Dancing Through Life
Medhi had a passion for ballet from a very young age. Determined and disciplined, his focus and talent took him from dancing in a small town in France, to an elite ballet school in Paris, to stages across the globe. Now he is passing on that experience to dancers in Aotearoa.
Early years
Born in France, Medhi grew up in a small town in Brittany called Lamballe. At around 7 years old, he took his first ballet class with local teacher, Chantal Bieber, and he was instantly hooked. In 1995 he auditioned for the Paris Opera Ballet School and was selected by Claude Bessy to join the school full-time. He was just 9 years old when he moved to Paris, living in the boarding house during the week and taking the train back to Brittany for the weekends. The ballet training was intense and exacting and though there were highs and lows, Medhi flourished in the disciplined environment and his passion for ballet only grew.
Principal dancer with RNZB
Completing his training at age 17, Medhi was invited to join the English National Ballet in London. An accomplished and disciplined dancer, he was a soloist in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and The Nutcracker. After 5 years in London, he took up an opportunity to join the Royal New Zealand Ballet where he was offered the role of Basilio in Don Quixote. It was his first principal role in a full-length ballet and the beginning of 5 years of solo and principal roles with the company.
In 2013 Medhi returned to France to join the Nice Opera Ballet as a soloist. While in Nice, Medhi continued to dance iconic, classical roles such as James in La Sylphide, along with works by neo-classical and contemporary choreographers.
Sharing his ballet expertise
Medhi has toured the world with ballet and as a result has developed an in-depth knowledge of the industry and an understanding of how to work with dancers from different backgrounds. He developed an interest in coaching while dancing with the RNZB, teaching masterclasses and ballet courses whenever his schedule allowed. His fellow dancers recognised his keen eye for technique and would regularly ask him for advice and tailored coaching to help bring out their best.
With over 20 years’ experience in the ballet world, and having coached dancers across the globe, Medhi is committed to taking young New Zealand ballet dancers to the world stage. He is consistently impressed with the dedication and work ethic of the dancers he works with in NZ and he knows that with his guidance, their hard work will pay off.
