Happy birthday to Sylvie Guillem

Today is the 60th birthday of celebrated French dancer Sylvie Guillem.

At a young age, Guillem proved herself as a talented gymnast, but when she was 11 her true talent--dancing--was noted by her parents and by famed ballerina and dance instructor Claude Bessy. Although Guillem stated that she initially hated dancing and preferred gymnastics, she soon discovered that she loved performing for the public and by the age of 16, she was locked into a trajectory of success and international celebrity.

Guillem rose swiftly through the ranks of performers, and she was soon dancing the lead roles in every production she had a part in. During the 1980s and into the early 1990s, she was the principal dancer for renowned companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet and the Royal Ballet in London. 

 

By the mid-1990s, at the height of her fame as a ballerina, Guillem turned her talent toward modern dance, and her reputation as one of the world's greatest dancers only continued to grow.

Shortly after her 50th birthday, Guillem embarked on a dance tour that would see her perform on stages from Great Britain to Japan. Then, in November of 2015, she retired from dancing and public life.