Sujet of the Paris Opera Ballet
Resident choreographer at the Paris Opera Choreographic Academy
Assistant choreographer of William Forsythe
After several successful creations for the Paris Opera’s “Young choreographers” evenings, Sebastien is selected to participate as one of the four chosen choreographers in the Paris Opera choreographic Academy, a two years residency for choreographers founded by Benjamin Millepied, under the artistic direction of William Forsythe.
This is where Sebastien initiated collaboration with artists like videast Ange Leccia, and artists from the field of fashion like Laetitia Casta, Haider Ackermann and Yiquing Yin…
Just after, William Forsythe appointed him as assistant choreographer for the restaging of his ballet Approximate Sonata, and the Paris Opera Ballet commissioned him his first long creation for the company called: Renaissance, a collaboration with the artistic director of Maison Balmain Olivier Rousteing, on Mendelssohn Violin Concerto n2.
Sebastien was born in 1982 and began to dance in Bordeaux at the age of 6. He joined the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1998. Two years later, he became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet where he was promoted to “Sujet” (Soloist).
He has danced in all the classical productions by Rudolf Nureyev (Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliette…) as well as ballets by George Balanchine (4 Temperaments, Agon, Jewels), Jerome Robbins (En Sol, The concert, Glass Pieces), John Neumeier (Sylvia, The lady of the camellias, A Midsummer Night’s dream, The song of the Earth, Spring & Fall, Yondering), William Forsythe (Pas/Parts, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Approximate Sonata, Herman Schermann), Wayne Mc Gregor (Tree of codes), Benjamin Millepied (Amoveo), Alexei Ratmansky (Psyché), Crystal Pite (The season’s canon)…
He has also completed a Master’s degree in Arts and Politics from Sciences Po Paris, and obtained a state diploma (D.E.) for teaching dance.
In January 2019, he is invited by the prestigious Villa Médicis – Academy of France in Roma to present his work.
In March 2019, Sebastien Bertaud will present his new creation for the Roma Opera Ballet called “Nuit blanche”, on Philip Glass’s Tirol concerto for piano & orchestra, with a new costumes creation he commissioned to Maria Grazia Chiuri, artistic director of Dior.
In July 2019, he signs his first full length creation: “UTOPIA“, with music by Jon Hopkins, costumes creation by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior, at the invitation of the ORIGEN Festrival, with dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet.
Utopia. Photos: Julien Benhamou
« The new generation of classical Ballet »
Dress to Kill
« Sebastien Bertaud is surely the most outstanding dancer / choreographer of the Paris Opera Ballet »
Dance Europe
« Le travail de Sébastien Bertaud se caractérise par une élégante et synthétique approche entre vocabulaire classique et esthétique contemporaine. »
Magazine Danse
« Sébastien Bertaud apporte dans ses créations un regard générationnel sur le ballet, et bouscule avec ses collaborations les codes de la danse classique. »
WWD
