by Viva Wittman
Ghislain de Compreignac began dancing at sixteen-years-old, “during a contemporary dance workshop for fun,” he says, during which the teacher advised him to take classes in ballet at les Golovine in Paris and in Geneva. At the age of twenty, Joseph Russillo asked him to replace a dancer for a tour of Italy, before inviting him to stay in the company. He then went on to dance with Ballet de Rhin, the Ballet Royal de Wallonie, and then Ballet du Nord for whom he was a principal soloist.
On the uniqueness of his class, Ghislain says, “I was taught with the Russian technique to which I added Balanchine technique. So,” he continues, “it’s the best of the classical heritage combined with a major technique of the 20th century. The result: a dance which is much more fluid, rapid, and modern.”
At CDM, where Ghislain has taught since 2012, he directs the Paris Marais Dance School (PMDS) professional formation with NYC Graham School graduate Maggie Boogaart, another teacher at CDM and his wife of six years. PMDS offers a professional training program, based on Ghislain’s and Maggie’s classes, as well as open classes for all levels. |
“We combine contemporary and Graham with classical ballet and Balanchine,” he explains,
“which strongly enforces the technical and artistic potential of the dancers and brings them real opportunity from current companies.”
“which strongly enforces the technical and artistic potential of the dancers and brings them real opportunity from current companies.”
Ghislain’s class, which I come to photograph, is advanced/professional. The class itself is small and there is a comfortable rapport between his students and him. He demonstrates beautiful movements, which are executed in return by the five or six girls then the boys, and he stops from time to time to correct them. It is a portrait of a daily routine that he created with them, a steady passage of improvement.