PROFILES

A smile crosses Juliette Klein’s sweet little face. The slender brunette, a fan of classical dance as well as Martha Graham and Pina Bausch, joined the famous Monegasque dance company in summer 2020. Her first pas de chat? “It was at the Conservatoire de Menton”, the young woman recalls. She then started dreaming of becoming a professional dancer. An impulse so strong that she made it her life’s goal. More fulfilled with her slippers on her feet than behind a school desk, she took the first step by joining the boarding school at the Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower. “I wasn’t comfortable with people my age and dancing made me feel better. I felt like I was in my bubble,” says Juliette. Thus able to prepare for Académie de Danse Princesse Grace auditions, the girl from Menton made it through at just 14 years of age by dint of talent and sheer tenacity. “There were students from all over the world and we danced day and night. That’s where I was also able to pass my brevet and baccalaureate by distance learning. In short, I studied, danced, and I learnt respect for others there too”. A guest dancer with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo last spring, she officially joined the company in August. At the tender age of 19, she is now the youngest: “I have always been fascinated by this company and its repertoire, since I was very young when I went to see its shows. I love the neo-classical, that mix of classical and contemporary dance. It was my finish line!” Beyond the stage, Juliette is now discovering the intricacies of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s creations behind the scenes. She went on tour with the company to Granada in July, where she was one of the girls in the corps de ballet for La Mégère Apprivoisée (The Taming of the Shrew), and is now working on Coppél-i.A., Core Meu and the director-choreographer’s Altro Canto. A dream that she lives every day with stars in her eyes.

Par Eve Chatelet – Photo Sophie Boulet