JULIEN LESTEL

Choreographer – Director of the Ballet Julien Lestel
Principal Dancer of the National Ballet of Marseille (1999-2011)
Ballet of the Paris Opera (1993-1998)

Following in the footsteps of Jirí Kylián, Ohad Naharin, and Crystal Pite, choreographer Julien Lestel has established a distinctive style with creations that are resolutely modern, aesthetic, and powerful.

Trained at the Dance School of the Paris National Opera Ballet and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, where he earned a First Prize, Julien Lestel then worked with Rudolf Nureyev, who invited him to perform in Cinderella at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. He later joined the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Zürich Ballet as a principal dancer, and finally, the National Ballet of Marseille as a partner to Marie-Claude Pietragalla.

He has collaborated with Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, Jirí Kylián, William Forsythe, Angelin Preljocaj, Roland Petit, Pina Bausch, Thierry Malandain… and has danced works by Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, John Neumeier, Uwe Scholz, Serge Lifar, Frederick Ashton, Vaslav Nijinsky…
As both choreographer and dancer, he has accompanied actors Pierre Arditi, Marie-Christine Barrault, and Macha Méril in staged readings of literary texts.

He has also collaborated with pianist François-René Duchâble, who performs live on stage in several of his creations – Anastylose, Rachmaninov, Solo, and Opus – as well as with composer Karol Beffa, who composed the music for Corps et Âmes. He participated in the Gala des Étoiles du XXIe siècle at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where he performed Les Âmes Frères, one of his own creations. He has also choreographed the dance sequences of operas: Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Aida at the Opéra de Massy, Manon, and La Vie Parisienne at the Opéra de Marseille.

The Ballet Julien Lestel was founded in January 2007 at the Espace Pierre Cardin with the premiere of his first choreography, Les Âmes Frères. Today, it brings together eleven dancers from diverse backgrounds and boasts a repertoire of more than twenty choreographies performed in France and abroad, where each dancer can express their individuality while remaining faithful to the modern neoclassical style that defines his creations.

In 2018, he collaborated with Éléonora Abbagnato, Director of the Rome Opera Ballet, adapting his choreography Puccini for dancers of both the Ballet Julien Lestel and the Rome Opera Ballet.

In 2021, he produced a fourteen-episode web series, L’Éternel et l’Éphémère, in collaboration with Alexandra Cardinale, with choreographies performed at the Rodin Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Museum.

Julien Lestel is deeply committed to outreach and awareness initiatives. He engages with diverse audiences through educational projects and choreographic workshops: in schools from kindergarten to high school, with adolescents affected by autism spectrum disorders or mental disabilities, in correctional facilities, as well as in retirement homes and hospitals.
Since January 2023, in Marseille, he has been leading workshops for a group of blind and psychotic adults living in an IRSAM (Regional Institute for the Deaf and Blind of Marseille) residential facility, creating choreographic workshops with staged performances.

In April 2025, he created a choreography in China for the dancers of the Shenyang Academy on the occasion of the opening of the Croisements Festival, initiated by President Emmanuel Macron.

« My research focuses on creating a fluid, unrestrained movement vocabulary, combined with fractured gestures and broken rhythms, so that the spectator is carried toward emotion while immersed in a dynamic interplay of power, sensuality, and poetry, brought to life by the performers. »

The Ballet Julien Lestel was in an exceptionally long residency at the Opéra de Massy (2012-2021). Today, the Ballet receives support from the City of Marseille and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, as well as funding from foundations and private partners.

With the support of the Ministry of Culture / Directorate-General for Artistic Creation and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

Julien Lestel is also a professor at the National School of Dance of Marseille.

ALEXANDRA CARDINALE

Producer – AC Opéra Ballet Production

Soloist Dancer
Paris Opera Ballet (1993-2018)

During her six years of intensive selection and training in classical and contemporary dance, she also pursued traditional academic studies. Claude Bessy entrusted her with the leading roles in *Le Prisonnier du Caucase* and *La Fille Mal Gardée* at the Palais Garnier.

In July 1993, she ranked first in the entrance competition for the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opera under the direction of Patrick Dupond. In her very first year with the Paris Opera Ballet, he invited her to perform “beyond the walls” during his personal tours (*Patrick Dupond and Friends*).

