Dancer, was this a little girls’s dream?

When Juliette Gernez was a child

I always dreamt of becoming a dancer. Liane Dayé, the prima ballerina, who was also my dance teacher, carried me in her arms when I was only one week old. Like a godmother above the cradle of her godchild … She is the one who passed on to me this passion for dance that never left me, despite the trials it entails! As a little girl, I used to go watch my elder sisters dance: I used to dream of it, but had to wait until I was, seven-years-old to begin.

My ultimate dream: being part of the Opéra! After two years at the Conservatoire National de Paris, I attended the Ecole de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris. Five years later, after passing the entrance contest, I became part of the Opéra National de Paris ballet corps. After my first admission to Quadrille, I rose to the rank of Coryphée...

It’s hard to realize how much dancing is a true vocation: it is the most rigorous discipline that comes with a great deal of suffering: each day, your body is pushed to the extreme. You have to give your maximum every single day, being 100% at the top with an irreproachable life hygiene.

The week of Do It