Sofiane Sylve
Sofiane Sylve (born 1976)[1] is a French ballet dancer. She is currently a principal dancer and ballet master with the Dresden Semperoper Ballett and the Artistic Advisor of Ballet San Antonio, and is set to run the latter's new school. She was previously a principal dancer with Dutch National Ballet, New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.
Sofiane Sylve | |
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Born | 1976 (age 43–44) Nice, France |
Education | Académie de Danse |
Occupation | Ballet dancer |
Current group | Dresden Semperoper Ballett Ballet San Antonio |
Former groups | Karlsruhe Stadttheater Dutch National Ballet New York City Ballet San Francisco Ballet |
Biography
Sylve was born in Nice, France. She started ballet at the age of 4 and trained at Académie de Danse. After she was discovered at a competition, she joined the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe, Germany when she was 14. Shortly after that, Patricia Neary, a former New York City Ballet dancer and George Balanchine répétiteur, met Sylve and casted her as the lead in Allegro Brillante. Neary then recommended Sylve to join for Dutch National Ballet, which had more Balanchine repertoire. At age 17, she danced the title role in Cinderella. She was promoted to principal dancer and was offered a lifetime contract at age 20, and danced roles including Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as works by George Balanchine and Frederick Ashton. In 2003, New York City Ballet invited Sylve to join the company, as Sylve had previously performed with the company as a guest dancer, she accepted the position after several months of consideration.[1][2][3]
Sylve joined the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 2008. She has danced classical roles such as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Myrtha in Giselle, as well as contemporary pieces including David Dawson's Anima Animus, Edwaard Liang's The Infinite Ocean and Alexei Ratmansky's Piano Concerto#1. She danced the role of Lady Capulet in the 2015 film version of Romeo and Juliet. She is also principal guest faculty at the San Francisco Ballet School.[4]
Sylve has danced in many international galas, including Dutch National Ballet's 50th anniversary, as well as in United States, Australia and Italy.[4] In 2019, she performed at her former colleague Maria Kochetkova's solo program, Catch Her If You Can at the Joyce Theater.[5]
In 2020, Sylve joined Dresden Semperoper Ballett as principal dancer and ballet master.[6] She is also appointed as Artistic Advisor of Ballet San Antonio, and is set to run its new school.[7]
Selected repertoire
Sylve's repertoire with San Francisco Ballet and other companies includes:Source:[4]
- After the Rain
- Agon (Pas de deux)
- Allegro Brillante
- Apollo
- La Bayadère
- Le Carnaval des Animaux (Jellyfish and Swan)
- Cinderella (Cinderella)
- Chroma
- Concerto Barocco
- Coppélia (Prayer)
- Dances at a Gathering (Green)
- Don Quixote (Mercedes)
- Études (Principal)
- Giselle (Myrtha)
- The Firebird
- Harlequinade
- In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated
- Jardin aux Lilas (An Episode in his Past)
- ”Emeralds”, “Rubies” and “Diamonds” from Jewels
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Onegin
- The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy and Grand Pas de Deux Ballerina)
- Raymonda—Act III (Raymonda)
- Rite of Spring
- Romeo & Juliet (Lady Capulet)
- Serenade (Waltz couple and Angel)
- Piano Concerto #1 from Shostakovich Trilogy
- The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora)
- Suite en Blanc (Flute)
- Swan Lake (Odette/Odile)
- Symphony in C (4th movement and finale)
- Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
- Theme and Variations
- La Valse
- Winter Dreams
Created roles
- Two Birds with the Wings of One
- Anima Animus
- Slice to Sharp
- Pas/Parts 2016
- The Collective Agreement
- The Infinite Ocean
- Symphonic Dances
- Borderlands
- “… two united in a single soul…”
- From Foreign Lands
- Russian Seasons
- Fearful Symmetries
- “The Blue Necklace” from Double Feature
- Underskin
Awards
- Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Individual Outstanding Achievement in Performance, 2011[4]
References
- "Portrait of the artist: Sofiane Sylve, ballerina". The Guardian. 13 June 2007.
- "Sofiane Sylve: "I Don't Do Average". Dance Magazine. 21 August 2017.
- "A Ballerina Born, and Molded, to Balanchine's Art". New York Times. 11 February 2005.
- "Sofiane Sylve". San Francisco Ballet. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- "The Joyce Presents Maria Kochetkova's Catch Her If You Can". Broadway World. 26 June 2019.
- "Sofiane Sylve, Carlo Di Lanno and Marcelo Gomes to Join Dresden Semperoper Ballett". Pointe Magazine. 10 March 2020.
- "Ballet San Antonio to Open a New Dance School This Fall". San Antonio Current. 11 March 2020.