Hannah O'Neill & Marc Moreau - étoiles

[volcanohunter]

Hannah O'Neill and Marc Moreau were made étoiles following a performance of Ballet Imperial.

I'm guessing O'Neill is the first New Zealander and first graduate of the Australian Ballet School to become a POB étoile.

Edited March 2, 2023 by volcanohunter

[Helene]

Congratulations to them both  . 

[silvermash]

Congratulations... A long due promotion for Hannah O'Neill and well deserved for Marc Moreau...

 

[Drew]

Congratulations to them! 

[miliosr]

In terms of Marc Moreau's appointment as etoile, sometimes events can work in your favor just enough so you can prove what you can do.

The ranks of the male etoiles have been depleted recently as the latest defile amply demonstrated - only Mathieu Ganio, Germain Louvet, Hugo Marchand and Paul Marque walked in the defile. Under a different set of circumstances there would have been three more marchers (and three more etoiles to fill out the star roles): Josua Hoffalt (who is Ganio's age but departed early), Mathias Heymann (has been out indefinitely) and Francois Alu (won the coveted title of etoile and then promptly decamped for the more lucrative provinces of French show business).

When you factor in that Ganio and Marchand did not dance in the most recent Swan Lake run (coming as it did hard on the heels of Mayerling) and Louvet was busy with the Pina Bausch evening, that left the Opera having to lean heavily on the premiere danseurs to fill the Siegfried spots. Marc Moreau wasn't cast originally as Siegfried (he was cast as Rothbart instead). He also wasn't cast originally as the title character in Vaslaw for the Patrick Dupond evening - Heymann was. So, Moreau ended up with two opportunities to show his potential in the true star roles, which might not have happened under a different set of circumstances. (He was also a lead in Lander's Etudes for the Dupond tribute and he's currently dancing in both Ballet Imperial and Who Cares? for the Balanchine evening.)

Talent matters.  Marc Moreau has it and the promotion to etoile is a deserved one. But sometimes events can lend you a little helping hand.

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by miliosr

[volcanohunter]

Yes, I can think of a few cases where heroic service to the company in time of need has sped along a promotion to étoile.

[miliosr]

1 hour ago, volcanohunter said:

Yes, I can think of a few cases where heroic service to the company in time of need has sped along a promotion to étoile.

Even though he was at the end of his career, I thought Florian Magnenet deserved the title for single-handedly rescuing the run of Le Rouge et le Noir.

[volcanohunter]

I thought so also. It's a pity it didn't happen.

[ECat]

This is wonderful news!  Congratulations to them both!

[miliosr]

Looking ahead to the next few seasons, the appointments of Hannah O'Neill and Marc Moreau as etoiles only buy Jose Martinez so much time. Based on my estimations, five female etoiles - Emilie Cozette, Myriam Ould-Braham, Dorothee Gilbert, Ludmila Pagliero and Laura Hecquet - will retire (in that order) in the next four seasons. Cozette rarely dances so that retirement won't be felt much. But the departures of the others will be felt to one extent or another.

The ranks of the male etoiles are low compared to those of the female etoiles (6 to 10 with the most recent appointments). The troupe can't rely forever on Mathieu Ganio - he turns 39 this year. And Marc Moreau isn't a "young" appointment, either - he's 36. There's definitely more urgency on this side of the fence. 

[Josette]

There is talent in that company that is being developed and flourishing. I am not worried. The two new promotions were a good sign of Martinez’s direction.  I’ve been attending since 1996 and last saw the company in November and am attending again in May.  

[silvermash]

there are  excellent candidates in the female ranks so there is no need to worry on this side. The landscape is more complicated right now on the male side... José Martinez has  pointed out the problem and I believe he's already working on it.