Perles de la Danse
© Ireneusz Bruski

At the Cirque Royal in Brussels, the stage will open onto a remarkable moment following the performance of the renowned Béjart Ballet Lausanne: Bye Bye Baby Blackbird and Dionysos (Suite). The Polish Foundation for the Art of Dance will present the prestigious “Perles de la Danse” award to Piotr Nardelli, an outstanding Polish dancer, teacher, and choreographer whose artistic journey is deeply marked by the legacy of the great choreographer Maurice Béjart. The prize will be awarded by Bożena Kociołkowska, founder and president of the Foundation for the Art of Dance and former principal dancer of the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera in Warsaw.

The “Perles de la Danse” prize is awarded to Polish artists in recognition of their lifetime achievements in dance. To date, seventeen artists have been honored for their exceptional contribution to the history of Polish and international ballet. The statuette presented on this occasion is a miniature of the sculpture Homage to Polish Ballet Artists, known as the “Terpsichore of Warsaw,” created by sculptor Zbigniew Stanuch.

The Polish Institute  Brussels joins the Foundation for the Art of Dance on this occasion to honor Piotr Nardelli and extends its warmest congratulations to the laureate for this prestigious and fully deserved distinction.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the Béjart Ballet Lausanne for organizing this magnificent event and for the honor of including it in the program of its Brussels performances.

© Piotr Nardelli’s private archives

PIOTR NARDELLI

Piotr Nardelli graduated from the Roman Turczynowicz Ballet School in Warsaw in 1966. He was a soloist at the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera in Warsaw, where he performed, among others, the roles of Paolo in Francesca da Rimini, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and Basilio in Don Quixote, as well as solo parts in Giselle, Spartacus, Cinderella, and Swan Lake.

In 1971, he began working at the Opéra de Marseille and with Roland Petit’s company. From 1973, he joined Maurice Béjart’s Ballet of the 20th Century, performing in numerous productions from the company’s repertoire. In 1975, he took part in the creation of the ballet Boléro, choreographed by Maurice Béjart for Maya Plisetskaya at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

In 1979, he began a teaching career. In Brussels, he co-founded the Balletomania dance school with Andrzej Ziemski, while also teaching at Maurice Béjart’s Mudra school. As a pedagogue, he has been regularly invited to collaborate with numerous companies around the world, including the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera in Warsaw, the Grand Theatres of Poznań and Łódź, the Silesian Opera and Wrocław Opera, the Paris Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, the Naples Opera, the Finnish National Opera, the Bolshoi Theatre, opera houses in Berlin and Stuttgart, the Tokyo Ballet, the Shanghai Ballet, the Ballet de Santiago, and the Australian Ballet.

As the only Polish artist authorized by Maurice Béjart to transmit his choreographies, he has notably staged such works as Symphony No. 9, Petrushka, Boléro, La Luna, and La Vie parisienne, among others.

At the top of the page: Piotr Nardelli, Maurice Béjart, and Emmanuel Thibault
© Francette Levieux

9 May 2026
following the performance of Bye Bye Baby Blackbird and Dionysos (Suite)
presentation of the Perles de la Danse award in honor of Piotr Nardelli
Cirque Royal
Rue de l’Enseignement 81, 1000 Brussels
Tickets