Françoise Adret, born in August 7, 1920, was a French ballet dancer, a teacher, a choreographer and company director.

She studied with the leading Franco-Russian teachers in Paris, including Madame Rousanne Sarkissian, Victor Gsovsky or Sergei Lifar. In 1943, she began her professional career as a dancer with some recitals during a short transition at the Paris Opera Ballet. There, with the guidance of Sergei Lifar, she made her first choreography, Conjuration in 1948.

Later that year, Adret left the Paris Opera Ballet and became ballet mistress of Les Ballets de Paris de Roland Petit. and the Ballet of the Netherlands Opera. After being ballet mistress at Opéra de Nice, she spent a few years as an international guest choreographer. While residing in Panama, she created the Ballet Nacional de Panamá. Returning to France, Adret joined Jean-Albert Cartier in 1968 in the creation of Ballet Théâtre Contemporain, the first national choreographic center, established in Amiens. Then, she worked with the new Centre National de la Danse (CN D), worked as an inspector general for dance projects in the Ministry of Culture, director of Lyon Opera, find again her place as Ballet mistress next to Roland Petit with Ballet National de Marseille, worked with Ballet de Lorraine…

In recognition of her role in developing contemporary dance in France, she received the Grand Prix National de la Danse in 1987, and in 1994 she was named as a chevalier in the Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur.

Source : Numeridanse