The Daily Lives of the ONR Ballet Dancers

Established in 1972, the Rhine Ballet Company (Ballet du Rhin) has done a lot of traveling. Its first journey was from Strasbourg to Mulhouse, where the company set up its premises in 1974. It was designated a National Choreography Center (Centre Chorégraphique national—CCN) in 1985, a position that earned the company the honor and pleasure of going on a tour of France and other countries. Having become the Ballet Company of the Rhine National Opera House (Ballet de l’Opéra National du Rhin) in 1998, shortly after being awarded National Opera status in 1997, it built its reputation through a threefold approach: an active policy of building up and highlighting its repertoire, a determination to increase awareness among a broader public through a range of educational activities, and the development of a theater in residence program for young theater companies.

It takes at least 50 people to bring the projects of the CCN • Rhine National Ballet Company (CCN • Ballet national du Rhin) to life. In terms of artistic direction, Bruno Bouché is in charge of the company and decides on its program. As the choreographer, he conceives and also creates ballets for his 32 dancers, who come from all over the world. They are trained and supported by ballet masters Claude Agrafeil and Adrien Boissonnet, who teach daily classes, oversee rehearsals, and ensure the company's form and motivation remain at a high level. Musical support is provided by pianist Bruno Anguerra Garcia, who sets the classes to music and provides accompaniment for rehearsals, performances, and tours.

This physical training allows them to gain access to auditions and competitions for a place at a company. By the time they can aspire to join the world of professional dance, most dancers are between 18 and 20 years old.

The dancers then leave the bar and spread out in the rehearsal studio. There, they perform a series of sequences which allow them to work on their speed of execution, skill, agility, and endurance, and to develop their artistic expression. In small groups, they do a run-through in front of the teacher, who is then able to go into more detail with advice and corrections.

Of course, to fully portray their character, the dancers must go through cosmetic preparations as well. With their makeup, hairstyles, and costumes, each dancer comes to embody their own role. The choices made about these are an integral part of the creative process and are incorporated into the choreographer's planning.

The physical intensity of this profession means dancers need to consider what they will do after they finish dancing. Their career as a performer tends to end when they are approaching 40, so it is relatively short, lasting around 15 to 20 years. Some of them become dance teachers, choreographers, ballet masters, directors of dance companies or schools, while others switch paths completely. The Ballet Company of the Rhine National Opera House (Ballet de l’Opéra National du Rhin) has implemented a retraining program for its dancers. This allows dancers who have been at the company for at least 12 years to receive a year's training. This gives them the opportunity to prepare for a new profession.