English Version | La grande étoile

It was in his home town of Burgundy that Germain Louvet took his first dance lessons at the age of four. For as long as he can remember, says, dancing came very naturally to him and he would do it whenever he could, regardless of the time or place. Then, at the Conservatoire de Chalon-sur-Saone, he learned classical dance for five years and later progressed to the Paris Opera Ballet School, where he remained from the age of 12 to 18. His dream of being hired by the Paris Opera Ballet came true in 2011, at only 18, and it was from then on that Louvet - now in his 30s - became a professional dancer. But the culmination of all these efforts came in 2016, on December 28th to be precise, after a performance of Swan Lake.

Aurelie Dupont, head of the Paris Opera Ballet, appointed him Danseur Étoile (Star Dancer), the highest and most prestigious position in the Parisian ballet company. And note, in this context, the word "Star" is not used figuratively, much less banally: it is a title of enormous importance, awarded only to the best of the best. Germain Louvet has the privilege - and the merit - of being on this hyper-exclusive list of Étoiles, which includes only 15 other dancers from the Paris Opera. However, it's not only in dance that Louvet receives applause and ovations: he has already walked for Jean Paul Gaultier, Ami Paris, been on the cover of Narcisse and starred in a campaign for Gucci, at the time under the command of Alessandro Michele. He is an incredibly talented and multifaceted artist. But all this cannot be achieved without unwavering dedication, which begins with passion.

"I think my passion for dance and ballet comes from my inner desire for movement and music. And when I discovered that we could tell stories with them, that we could play different characters, I decided to become a ballet dancer." His main influence, he tells us, is the Russian Rudolf Nureyev, one of the most acclaimed dancers and choreographers of the 20th century. And he is a reference for Louvet "not only because his personality is very inspiring, but also because he changed the world of ballet with his vision, especially for male dancers. He had his own way of expressing movement and his personal style. He had a huge influence on the Paris Opera Ballet, among others." Being one of the main faces of this supreme and ethereal art that is ballet comes, as we know, with a long list of demands and challenges. But Germain seems to take it naturally, with the grace expected of a dancer - on and off stage.

The process of preparing to embody a new character is something highly personal and intimate, and taking it from paper to stage, for Louvet, is largely based on research: "To prepare for a new role, I watch a lot of videos of previous casts of dancers that I'm inspired by. I also try to find documentation on the subject, such as films, literature or works of art. Then I try to decide how to make my own definition of the role or story, shaping the personality of the character I'm playing." To adapt his technique and expression when transitioning to different ballets, he tells us that he lets himself be "guided by the people responsible for the pieces or by the choreographer, if present. I always try to be honest and never hide," adds. As for pre-show rituals, unlike so many other dancers who rely on superstitions and rites, the Paris Ballet star prefers to accept the fate of each performance: "I try to avoid rituals most of the time because I think they're binding and force us to do the same thing over and over again. I prefer to accept that every performance is different and that's what makes live art so interesting. I like to be surprised by myself or others when things are spontaneously different."

The routine of a ballet dancer is something that has always fascinated audiences because of the deep dedication it requires, from training to rehearsals, including diet and the inevitable injuries. Germain Louvet reveals that he works out "five or six days a week, between three and seven hours a day" and, alongside this, tries to strengthen his body in the gym when possible. But, for him, the key to keeping fit and following the body's natural rhythm is to "eat well, sleep well and have a strong team" and the role of physiotherapists is essential in helping to "take care of the 'mechanics' of the body". Dancers often talk about "listening to their body" and interpreting the signals it gives is vital, but it also influences all the corps de ballet's decisions. Germain explains: "We dancers have a very complicated relationship with our bodies. We push it to its limits, but we also use the qualities it gives us, it's a love-hate relationship. Sometimes we have to pay more attention when we're tired and when we rehearse or perform a lot, because it can become dangerous. I've had a few injuries that I could have avoided if I'd paid more attention to the pain I was feeling. But it's so hard to make the decision to cancel a show to prevent and preserve a joint or a muscle, because it can happen so quickly."

And it's not just the physical aspect that constrains the lives of the ballet dancers, mental health has a colossal weight in the lives of these artists, and is perhaps the most difficult thing to face: "We are very well surrounded by the medical team at the Paris Opera, who help us to face the difficulties that an injury entails. I can say that the most difficult is certainly the psychological one, because the feeling of not being broken you to a very dark place of guilt, resentment, feeling useless and abandoned. Sometimes it can cause a kind of depression, so you have to be very careful with your mental health at that kind of time."

Reflecting on his career so far, Germain considers that there were moments that were real turning points: "I would say that a few encounters changed my life and my perspectives on it: Benjamin Millepied [dancer and choreographer], Aurélie Dupont [Étoile and now head of the Paris Opera Ballet], Sasha Waltz, Saburo Teshigawara [dancers and choreographers], Jo Ann Endicott [former ballerina with Pina Bausch's Tanztheater Wuppertal dance company] and, of course, the love of my life, Pablo. .. Some dance pieces also impacted me, such as Romeo and Juliet, Kontakthof by Pina Bausch or Bolero by Béjart." Although he has been part of the most prestigious ballets of all time, such as the Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty, it is the role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake that reflects his essence as a dancer: "It's the role I've danced the most and Nureyev's version is a true introspection of a young man searching for his truth and identity. His relationship with this strange creature who is half swan and half woman shows that he is trying to escape social obligations and conventions such as marriage, heteronormativity and social hierarchy. When I was a teenager, I also questioned myself a lot about these issues and tried to find my own place in society. That's why this role allows me to reveal who I am with my most precise sensitivity, mirroring my personal history." With his art, Germain Louvet also hopes to provoke feelings in the audience, hoping that everyone will "take something home with them, whether it's an image, a feeling, sadness, pure joy, anger or annoyance, a memory brought back during the show, a question about the world, about beauty or about a relationship, a fragrance of a neighbor’s perfume…"

As for his plans for the future, he confesses that having reached such a prestigious and respected position doesn't mean that his main objective has been fulfilled; on the contrary, being Danseur Étoile is the start of a new path: "I have to say that it was the opposite of that, it's like a new beginning where everything is yet to be discovered. My goal is to remain free as a dancer and as an artist. I don't want to put any kind of limit on the projects and opportunities I can find. I love being on stage and I love the energy of the relationship with the audience. I'm very interested in experimenting with different ways of doing this, such as theater, cinema, performance art inside or outside these institutions. But above all, the most important thing for me at the moment is to enjoy every second of the beauty that my 'job' gives me. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to live with my passion that I wouldn't want to miss a minute of it for anything in the world."

*Originally translated from the Arts Issue, published November 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.