Jacqueline Rayet Has Passed Away: the Last Étoile of the French Silver Age
- 5 days ago
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On April 17, 2026, the Paris Opera announced the death of Jacqueline Rayet, one of the most brilliant and versatile stars of French ballet of the second half of the 20th century. She died at the age of 93.
Rayet entered the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1942, when occupied Paris was living in the shadows of war. And at the age of 13, in 1946, she appeared on the Grand Opera stage in the corps de ballet. Her journey from "little dancer" to Étoile took 15 years — in 1961, after her performance in Giselle, she was awarded the title.
But Raya's greatest asset isn't her titles, but her rare versatility. She was equally at home in the classics: Giselle, Odette-Odile, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and La Sylphide. And she also became a muse for modernist choreographers:
Maurice Béjart created for her the role of the Chosen One in his The Rite of Spring (1965) and Webern Opus 5 (1967);
Roland Petit created for her "Adagio" (1965) and "Turangalîla" (1968);
George Balanchine entrusted her with solo parts in Serenade, The Fairy's Kiss, and The Crystal Palace;
Serge Lifar saw in her his Snow White and the heroine of "Fantastic Weddings".
After retiring from the stage, Rayet became a ballet master and repetiteur at the Paris Opera, and from 1986 onward, she taught at the Paris Conservatory. Her students include today's stars of French and European ballet.
Jacqueline Rayet belonged to the generation that bridged the gap between pre-war ballet, where Sergei Lifar shone, and the legacy of Diaghilev's seasons, and the post-war avant-garde — Béjart and Petit. She personally knew Yvette Chauviré and Rudolf Nureyev (she often rehearsed with him), and lived through the time of Pierre Lacotte. Her passing symbolizes the end of an era when the Paris Opera remained the last bastion of romantic ballet, while simultaneously opening up to new trends.
Today we say merci, Mademoiselle Rayet. For your ability to be both Giselle and the Chosen One. For teaching us to dance not with our feet, but with our minds.
Voci'dell Opera expresses its sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and all who knew and loved Jacqueline Rayet.