Laetitia Pujol

“The Prix de Lausanne was an incredible opportunity and a true springboard for my career; it is an honour for me to now serve as a member of its Jury.”

Laëtitia Pujol began her dance training in Toulouse before becoming a Prize Winner of the Prix de Lausanne in 1992, under the presidency of choreographer John Neumeier. This award enabled her to join the School of Dance and later the Corps de Ballet of the Paris Opera.

In 1994, she won the silver medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition (junior category). At the same time, she continued her rise within the Company and was named Étoile dancer on 2 May 2002, following a performance of Don Quixote in Rudolf Nureyev’s version, where she danced the role of Kitri for the first time.

Her career is marked by great artistic curiosity, which led her to embrace both classical and contemporary repertoires. Among her notable roles are the title role in Giselle (after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot), Études (Harald Lander), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Rudolf Nureyev), and The Accused in Fall River Legend (Agnes de Mille).

The works of John Neumeier hold a special place in her repertoire: Laëtitia Pujol performed the title roles in Sylvia and The Lady of the Camellias, as well as participating in the creation of The Song of the Earth. She also danced The Cage and Other Dances (Jerome Robbins), the eldest sister in The House of Bernarda Alba (Mats Ek), and the title roles in Rudolf Nureyev’s major ballets, such as Kitri in Don Quixote, Cinderella and her stepsisters, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as numerous works by George Balanchine. She created the role of Degas’s Little Dancer in the ballet of the same name (Patrice Bart) and performed The Young Girl in Le Loup (Roland Petit), the lead role in Le Parc (Angelin Preljocaj), Catherine in Wuthering Heights (Kader Belarbi), Manon in Manon (Kenneth MacMillan), Garance in Les Enfants du Paradis (José Martinez), Psyche in the ballet of the same name (Alexei Ratmansky), and many other roles.

Laëtitia Pujol collaborated with renowned choreographers such as John Neumeier, Mats Ek, Maurice Béjart, Jiří Kylián, Roland Petit, Angelin Preljocaj, and William Forsythe. On 23 March 2017, she was promoted to Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters. On 23 September 2017, Laëtitia Pujol bid farewell to the stage of the Paris Opera, performing Emeralds (George Balanchine) and an excerpt from Sylvia (John Neumeier), alongside Étoiles Mathieu Ganio and Manuel Legris.

Passionate about sharing her art and convinced that dance can enrich the lives of those who practice it, Laëtitia Pujol now works with a wide range of audiences, both amateur and professional dancers. She coaches at the Opéra de Nice and gives masterclasses to professional dancers and aspiring dancers.

She also teaches dance to students of all ages, from beginners to advanced levels, in an amateur school.

Finally, she gives dance history lectures as part of practical workshops at the University Côte d’Azur in Nice, where she enables her students to explore different ballets and choreographic styles through practice, allowing them to experience interpretation and movement in their own bodies.