The Paris Opera announces the creation of a Junior Ballet comprising 18 dancers aged 17 to 23 from September 2024

Conceived as an incubator for young talent, the Paris Opera Junior Ballet meets several challenges: diversifying the dancers’ profiles, encouraging their professional integration, and strengthening its openness to the public through tours and mediation activities, while perpetuating the Paris Opera’s tercentenary expertise.

The Junior Ballet is open to young dancers from all backgrounds and students of the Paris Opera Ballet School who wish to complete their initial training.

Following the Ballet’s external competition on July 2 and 3, 2024, nine young female dancers and nine young male dancers will be recruited to join the Junior Ballet as of the 2024/2025 season on a two-year professionalisation contract. A further six new dancers will join in September 2025.

The programme will be under the direction of José Martinez, director of Dance at the Paris Opera and will alternate between training and performing on stage alongside the Ballet company. In its first season, it will perform The Sleeping Beauty at the Opéra Bastille, and on tour in France from May 2025.

In its statement, the Opéra expressed its gratitude to – first and foremost – Chanel who is a Founding Patron of the Junior Ballet among many other committed corporate sponsors, private foundations and major donors.

Also see: Chanel creates costumes for opening gala of the Paris Opera’s 2023/24 dance season