Dorothée Gilbert, the beautiful Étoile dancer from the Paris Opera Ballet, returns to the Palais Garnier stage! After several injuries in previous years, the entrechat virtuoso returns to pointe to perform the title role in Giselle alongside Hugo Marchand as Albrecht on October 11, 16, 21 and 24, 2025.
A star among stars, it was only after a long and difficult road that Dorothée Gilbert succeeded in reaching the ultimate rank in November 2007 after a
performance of The Nutcracker.
Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t get into the prestigious Ecole de danse de l’Opéra national de Paris on the first try. It was only through hard work that she gained a place in the prestigious school on her second attempt, in 1995, at the age of 13. Like many other dancers who have gone on to become soloists or stars of the company, she spent two years as a Quadrille, i.e. replacing members of the corps de ballet.
She won prestigious awards in her first years as a professional dancer: firstly, the Prix AROP de la danse in 2003, then the Cercle Carpeaux in 2004 and the Prix Leonide Massine in Positano, Italy, as well as the Prix Ballet 2000 in Cannes in 2006. Much later, in 2022, she received the Prize for best choreographic performer from the Syndicat professionnel de la Critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse.
The duo she forms with Hugo Marchand, 10 years her junior, has also built a legend. Since their artistic encounter in 2015 during performances of Kenneth MacMillan‘s ballet Manon, the dancers have enchanted Parisian audiences with the intensity of their interpretation.
Dorothée Gilbert is a role model in the world of dance, thanks to her determination and hard work. After the performances of Giselle, she will be back in the Contrastes program with O złożony / O composite by choreographer Trisha Brown.
This is the last full season for the dancer, who turns 42 this season and will bid farewell to the stage in September 2026.
To see Dorothée Gilbert in Giselle, click here, and to see her in Contrastes, click here!
To find out more about the Paris Opera Ballet, click here!
Dorothée Gilbert in rehearsal and on stage in the ballet Giselle – c – Maria-helena Buckley & Agathe Poupeney
