ANAIS CHALENDARD

Anais Chalendard got her first professional contract at the age of 17 with the Deutsch Oper am Rhein under the direction of Youri Vamos, after graduating her baccalauréat in economic and political science.

She then got an engagement with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin directed at the time by Vladimir Malakov.

Few years later, Chalendard moved to Karlsruhe to join the Badische Staatstheater under the direction of Birgit Keil, where she becomes principal.

There, amongst other leading parts, Chalendard premiered the leading role in Terence Kohler's Anna Karenina and Gamzatti in his La Bayadère. She also enjoyed participating in the creation of Ray Barra's Carmen as Carmen along side of kammer Tanner Flavio Salamanka.

She also participated to many choreographic creation by Renato Zanella, David Bombana, and Terence Kohler.

She also got the opportunity to dance Juliet in Sir Kenneth Mac Milan’s Romeo and Juliet.

Chalendard finally joined the English National Ballet in 2008 under the direction of Wayne Eagling, where she was promoted to first soloist following performances in Manon and The Dying Swan. She has also appeared in performances organized by Carlos Acosta dancing a pas de deux (Young Apollo) especially created for her and Junor de Oliveira Souza by choreographer Adam Hougland. In 2009, she received the "Emerging Dancer Award" after dancing Nikiya's Death from La Bayadère.

In 2012, Chalendard appeared at the Nureyev Festival in Russia as Giselle with Principal dancer Jozef Varga from Het National Ballet, and as Odette/Odile in Derek Dean's Swan Lake with English National Ballet. She has been listed in the “100 Best Dancers in the World” by Dance Europe Magazine.

In June 2013, she was invited to dance Erik Brühn's La Sylphide with Friedemann Vogel, principal with the Stuttgart Ballet, and Rolando Sarabia, international guest artist, at the Teatro dell Opera di Roma.

Chalendard joined Boston Ballet in 2013 as a Second Soloist, and was promoted to Soloist in 2014 and Principal in 2016.

She then could be seen as Gamzatti in Florence Clerc’s La Bayadère, in some diverse work from Jorma Elo and Yury Yanowsky, as the 2nd Aria in Balanchine’s Violin Concerto, in the lead role of La Gaité Parisienne as the Glove Seller, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Miko Nissinen’s swan lake, Marguerite in Val Caniparoli’s The Lady of the Camélias, Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet.

Chalendard has been invited to dance at the World Ballet Competition Star’s gala in Orlando, She also served as a jury member at the World Ballet Competition, and has taught summer intensives with Dance Theater International, Allen Conservatory, and Boston Ballet School.

In the year 2019, Anaïs has been invited to dance with Kammer Tänzer Flavio Salamanka during Mozart festival In Salzburg.

And has also guested as Princess Aurora in Maina Gielgud’s production of Sleeping Beauty with Joburg Ballet.

She retired  from the Stage in the role of Giselle in October 2019 in a special and last guest appearance with Joburg Ballet.