Death of Michaël Denard

[Angela]

Denard was a former Etoile at Paris Opéra Ballet (1971-1989) and also Ballet Director at the State Opera of Berlin from 1993-1996 (Berlin still had three ballet companies then).

 

https://newsinfrance.com/death-of-the-dancer-michael-denard-the-flamboyant-bird-of-maurice-bejart/

 

[Pas de Quatre]

Thank you Angela for posting this - a truly exception dancer, RIP.

[TurningPointe]

I was very saddened to hear about Michael Denard’s death.  I was very lucky to him dancing when I was 12/13 years old.  He danced with a fabulous dancer named Ghislaine Thesmar (an Etoile of the Paris Opera Ballet) Pierre Lacotte’s version of ‘La Sylphide’.  Denard alternated the male lead role with another Paris Opera Ballet etoile of the time Jean-Pierre Franchetti.  They were, simply, magnificent.  I am so very sad to hear of Michael Denard’s death.

 

I suppose that one has to contextualise things and clarify that, prior to the 2012s or thereabouts, sports science was not underpinning ballet training and companies. Therefore the athleticism, nutritional knowledge, fitness regimes, rehab, and recovery techniques that we see today were not something available before that time.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by TurningPointe
To add clarification about context, and also to add the clip available in youtube as a large number of people would not necessarily know who Ghislaine Thesmar or Michael Denard were.

[Jeannette]

Denard was a superstar at the height of the Ballet Boom era. I remember him shining in all of those Romantic PDDs by Lacotte, often partnering Ghislaine Thesmar. Gala Royalty!

May he Rest In Peace. 👼 

[SheilaC]

He was very glamorous when young. I saw him several times as the father in La Dame aux Camelias as he kept up his connection with Paris Opera Ballet until recently; I always felt it was a privilege to see him.

[Emeralds]

Rest in peace, Michaël Denard. He was literally the first Siegfried I saw, even if it was only the White Swan pdd in Act 2. His Odette was Natalia Makarova, and it was on tv, which my mother recorded on video to inspire and educate us. I watched it about 638 times....or maybe it was 683 times! The very epitome of elegance, classical purity and emotion distilled into artistry.  Also enjoyed his performances of the Romantic Era repertoire on tv. I wasn’t old enough to travel to Paris or elsewhere to catch his performances on stage then, but the 2 dimensional screen didn’t stop his artistry, virtuosity and grace from shining through.