Famous French Choreographers

Larry Bourgeois became an international sensation performing as part of the hip-hop dance duo Les Twins, with his identical twin brother, Laurent Bourgeois. The French-born dancer first gained fame when a YouTube video of the duo went viral in the U.S. He has also modeled at the Paris Fashion Week.

Marius Petipa was a French pedagogue, ballet dancer, and choreographer. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important ballet choreographers and masters in ballet history. From 1871 to 1903, he served as the principal choreographer and Ballet Master of the popular Imperial Russian Ballet. In the 1983 biopic Anna Pavlova, Petipa was played by Pyotr Gusev.

Violette Verdy was a French ballet dancer, teacher, choreographer, and writer. From 1958 to 1977, Verdy served as the principal dancer for the New York City Ballet where she was a star. She also served as the director for popular ballet companies like the Boston Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet. During her lifetime, Verdy was honored with several awards.

Roland Petit was a French dancer, choreographer, and ballet company director. Renowned for his creative ballets, Petit is credited with choreographing several internationally acclaimed dancers. He is also credited with founding the Ballet National de Marseille in Marseille, France. In 1994, Roland Petit was honored with the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse for his contribution as a choreographer.

Jean-Georges Noverre was a French balletmaster and dancer. It is widely believed that he created ballet d'action, a predecessor of the story ballet of the 19th century. Noverre's works continue to inspire and influence several ballet dancers around the world. Such was his contribution to ballet that Jean-Georges Noverre's birthday is celebrated as International Dance Day.

Pierre Beauchamp was a French dancer, choreographer, and composer. It is widely believed that he invented Beauchamp–Feuillet notation, a system of dance notation. He served as the director of the famous Académie Royale de Danse and later worked as a ballet master at the prestigious Paris Opera. Pierre Beauchamp played a key role in the development of baroque dance.

Jules Perrot was a French dancer and choreographer who served as the ballet master of the prestigious Imperial Russian Ballet. Perrot is credited with creating some of the 19th century's most popular ballets, such as La Esmeralda, Pas de Quatre, Giselle, and Ondine. During his illustrious career, Jules Perrot coached famous ballerinas like Carlotta Grisi and Fanny Cerrito.

Marie-Claude Pietragalla, who joined the Paris Opera Ballet at age 16, is known for her versatility. Once the Paris Opera etoile, she later also won honors such as the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. Known for ballets such as Don Quixote, she now also owns her own ballet company.

Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam is an Iranian dancer, choreographer, director, and actor. Shahrokh, who works in Paris, is credited with founding the Nakissa Art Company where he formerly served as the artistic director. Shahrokh Moshkin Ghalam is the first Iranian to be associated with the popular Comédie-Française troupe.

Charles Didelot was a French dancer and choreographer. Didelot is credited with creating ballet shoes and popularizing Russian ballet around the world. After studying with prominent balletmasters like Jean Dauberval and Jean-Georges Noverre, Charles Didelot went on to teach ballet at the Imperial Theatres of Russian Empire. He is also credited with choreographing the famous Flore et Zéphire in 1796.

Arthur Saint-Léon was a ballet master who worked with the Imperial Russian Ballet from 1859 to 1869. He is remembered for choreographing a popular ballet named Coppélia. He is also remembered for inventing a method of choreographic notation, which was the first notation to document the movements of the torso, head, and arms apart from the movements of the feet.  

Born to an Algerian family in Paris, Kamel Ouali started his career with appearances in music videos before graduating to musicals. The dancer later soared to fame with his musical comedy Dracula – L'amour plus fort que la mort. He has also appeared on shows such as Star Academy.

Best known for co-creating the romantic ballet Giselle with Jules Perrot, Jean Coralli was associated with La Scala in Milan and Porte-Saint-Martin Theater in Paris. The famed ballet dancer and choreographer, who was the son of a Théâtre Italien comedian, also excelled in works such as La Péri and La Tentation.

Raoul Auger Feuillet is remembered for introducing the Beauchamp–Feuillet notation of Baroque dance in his iconic work Chorégraphie. The dancer and choreographer is also known for his collaborative work with the Royal Academy of Dance conductor André Lorin and for his masterpiece Recueil de danses.

Jean Dauberval is remembered for his iconic ballet La fille mal gardée, one of the world’s first comic ballets. The Académie Royale de Musique ballet master has trained numerous ballet legends, such as Charles Didelot, who is also known as the father of the Russian ballet.

French dancer and ballerina Delphine Moussin had begun training in dance along with her sister Caroline. Initially the principal dancer and then the prima ballerina of the Corps de Ballet de l'Opéra, she gained fame after performing in the ballet Cinderella with a broken wrist.

The media called ballet dancer Jean Babilée one of the greatest male entertainers of the post-war era. Though his fiery temper caused him to get into many brawls, he was also known for his free-spirited nature and would often bike across remote places such as the Maghreb desert.

Popularly known as Madame Placide, Suzanne Douvillier is regarded by some as the first trained female choreographer to perform in the US. Not much is known about her childhood apart from the fact that she was an illegitimate child. She made history with her debut in The Bird Catcher.

A child prodigy, Louis Duport excelled in both dance and the violin since his early days. He not only developed the classical technique of ballet but also gained fame for his appearances in Charles Didelot’s ballets, such as Zéphyre et Flore. He was also a principal dancer at the Opéra de Paris.

Pierre Rigal initially trained to be an athlete, specializing in track and field. After obtaining a degree in cinema, he deviated toward dance. The dancer, who is based in Toulouse, France, has had his work showcased in New York and other places. Bataille remains one of his popular works.