French dance legend Claude Bessy, former star of the Paris Opera and director of its dance school, died on 26 April 2026. Born 21 October 1932 in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, Bessy entered the Paris Opera School at age ten, joined the corps de ballet at fourteen and became a star at twenty‑four. She performed leading roles in Balanchine’s “Le Palais de cristal” and “Sérénade,” Lifar’s “Mirages” and “Atlantide,” and classics such as “Giselle” and “Le Lac des Cygnes.” After retiring as a dancer, she led the Opera’s ballet company in 1970 and then directed the dance school from 1973 to 2004, shaping its curriculum and international reputation. The President of the Republic and his wife paid tribute to her influence on French dance.
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