At the age of 28, François Alu, the dancer of the Paris Opera has just been named star after the performance of La Bayadère.

A consecration

Become a star. It is the consecration for any classical dancer. A dream just realized by François Alu. He was named star by the Paris Opera this Saturday, April 23. Thanks to his name, he has been nicknamed since his debut ‘the hallucinating dancer‘. On stage Saturday night, there was plenty to be ecstatic about. He was applauded every time he entered and left the stage for his perfect incarnation of the virile warrior of La Bayadère. The audience seemed bewitched.

A proposal of Aurelie Dupont

In accordance with tradition, the director of the Opera, Alexander Neef, accompanied by Aurélie Dupont, went on stage to announce this appointment after a performance of La Bayadère organized as part of the event “My first time at the Opera”, where François Alu played the main male role. “I invite you to witness now an exceptional and emotional moment in the life of our theatre,” he said. “On the proposal of Aurélie Dupont, director of dance, I have the great pleasure of appointing Mr. François Alu star dancer”, he announced, to applause. The dancer, very moved, was given a long standing ovation by the public, his fellow dancers and the musicians of the orchestra. A favorite of the Ballet de l’Opéra audience who nicknames him “alu-cinant”, François Alu, 28, joined the company in 2010 and, in four years, has experienced a meteoric rise, rising to the rank of “first dancer”. (preceding the star title).

Juror in Dance with the stars

Since 2014, his fans have been indignant at not seeing him reach the supreme title and at being poorly distributed, some even launching a hashtag #AluEtoile on social networks. If the dancers of the Opera are recognizable by their slender silhouette, François Alu is more athletic, and impresses with his pirouettes and his turns in the air. François Alu’s career began at the age of 16. Talented, he quickly climbed the ladder and became first dancer at 19, a rank that precedes the star. He then embodies many roles, but the ultimate consecration does not come. He left the Paris Opera for six months. In particular, he puts on a one-on-stage show, “Complètement Jetés! », which fills the halls. In 2021, he became a juror in “Dance with the Stars“, the cult program of TF1.

Supported by the public

On Instagram, the interested party posted a long message where he expressed his emotion following this consecration. In the caption of a photo in which he is on stage and puts his hand on his heart, he writes: “‘Per la famiglia’, the ritual that I do before each appearance on stage. Today, I dedicate this star to all my family, my love, my friends and my great team ! Without forgetting the public who have always supported me”, he writes first, before thanking Alexander Neef, the director of the Paris Opera , and Aurélie Dupont for having “honored him with this title”.