Hugo Marchand
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Short description|French ballet dancer}}
{{Infobox dancer
| name = Hugo Marchand
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|12|07}}
| birth_place = Nantes, France
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| education = Nantes Conservatory
Paris Opera Ballet School
| occupation = ballet dancer
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| current_group = Paris Opera Ballet
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Hugo Marchand (born December 7, 1993) is a French ballet dancer. He joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 2011 and was named étoile in 2017, at age 23.
Early life
Marchand was born in Nantes.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/hugo-marchand/?sh=409d7cdf5520|title=Hugo Marchand|work=Forbes|accessdate=14 June 2021}} He trained at Nantes Conservatory, before leaving home to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School for four years. He stated that he "didn't like the atmosphere or the rigid structure very much".{{cite news|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/hugo-marchand-2567067310.html|title="I Barely Had My Own Corps Spot, and All of a Sudden I Had to Be a Principal."|work=Dance Magazine|last=Capelle|first=Laura|date=8 May 2018}}
Career
In 2011, Marchand joined the Paris Opera Ballet. In 2014, he won the third prize at the Varna International Ballet Competition.{{cite web|url=https://varna-ibc.org/history/twenty-sixth-international-ballet-competition-varna-2014/|title=XXVI Varna IBC 2014|work=Varna International Ballet Competition|date=18 April 2018|accessdate=14 June 2021}} The same year he was spotted by Benjamin Millepied, who had just become the director of dance, and Marchand began understudying for lead roles, which led to his debuts in The Nutcracker, La Bayadère and Balanchine's Theme and Variations. Marchand was promoted every year under Millepied's tenure, and the pattern continued after Aurélie Dupont took over.
In March 2017, Marchand was promoted to étoile following his unexpected debut as James in Lacotte's La Sylphide when the company was touring in Japan. Months later, he was awarded Prix Benois de la Danse for his performance as Romeo in Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet.{{cite web|url=http://old.benois.theatre.ru/english/history/2017/|title=Benois de la danse: 2017|work=Prix Benois de la Danse|accessdate=14 June 2021|archive-date=4 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904130117/http://old.benois.theatre.ru/english/history/2017/|url-status=dead}} His repertory includes classical ballets, as well as works by Millepied, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Cranko, Rudolf Nureyev and William Forsythe.{{cite news|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/hugo-marchand-onegin-2626303842.html|title=How Paris Opéra's Hugo Marchand Becomes Onegin (And Why the Role Inspired Him to Study Acting)|work=Pointe Magazine|last=Capelle|first=Laura|date=21 January 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/5e867bc2-dc39-11e8-b173-ebef6ab1374a|title=Paris Opera Ballet finds freedom in its Tribute to Jerome Robbins|work=Financial Times|last=Capelle|first=Laura|date=30 October 2018}}
In 2021, his memoir Danser was published. Marchand stated he thought he was too young to write one but the editor told him she "wanted to hear the voice of a young person talking about following their passion, and what the costs were of that". He wrote it with the help of Caroline de Bodinat.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/arts/dance/hugo-marchand-paris-opera-ballet.html|title=A Paris Opera Ballet Étoile on Being Young, Gifted and Successful|work=New York Times|last=Sulcas|first=Roslyn|date=19 March 2021}} Later that year, he worked with colleague Hannah O'Neill on a pas de deux for Gagosian Premieres.
References
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Category:French male ballet dancers
Category:Paris Opera Ballet étoiles