2006, she had moved from classical ballet to modern dance. She worked with dancers like Akram Khan at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London.
In March 2015, Sylvie Guillem started her farewell tour called Life in Progress. She performed works by famous choreographers like Khan, Russell Maliphant, Mats Ek, and Forsythe. Her final performance was on December 31, 2015, in Japan. She danced Maurice Béjart's Boléro live on Japanese television.
Life after dancing
After retiring, Sylvie Guillem became a supporter of the environmental group Sea Shepherd. She also became a vegan. As of 2017, she lives in Italy on a large property with olive groves and orchards.
Famous performances
Sylvie Guillem has performed in many famous ballets. Some of them include:
- Giselle (as Giselle)
- Swan Lake (as Odette/Odile)
- Don Quixote (as Kitri)
- In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
- Romeo and Juliet (as Juliet)
- The Sleeping Beauty (as Aurora)
- Boléro
- Cinderella
- Notre-Dame de Paris
- Raymonda
- La Bayadère (as Nikiya and Gamzatti)
- Fall River Legend
- Prince of the Pagodas (as Princess Rose)
- Hermann Schmermann
- Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien
- Sacred Monsters (with Akram Khan)
Awards and honors
Sylvie Guillem has received many awards during her career.
- 1983: Special Prize of the Youth Organization of Varna at the Varna International Ballet Competition
- 1984: Prix du Cercle Carpeaux (Paris)
- 1988: Andersen Prize (Copenhagen), Grand Prix national de danse (Paris), Commandeur of the Arts et Lettres (Paris)
- 1989: Grand Prix Pavlova
- 1993: Médaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris
- 1994: Prix Benois de la Danse
- 1994: Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
- 1999: Officier of the Ordre national du Mérite
- 2000: Gente Dame of honor of the Hospitaliers de Pomerol
- 2001: Prix Nijinski
- 2003: Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- 2009: Officier of the Légion d'honneur
- 2012: Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, from the Biennale Danza of Venice
- 2015: Praemium Imperiale, Tokyo
- 2015: Society of London Theatre Special Award
- 2016: Critics' Circle National Dance Award: De Valois Award for outstanding achievements
See also
In Spanish: Sylvie Guillem para niños
