Ludmila Pagliero

In 1999, Ricardo Bustamante, artistic director of the ballet of the Teatro Colón (and current ballet master and assistant artistic director with the San Francisco Ballet) left to take the direction of the ballet of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago in Chile. Ludmila had had the opportunity to stand for indisposed dancers with the ballet of the Teatro Colón and at Ricardo had had the opportunity to spot her. He then proposed her a one-year contract with the corps de ballet of Santiago. Burning to get on stage, she immediately accepted his offer, without even asking permission from her parents. She was 15 1/2.

In the 2014–2015 season, she has performed the role of Naïla in La Source (Jean-Guillaume Bart) with Karl Paquette in November and December. She is now expected to dance in:

In March 2012, Rudolf Nureyev's La Bayadère was to be relayed to cinemas across Europe. Dorothée Gilbert was cast in the role of Gamzatti at the Bastille Opera. However, she was injured, and those who would normally have stood in for her were also found to be indisposed or injured. Pagliero, who was already casted in two other productions, and had not done the role in two years, was asked by then-ballet master Laurent Hilaire if she could perform it. She accepted the role after a quick rehearsal with Josua Hoffalt (Solor) and Aurélie Dupont (Nikiya).

The following season (2010-2011), she performed the lead roles in Paquita (Pierre Lacotte) and Swan Lake (Rudolf Nureyev). In September 2011, Jean-Guillaume Bart chooses her for his new production La Source.

In November 2009, she was admitted as première danseuse (soloist, fourth rank), performing during the auditions solos from Other Dances (Jerome Robbins) and Carmen (Roland Petit); she had prepared the auditions with Aurélie Dupont, Muriel Zusperreguy and Florence Clerc. The same year, she received the Konex Award from the Fundación Konex in Argentina.

This new position allowed her to dance title roles on a regular basis: she was Clara in Nutcracker (Rudolf Nureyev), as soon as December 2009, then Gamzatti in La Bayadère (Rudolf Nureyev) in May 2010 and the Étoile in La Petite Danseuse de Degas by Patrice Bart in June 2010.

In November 2006, Pagliero ascended up to the second rank of the company, becoming a Coryphée. From then on, she rose quickly and became a Sujet (third rank) the following year (performing variations from Raymonda and Swan Lake). With this new position, shel obtained, four years after she left Chile, leading roles again, in particular the title role of Garance in Les Enfants du Paradis by José Martinez.

In June 2005, she passes successfully the auditions and becomes a Quadrille (first rank) of the corps of the Paris Opera Ballet.

At the beginning of 2003, Ricardo Gustamante left the Teatro Municipal of Santiago and the ballet was left without an artistic director. A French friend living in Chile talked to her about the New York International Ballet Competition. Ludmila decided to give it a try. She prepared for a month in a New York studio, gathering all the candidates, to present one variation and three pas de deux.

She immediately decided to go to France, even though this meant started in the level of the "corps de ballet", although she was already dancing principal roles in Chile and she did not, at that time, speak the French language. At the end of the three-month period for the preparation and performance of Ivan The Terrible, her contract was extended to the end of 2003–2004 season. In June 2004, she takes the auditions again. She made second for the only available position. She however was proposed to join the company as a surnuméraire.

This new teacher suggested to her parents that she takes the admission auditions to the Instituto Superior de Arte of the Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires. Her family had no experience whatsoever with the world of dance, but nevertheless accepted to withdraw the registration file and to let her go into this path. She only had six months experience of classical dancing and only three months ahead of her to get ready and learn the pas, but also the vocabulary. In spite of falling behind the other candidates, most of whom had two or three years of prior practice, Ludmila took up the challenge: she succeeded in being admitted to the Instituto on her first attempt, in 1993, then 10 years old.

Ludmila Pagliero (born 15 October 1983) is an Argentine ballet dancer who is currently an étoile (principal) dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet. She joined the French company in 2003.