Ghyslaine Reichert

Coryphée of the Paris National Opera Ballet 

 Born in 1972 in Bourges (Cher), Ghyslaine Reichert began dancing at the age of five in Valletta (Malta).

She joined the Ecole de danse de l’Opéra national de Paris in 1981, attended all its classes and took part in demonstrations and tours in Japan (1985) and the United States (1988). She danced her first solo roles in the annual shows: Soir de Fête by Léo Delibes, Le Bal des cadets by David Lichine, Conservatoire by August Bournonville.

She joined the Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra in 1988 and dances in the classical repertoire (Giselle, La Sylphide, Suite en blanc, Les Mirages, Coppélia, Paquita), ballets by George Balanchine (Capriccio, Palais de cristal, Les Quatre tempéraments, Sérénade), by Nijinka (Noces, Le Train Bleu), Mikhail Fokine (Les Sylphides, Petrushka), Leonid Massine (Le Tricorne, La Symphonie fantastique), Roland Petit (Notre-Dame de Paris, Carmen, Les Forains, L’Arlésienne, Passacaille) as well as in numerous productions by Rudolf Nureyev (Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella).

Often noticed by guest choreographers (especially those of contemporary expression), she was cast in the creations of Coppélia (Patrice Bart – 1996), Signes (Carolyn Carlson – 1997), Rhapsody in Blue (Odile Duboc – 1998), Casanova (Angelin Preljocaj – 1998), Orison (Pierre Darde – 1999), Clavigo (Roland Petit – 1999), Réversibilité (Michel Kelemenis – 1999), Pas./parts (William Forsythe – 1999), Paquita (Pierre Lacotte – 2001), Nosferatu (Jean-Claude Gallotta – 2001), Shéhérazade (Blanca Li – 2001), Wuthering Heights (Kader Belarbi – 2002), La Petite danseuse de Degas (Patrice Bart – 2003), Caligula ( Nicolas Le Riche – 2005), Le Souffle du temps (Abou Lagraa – 2006), L’Envol d’Icare (Thierry Malandin – 2006) and more recently, L’Allegro, il penseroso ed il moderato by Robyn Orlin (2007), with the musicians and choirs of Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie.

She also participated in the repertory entries of Mats Ek’s Giselle (1993), Martha Graham’s Temptation of the Moon (1995), Jean-Claude Gallotta’s Les Variations d’Ulysse (1995/new production), William Forsythe’s Artifact Suite (2006), Ohad Naharin’s Perpetuum (2000), George Balanchine’s Joyaux/Rubis et Emeraudes (2000/new production) and Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée (2007).

As a soloist she was cast in William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude (1999 / entry into the repertoire) and In the Middle somewhat Elevated (2000), ‘the girl in the basket’ in Béjart’s Le Concours (2002), the Mistress’ in Paul Taylor’s The Rite of Spring (2004), ‘the Nurse’ in Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet (2004), the ‘Café Concert Singer’ in Degas’ La Petite danseuse (2005), and ‘a Young Man’ in Maurice Béjart’s Le Mandarin Merveilleux (2006)

As part of the official tours of the Company, she has performed in Greece, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Austria, Italy, Lebanon and Hong Kong.

She was promoted to «Coryphée» in December 2007 following the internal promotion competition.

Outside the opera :

She was a finalist in the Varna International Dance Competition (senior category) in 1992.

She was also a member of Patrick Dupont’s group between 1992 and 1995.

In the 1995-96 season, she took a sabbatical from the Paris Opera and was engaged as a soloist in Victor Ullate’s Company in Madrid. She danced in Don Quixote (role of Kitri) and Jaleos.