Jeanne Schwarz

After joining the Paris Opera Ballet in 1904, she became an étoile in 1919, performing in leading roles until she left the company in 1928.

From age seven, she attended the Paris Ballet School as a pupil of Berthe Bernay [fr], appearing on stage in 1887 as a little rat.

[1] An early success was her appearance in Le Spectre de la rose with Vaslav Nijinsky at the American Embassy in Madrid, earning her congratulations from King Alfonso XIII.

[2] Partnering leading dancers such as Gustave Ricaux [fr], Albert Aveline and Paul Raymond, she was particularly effective in works including Les Abeilles, Maîmouna, Castor et Pollux, Les Troyens, Thaïs, Coppélia, la Maladetta, Sylvia and la Damnation de Faust.

[2] In 1928, Schwarz left the stage to teach at the Conservatoire de Paris, heading the women's class from 1939.