DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Julien Meyzindi’s career as a dancer at the Paris Opera has brought him around the world, to work with some of the best dancers and choreographers in classical and modern ballet. He began at the Montpellier Conservatoire when he was six years old, and then entered the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1992, where he undertook 5 years of intensive training. 

Julien joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1997 and was promoted to the rank of Coryphée 2 years later. That same year, he danced his first role in Maurice Béjart’s le Concours. In 2000, Julien won a silver medal at the Paris International Dance Competition.  In 2004 he was promoted to the rank of Sujet, and since then he has danced numerous solo roles in classical ballets by renowned choreographers, including Rudolf Noureev, Serge Lifar, Roland Petit, Georges Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.  He also had the pleasure of dancing in Maurice Béjart’s Boléro alongside Sylvie Guillem, and in various contemporary pieces including Pina Bausch’s Rites of Spring and Merce Cunningham’s Walkaround Time.

Julien has also worked on the creation of new ballets with many of the world’s leading choreographers, including William Forsythe and Jiri Kylian. In 2015, he worked with Wayne McGregor on the creation of Tree of Codes, in which he danced with Marie-Agnès Gillot, in the world premiere at the Manchester International Festival, followed by tours to New York, London, and Melbourne. In 2016, he danced the lead male role in a new version of Iolanta/The Nutcracker, choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Edouard Lock and Arthur Pita. That same year, he also participated at Season’s Canon creation by Crystal Pite.

Julien has also choreographed his own pieces on stage and in music videos. He began his journey as a choreographer in 2013 with Smoke Alarm, which premiered at Opera Bastille in Paris. He was subsequently invited to create a neo-classical ballet for the 130th anniversary of the brand Maison Lejaby at the Lido de Paris. Julien choreographed his first music video, Pueblo for the electro-pop : Sauvage, in 2016.  This was followed by a second music video for Lulu Gainsbourg’s Jeux d’Enfants.  Julien also collaborated on a piece for Paris Nuit Blanche arts festival with the visual artist Francois Mangeol.

In 2020, Julien received the state diploma for classical dance instruction, and has been working as an artistic adviser for dance companies and performing artists. In 2021 He was the choreographer for a short film "Deviens" directed by Adrien Lohmmedieu and works again for Gaumont film industry as a dance expert.

Today Julien is focusing on the development of his own creative project : "What Next ?" a multi-disciplinary project bringing togethers Julien's choreography, a short film directed by Cecile Rogue and produced by Naïa Productions. This film will have its World Premiere as an official selection of the 2023 New York Tribeca Film Festival.