Bio ‹ Sébastien Bertaud - Danseur / Chorégraphe - Opéra de ParisSébastien Bertaud – Danseur / Chorégraphe

Sujet of the Paris Opera Ballet
Choreographer graduated from the Paris Opera Choreographic Academy
Assistant restager of William Forsythe for Approximate Sonata
Master Degree of Political Sciences from Sciences Po Paris.
Master Degree in Cultural Management of Dauphine University
State Diploma of classical ballet

After several successful creations for the Paris Opera’s “Young choreographers” evenings, Sebastien was selected to participate as one of the four chosen choreographers in the 2016 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 was commissioned to choreograph for the school of the National Conservatory of Paris (CNSMDP), and where he initiated collaboration with artists like videast Ange Leccia, and artists from the field of fashion like Laetitia Casta, Haider Ackermann and Yiquing Yin.

At the end of the program William Forsythe appointed him as assistant choreographer for the restaging of his ballet Approximate Sonata, and the Paris Opera Ballet commissioned him his first creation for the company called: Renaissance, in collaboration artistic director of Maison Balmain Olivier Rousteing, on Mendelssohn Violin 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 “Coryphée” (Demi-soloist) and 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, Rubies, Diamonds), Jerome Robbins (En Sol, The concert), 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), Alexander Ekman (Play), Crystal Pite (The season’s canon, Body & Soul) …

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 was invited to show his work by the Villa Medici – Academy of France in Roma, and he will creates a new piece for the Roma Opera Ballet in March 2019 on Philip Glass’s Tirol Concerto for piano & orchestra, with a costumes creation by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior. The same evening will feature works by Benjamin Millepied and Jerome Robbins.

In 2019, he began an intense collaboration with the Origen Festival in Switzerland. At the invitation of the festival he created:

“Utopia“, his first full length creation, inspired by Rudolph Von Laban and the Monte Verita community. On a music by Jon Hopkins, and a costumes creation by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior. (2019)

“To my only desire…”, a creation inspired by the famous “Lady and the unicorn” tapestries of the Cluny Museum, on Arnold Schonberg and Hildegard Von Bingen music. (2020)

“Genesis“, a creation inspired by the thematic of the “creation” in Arts, and in theology, with music by Jean Sebastien Bach and Peteris Vasks. (2021)

At the invitation of the French Cellist Gautier Capuçon, he joins the artistic team of the travelling festival Un Été en France (“A summer in France”). Created in 2020 to address the cultural vacuum caused by the health crisis, Un Été en France is an initiative imagined by Gautier Capuçon to ensure that as many people as possible have access to classical music. Sébastien Bertaud will create a new choreography for the occasion, which will be unveiled on August 01, at the ancient theater in Arles.