Bernice Coppieters

Born in Belgium, Bernice Coppieters started her dance training at age ten at the Ballet Institute in Antwerp. In 1988, she was accepted into the Juilliard School in New York and won the Prix de Lausanne, after which she was engaged as a soloist by the Royal Ballet of Flanders. In 1991, she joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo under the direction of Jean-Christophe Maillot – the beginning of a collaboration that continues to this day. Coppieters inspired Maillot to create some of the most compelling characters in ballet, which have helped establish the company’s excellent reputation, including Juliette in »Roméo et Juliette«, the Fairy Godmother and the Evil Stepmother in »Cendrillon«, and the title roles in »La Belle« and »Shéhérazade«. She also dances leading roles from the Ballets Russes repertoire and works with contemporary choreographers such as Karole Armitage, Lucinda Childs, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Maurice Béjart. In 2015, Coppieters was named Principal Ballet Master of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo. She directs productions for dance companies like the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, the Prague National Theater, and the Berlin State Ballet.