Claude Bessy was born on October 20, 1932, and received her dance training from, among others, the former Russian prima ballerina Lyubov Yegorova. At the age of ten, she entered the École de danse de l’Opéra, and by the age of thirteen, she had been accepted into the corps de ballet of the Paris Opera. In May 1956, she was named an étoile, or star of the ballet company. She held this position until 1975, when she retired from the stage in October.
In the early 1970s, she briefly served for one season as artistic director of the Opéra national de Paris ballet; from 1972 onward, she led the ballet school, remaining at its helm for thirty-two years until she was succeeded in 2004 by the current director, Elisabeth Platel.
During her career, she danced in works by George Balanchine, Serge Lifar, Maurice Béjart, Bronislava Nijinska, and Leonid Myasin. She made guest appearances at the American Ballet Theatre, the former Kirov Theatre in Leningrad, and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, among others.
She also devoted herself to choreography. She presented her own version of La fille mal gardée, as well as original works such as Studio 60, Play Bach, and Concerto en Ré.
She died on the night of April 22–23, 2026, at the age of 93.
Source: radiofrance.fr
