Marion Barbeau

Marion Barbeau was born in 1991 in Nogent-sur-Marne, in the Val-de-Marne department.^[1] Her father was a dentist.^[2] She began practicing dance at the age of six, studying at a school in Fontenay-sous-Bois.^[3]

After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris, she entered the ballet school of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2002. In 2008, at the age of 17, she joined its corps de ballet. In 2019, she became a première danseuse (first dancer).^[4][5][6]

In addition to her classical repertoire she gradually embraced contemporary dance. In her evolution, which began under the guidance of Benjamin Millepied, she was encouraged by Aurélie Dupont, director of the Paris Opera Ballet since 2016, who included many non-classical productions in her repertoire. Barbeau credited her experience with Israeli choreographer Hofesh Shechter, who she met at the Paris Opera in 2018, as the "real turning point" in her journey into the contemporary genre. Shechter's piece The Art of Not Looking Back entered the Paris Opera Ballet's repertoire in 2018, and was recorded for video by director Cédric Klapisch.^[7][8]

In 2022 Barbeau appeared in the leading role in Cédric Klapisch's film Rise, about a dancer who, after sustaining an injury, becomes passionate about contemporary dance.^[9] For her performance, Barbeau received nominations for the César Award for Most Promising Actress and Lumière Award for Best Female Revelation.