Editing Paris Opera Ballet (section)

==Paris Opera Ballet School==
The Paris Opera Ballet School ([[French language|French]]: École de danse de l'Opéra national de Paris) is one of the most preeminent dance schools in the world.<ref>[https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/artists/ballet-school/history The Ballet School], site of the Paris Opera.</ref> It has six classes for boys and girls separately named ''sixième division'' to ''première division''.

In 1987, the Paris Opera Ballet School moved from the [[Palais Garnier]] (where most of the Paris Opera ballets take place) to a new building located 10 kilometres west of the centre of Paris, in [[Nanterre]]. The new dance school building was designed by [[Christian de Portzamparc]]. Since 1995, the Paris Opera Ballet School has been a [[boarding school]].<ref>Between 1987 and 1995 the Paris Opera Ballet School was a boarding school as well, but obtaining the bac was not compulsory.</ref> Nowadays, from 8&nbsp;a.m. until noon, all pupils attend school classes leading to the obtention of the French ''[[baccalauréat]]'' (the ''bac''), the general qualification for university entrance in France.

Among the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet, 95 percent have attended the Paris Opera Ballet School.<ref>[http://www.lesechos.fr/27/12/2013/LesEchos/21593-071-ECH_pourquoi-les-ballets-de-l-opera-de-paris-font-partie-des-spectacles-favoris-des-fetes.htm Pourquoi les ballets de l'Opéra de Paris font partie des spectacles favoris des fêtes], article by Martine Robert, 27 December 2013, Les Echos</ref> To describe it differently, for a young dancer to be accepted in the Paris Opera ''[[corps de ballet]]'', it is virtually obligatory to enter the Paris Opera Ballet School and attend at least the final two classes (''deuxième et première division''). More than 90 percent of the candidates do not pass the entrance examination.<ref>The first entrance examination is a physical test, the second one an audition.</ref> Even some of the dancers who have later become ''premiers danseurs'' (first soloists) or ''[[Danseur Étoile|danseurs étoiles]]'' ([[principal dancer]]s) of the Paris Opera Ballet passed the entrance examination only on the second attempt, or were accepted only as fee-paying pupils.<ref>For example Laura Hecquet and Léonore Baulac, who passed only on the second attempt, or Mathias Heymann, who was accepted only as a fee-paying pupil.</ref>