Soloist

Assistant choreographer

Trained at the ballet school of the Paris National Opera directed by Claude Bessy, Gilles Portes worked with Serge Golovine, Daniel Franck, Lucien Duthoit and Gilbert Mayer.

Next he danced with the corps de ballet of the Paris National Opera under the direction of Patrick Dupond, then Brigitte Lefèvre. He danced “quadrille”, after which he was promoted to “coryphaeus”. He danced choreographies by Rudolph Noureev, Petipa, Bournonville, Balanchine, Graham, Cunningham, Bagouet and worked with Patrice Bart, John Neumeier, Angelin Preljocaj, Carolyn Carlson and Roland Petit.

He then joined the Zürich ballet under the direction of Heinz Spoerli where he danced choreographies by Van Manen and Spoerli.

He joined the Marseille National Ballet, directed first by Marie-Claude Pietragalla then by Frédéric Flamand. He danced choreographies created by Marie-Claude Pietragalla, Rui Horta, Gvoski, Bournonville, Balanchine, Robbins, Forsythe, Duato, Frédéric Flamand, Michel Kéléménis, Thierry Malandain and Julien Lestel.

Gilles Porte has been deeply involved in setting up the Ballet Julien Lestel, both as dancer and technical assistant. He plays an active part in all the activities carried out by the BJL to promote dance.

Since 2020, he has been teaching at the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse in Marseille.