Sylvie Guillem facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sylvie Guillem CBE
danced with Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant in 2010 in Bolshoi Theatre in
Born	Sylvie Guillem (1965-02-23) 23 February 1965 (age 60) Paris, France
Occupation	Ballet dancer
Years active	1984–2015

Sylvie Guillem is a very famous French ballet dancer. She was born on February 23, 1965, in Paris. Sylvie was the top female dancer, known as an "étoile," at the Paris Opera Ballet from 1984 to 1989. After that, she became a special guest dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. She also performed contemporary dance, which is a more modern style of dance. Some of her most well-known performances were in ballets like Giselle, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote. In 2014, she announced she would stop dancing professionally in 2015.

About Sylvie Guillem's Life

Early Years and Training

Sylvie Guillem was born in Paris, France, on February 23, 1965. She grew up in a regular family. Her mother was a gymnastics teacher, and Sylvie trained in gymnastics when she was a child. Her father worked as a car mechanic.

When Sylvie was 11 years old in 1977, she started training at the Paris Opera Ballet School. The school's director, Claude Bessy, quickly saw how talented Sylvie was. In 1981, at age 16, Sylvie 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.

Her Amazing Dance Career

In 1983, Sylvie won a special award at the Varna International Ballet Competition. This helped her get her first solo role, dancing 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 "étoile" ever at the Paris Opera Ballet. An "étoile" is the highest rank a female dancer can achieve in the company.

In 1987, she performed a main role in a modern ballet called In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated. She danced with Laurent Hilaire, who was one of her favorite partners.

In 1988, Sylvie danced the main role in Giselle for the Royal Ballet. This performance was a big success. The next year, she decided to leave Paris and move to London. She wanted to be a freelance dancer, which meant she could work independently. She became a main guest artist with the Royal Ballet. Because she liked to work on her own terms, people sometimes called her "Mademoiselle Non" (Miss No).

In 1995, Sylvie created her own TV dance show called Evidentia. It won several awards around the world. She also created her own versions of Giselle for the Finnish National Ballet in 1998 and for La Scala Ballet in Milan in 2001.

In 2001, she was the first person to win the Nijinsky Prize for the world's best ballerina. By 2006, Sylvie started focusing more on contemporary dance instead of classical ballet. She worked with dancers like Akram Khan at the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London.

In March 2015, Sylvie Guillem started her final international tour, called Life in Progress. She performed works by famous choreographers like Khan and Mats Ek. Her very last performance was in Japan on December 31, 2015. She danced Maurice Béjart's Boléro as the clock counted down to midnight. The performance ended exactly at the start of 2016. In 2021, Sylvie gave her first interview since retiring, talking about her life and art.

Personal Life Details

Sylvie Guillem has been in a long-term relationship with photographer Gilles Tapie. She is also a supporter of the environmental group Sea Shepherd. Later in her life, she became a vegan, meaning she does not eat any animal products.

Sylvie Guillem's Dance Roles

Sylvie Guillem performed in many famous ballets. Her roles included:

• 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 amazing career. Some of them include:

• 1983: Special Prize of the Youth Organization of Varna
• 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