“Etoile” means “star” or “flower shape” in French, and only a few of the most outstanding dancers in the Opera Ballet can hold that position.
According to the ballet company, Hana O’Neill is the first dancer from Japan to hold the highest rank.
The appointment to “Etoile” was announced at the performance held at the Opera on the 2nd of this month, and the French TV station reported that a big applause was sent from the venue.
Hana O’Neill, whose mother is Japanese, won the 1st prize at the Lausanne International Ballet Competition in Switzerland in 2009, and in 2016 she won the “Benoit Prize”, a world-renowned Russian ballet award. Awarded Best Dancer Award.
The Opera Ballet Company commented, “A new star is shining in the sky of the ballet world. Congratulations.”
