It was indeed in the costume of Albrecht – the lovesick suitor of the tragic Giselle – that, just over two years ago, the young dancer was promoted to Étoile. Alongside Dorothée Gilbert, who performed as Giselle, he wrote a new chapter in the history of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Yet at the time of this consecration, Guillaume Diop was still only a Sujet – in other words, a junior soloist promoted from the corps de ballet. Like several illustrious Étoiles before him, such as Hugo Marchand and Dorothée Gilbert, he failed his first promotion competition to the rank of Coryphée (a confirmed member of the corps de ballet). In June 2021, three years after joining the company, he landed his first true solo role while still just a Quadrille substitute in the corps de ballet. That year, he performed Romeo for the first time opposite Étoile Léonore Baulac in Rudolf Nureyev’s ballet set to Prokofiev’s sublime score.

It was partly due to a series of injuries suffered by other dancers during the 2022–2023 season – notably during performances of Swan Lake – that Guillaume Diop emerged as a potential future Étoile. When the company embarked on its tour in South Korea, he was chosen to perform Albrecht alongside the celebrated Dorothée Gilbert, nearly twenty years his senior. It was then that he was officially named Étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Today, he reprises this iconic role in the Paris Opera Ballet’s 2025–2026 season, on October 18 and 28, 2025. In addition, he will appear in the contemporary dance program Contrastes, running from December 1 to 31, 2025.

Pour découvrir Guillaume Diop dans Giselle, cliquez ici !

Et pour le voir dans le programme Contrastes, c’est ici !

Et pour en savoir plus sur l’actualité de l’Opéra de Paris, cliquez ici !

Guillaume Diop – c – Virginie Ribaut / Musée Grévin

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To be fair, José Martinez, the company’s Director of Dance, has pulled off quite the coup: the first cast brings together no fewer than five Étoiles of the Paris Opera Ballet on the Garnier stage — a rare and resplendent event within the company’s historic walls. The tale of Diana’s nymph will be brought vividly to life by Amandine Albisson in the title role, with Germain Louvet as Aminta, Guillaume Diop as Eros, and Marc Moreau as Orion. As for Diana, goddess of the hunt, she will be portrayed by Roxane Stojanov — newly promoted to Étoile at the dawn of 2025!

Manuel Legris, a former Étoile of the company and now a distinguished choreographer, offers a faithful revival of Louis Mérante’s original version, set to the luminous score by Léo Delibes. Faithful, however, does not mean static — Manuel Legris has infused the work with the elegance of the French ballet tradition, combined with a thoroughly modern technical rigour.

And with a five-star cast already in place, José Martinez has entrusted the supporting roles to the company’s virtuoso Premiers Danseurs — Florent Mélac will dance Endymion, Francesco Mura becomes the Faun, and the radiant young Inès McIntosh, full of promise, will perform the Naiad. By spotlighting soloists beloved by audiences — some already prizewinners — José Martinez signals his intention to shake up the company’s famously hierarchical system by offering rising stars a chance to shine now, not later.

The premiere of Sylvia, now entering the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire, is already nearly sold out — but this same dazzling constellation of dancers will return for performances on 10, 21 and 23 May 2025.

Secure your seats now — before they vanish!

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To learn more about this new production, click also here!

Amandine Albisson, Marc Moreau, Germain Louvet, Guillaume Diop & Roxane Stojanov – c – James Bort & Matthew Brookes (source : OnP)

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Some were lucky enough to immerse themselves in the magical universe of the Ballet of the Paris Opera alongside Bleuenn Battistoni, the renowned Étoile dancer. To mark the revival of The Sleeping Beauty, Rudolf Nureyev’s legendary ballet, the artist engaged in an extraordinary exchange with children aged 6 to 10. In a video published on YouTube and Instagram, she takes them behind the scenes at the Opera Bastille, introducing them to the secrets of ballet and giving them a taste of the challenging art of dancing en pointe!

Bleuenn Battistoni reveals to her young audience the original story of the ballet, far removed from the version popularized by Walt Disney. Inspired by the tale of Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, the ballet unfolds in a prologue, three acts, and five scenes. It premiered at the renowned Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on January 15, 1890, set to Tchaikovsky’s music and choreographed by Marius Petipa, whose work has inspired generations of choreographers.

Starting on April 3 2025, Bleuenn Battistoni will step into the role of Princess Aurora, sharing the stage with Guillaume Diop as Prince Désiré. Their duet will once again grace the stage of the Opera Bastille on April 7 and 10.

To se the Ballet of the Sleeping Beauty at the Opera Bastille, go to our website here!

To know more about the Paris Opera, click here!

“L’Opéra de Paris vu par les enfants avec Bleuenn Battistoni” – c – Vidéo YouTube de l’Opéra de Paris

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Every self-respecting Frenchman is a master of the art of criticism. Parisians even have the reputation of being champions in this field, as it is well known that “J’aime rien, je suis parisien” (‘I don’t like anything, I’m Parisian’). The famous opening ceremony was therefore awaited with posed detachment before arousing enthusiasm and joy, the last note of music heard. Céline Dion brought an emotional close to an event where diversity and celebration seemed to be the watchwords.

It came as no surprise that Thomas Jolly, a well-known theatre and opera director, had not forgotten classical music, though his strong presence was a surprise. Throughout the parade, music lovers recognised the familiar tunes of Saint-Saëns, Ravel and Offenbach in a surprising and explosive mix of genres. Everyone will remember Gojira‘s hard rock accompaniment to a revolutionary Carmen sung by Swiss mezzo Marina Viotti. Jakub Józef Orliński, break dancer and superb countertenor, created a surprise by performing ‘Viens Hymen’, from Rameau’s Indes Galantes usually sung by a soprano.

The Orchestre National de France conducted by Cristian Măcelaru was also in the spotlight, as were the star dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, Germain Louvet and Guillaume Diop, who performed an unforgettable solo over the rooftops of Paris. Alexandre Kantorow, a super-talented young pianist, played Maurice Ravel’s Jeux d’eau in the pouring rain, looking like nothing!

But the image that the whole world will remember forever is that of French mezzo Axelle Saint-Cirel draped in the blue-white-red flag, proudly posed at the very top of the Grand Palais. The 2023 winner of the Concours des Voix des Outre-mer performed Rouget de Lisle’s La Marseillaise in a gentle version arranged by Victor Le Masne (the evening’s music coordinator), in a moment of appeasement and universalism where the communion of peoples was also based on music. 

Discover all upcoming performances by these artists here

Axelle Saint Cirel © AFP

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