Earlier this month, after her performance in George Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, Hannah O’Neill was named an Etoile – making her a literal ‘star’ and a member of the highest rank in the Paris Opera Ballet.
This Kiwi dancer trained in Japan, New Zealand and Australia. She was a prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne in 2009 and graduated as Dux of the Australian Ballet School in 2011 before joining the Paris Opera Ballet on a seasonal contract that same year. Following two years on seasonal contracts with the Paris Opera Ballet she was given a lifetime contract in 2013, and won a silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in 2014.
Hannah’s achievement is all the more impressive when put it in context. As one of the oldest ballet companies in the world the Paris Opera Ballet is not just a working ballet company but an historical symbol of French cultural achievement. As such it has traditionally been made up largely of French born and French trained dancers. But over the last decade or two the number of international dancers gaining acceptance to the Paris Opera Ballet School and/or the Paris Opera Ballet company have been slowly increasing. Hannah O’Neill is currently joined at the Paris Opera Ballet by Australian dancers Nikolaus Tudorin and Bianca Scudamore. They are both currently ranked as Sujets – the Paris Opera Ballet’s equivalent of soloist.
