Paris Opera Ballet’s Hannah O’Neill a Star

The Paris Opera Ballet has named New Zealand’s Hannah O’Neill as a new star dancer, a rarity as a non-French dancer in the world’s oldest ballet company, France 24 reports.

Tokyo-born O’Neill, 30, is one of a handful of foreigners to reach the highest “etoile” status at the elite and world-renowned company, which has only in recent years opened up their ranks to non-French dancers.

Unlike the Royal Ballet in London or the New York City-based American Ballet Theatre, the vast majority of the 154 dancers at the 354-year-old Paris Opera Ballet are locals.

O’Neill has won some of the biggest prizes in international dance, including the Prix de Lausanne and Youth American Grand Prix, before joining the Paris Opera at 18.

Original article by France 24, March 3, 2023.