She was promoted to the rank of Coryphée after performing the famous Carmen variation by Roland Petit, under the direction of Brigitte Lefèvre. Alexandra danced all the major works of the classical repertoire: *La Bayadère*, *Swan Lake*, *Cinderella*, *Romeo and Juliet*, *Don Quixote* by Rudolf Nureyev, as well as ballets by George Balanchine, Roland Petit, Serge Lifar, Vaslav Nijinsky, Jerome Robbins, Pierre Lacotte, and Maurice Béjart…
She also performed contemporary works: Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, Angelin Preljocaj, and Wayne McGregor selected her for their creations at the Paris Opera.

Under the direction of Benjamin Millepied, then Director of the Paris Opera, she took part in Boris Charmatz’s event *“20 Dancers for the 20th Century”* in the Grand Foyer of the Palais Garnier. She also contributed to the artistic creation of visual artist Tino Sehgal.

Marie-Claude Pietragalla entrusted her with the role of Étoile in *Don Quixote* at the Opéra National de Marseille.

Alexandra has performed on the Paris Opera’s international tours and participated as a guest in prestigious galas, helping showcase the excellence of French ballet worldwide (Metropolitan Opera – New York, NHK – Japan, Kremlin – Russia, Opera of Kiev – Ukraine, National Grand Theatre of Beijing and Shanghai Opera – China, La Scala in Milan, La Fenice – Venice – Italy, Vienna Opera, Singapore, Argentina, Finland, Spain, United Arab Emirates…).

Parallel to her career as a dancer, Alexandra Cardinale earned a degree in Entrepreneurship and Management from Sciences Po Paris, as well as the State Diploma of Dance Teacher at the Centre National de la Danse (CND).

In 2010, Alexandra Cardinale founded AC Opéra Ballet Production. She produces exceptional ballet evenings such as *Gala d’Étoiles*, which has become a renowned and eagerly awaited event. Passionate about contemporary creation, she also dances and participates in producing the latest choreographies of the Ballet Julien Lestel.

In 2018, Alexandra bid farewell to the stage of the Paris Opera after 30 years within this prestigious institution. Since then, she has continued her career as a Soloist Dancer while producing a wide variety of ballets, aiming to inspire everyone to discover dance and share the profound emotions this art evokes.

ALLAN GEREAUD

Soloist Dancer
Ballet Julien Lestel

After beginning his training at the Regional Conservatory of Nice in contemporary dance, then at the Rosella Hightower School in Cannes, Allan Gereaud joined the Ballet of the Grand Avignon Opera as an apprentice.
He has performed works by choreographers Hervé Koubi, Édouard Hue, and Emilio Calcagno.

He joined the Ballet Julien Lestel in July 2024.

ROXANE KATRUN

Soloist Dancer
Ballet Julien Lestel

Trained at the Conservatoire Grand Avignon, Roxane Katrun then joined the National Higher School of Dance in Marseille.
She continued her studies at the Cannes Rosella Hightower Higher School of Dance under the direction of Paola Cantalupo, where she obtained her diploma in choreographic studies.

She has performed choreographies by Claude Brumachon, Davide Bombana, Olivier Dubois, Francesco Curci, and Marius Petipa.

She joined the Ballet Julien Lestel in September 2017.

INGRID LE BRETON

Soloist Dancer
Ballet Julien Lestel

Ingrid Le Breton began dancing at the age of three in a small dance school called “Top Dance” near Montpellier.
She participated in regional, national, and international competitions.

She continued her training at a dance school with a sports-study program in Toulouse.
In September 2017, she joined the National Higher School of Dance in Marseille under the direction of Omar Taibei, where she pursued her studies, including two years in a sports-study program at high school level and two additional years post-baccalaureate.
There, she received training in both classical and contemporary dance.

She took part in the school’s performances and additional projects with guest choreographers.
In 2021, she collaborated with the company Art of Gaia, led by Florencia Gonzalez, for a new artistic creation.

She joined the Ballet Julien Lestel in September 2021.

INÈS PAGOTTO

Soloist Dancer
Ballet Julien Lestel

Inès Pagotto began dancing at the age of 5. By the age of 8, she was already participating in regional, national, and international competitions.
In 2015, she joined the National Higher School of Dance in Marseille under the direction of Omar Taibei.

From 2015 to 2019, she trained under the guidance of Mireille Bourgeois, Julien Lestel, Agnès Lascombes, and Marie-Claude Dubus.

In June 2019, at the age of 17, she joined the Ballet Julien Lestel.

LOUIS PLAZER

Soloist Dancer
Ballet Julien Lestel

After training at the Conservatory of Angoulême and later at the VM Ballet in Toulouse, Louis Plazer joined the National Ballet of Bordeaux to perform in *Notre Dame de Paris* by Roland Petit.

He joined the Ballet Julien Lestel in 2022.