Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal

Rachel Rufer, Principal dancer

"When the glances exchanged on stage make you live what you're performing."

Origin : Lausanne, Switzerland Training

 

École de danse du ballet de l'Opéra de Paris (Migros national scholarship)

Career

 

1990         L'Opéra de Paris (corps de ballet)

1994         Promoted to Coryphée

1998         San Francisco Ballet

2000         Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal (Soloist)

2001         Creates the role of the young countess in The Queen of Spades (Kim Brandstrup)

2002         Promoted to Principal Dancer

2004         Rachel appears in the Grands Ballets television commercial shown on Radio-Canada

Awards

 

1984        Gold Medal, Aarau national contest

1985        Received first for the school schedules arranged for sports in Geneva (Geneva Dance Center)

1986-88   Migros national scholarship

1988        Gold Medal, International Dance Contest in Bordeaux.

1995        Prize winner, along with partner Pierre-Francois Vilanoba,

               Osaka International Dance Competition for Young Soloists (Japan)

2000        Bay Area's Izzies prize for best interpretation (Isadora Duncan Award) for the role of the « the Wife » in The Invitation (Kenneth McMillan)

Repertoire

 

At Les Grands Ballets, Rachel Rufer's notable repertoire includes the black couple in Forgotten Land, Stepping Stone, Six Dances and Symphony of Psalms (Jiří Kylián), the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker (Fernand Nault), Apartment and Queen Silvia in Sleeping Beauty (Mats Ek), Gloria (Kenneth MacMillan), Noces, the Mother in Cinderella and The Rite of Spring (Stijn Celis), Minus One, Kaamos, Danz and Perpetuum (Ohad Naharin), Without Words and Jardí Tancat (Nacho Duato), Polyphonia (Christopher Wheeldon), TooT and Carmen (Didy Veldman) as well as Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Jean-Christophe Maillot), Tchaikovsky Pas de deux, Episodes, Rubies and Concerto Barocco (George Balanchine), Four Seasons (Mauro Bigonzetti), among others.

She has also danced in many works by Rudolf Noureev, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Millicent Hodson, Carolyn Carlson, Roland Petit, John Neumeier, Mark Morris, Helgi Tomasson, Lila York and David Palmer. At times a model, she has inspired the very talented designer Antonio Ortega. She is also watches ambassador for Delance.