Mathias Deneux

Biography

Mathias creates, explores, and waits for the curtain to rise—every single day.
He is a fantastically talented dancer whose performances are as unique as he is. He never steps on stage without giving it his all and always imagines a new backstory for every role he plays.
When asked about his philosophy of ballet, Mathias simply replies: “There is no small role, and if you put your soul out there and manage to reach even just one person in the audience, you’ve won!”

He studied at Ballet du Nord from 1997 to 2002 and received his professional training at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP) from 2002 to 2006, before joining the Junior Ballet of CNSMDP.
In 2007, he was engaged by Ballet Biarritz (artistic director Thierry Malandain), and in 2008 he joined the West Australian Ballet in Perth (artistic director Ivan Cavallari). In 2010, he became a member of the National Theatre Ballet in Prague, where he was appointed soloist in 2014. In the 2024/2025 season, he was named a character dancer.

Mathias's repertoire is so extensive—spanning both classical and contemporary works—that listing it all would be nearly impossible.
He has performed in one of his dream pieces, Bella Figura by Jiří Kylián, and in intensely self-demanding works such as Jacopo Godani’s Reflections on the Fate of Human Forms or Eyal Dadon’s Katastrof, where his interpretation fused honesty and physical depth. His performances also include the explosive energy of Petr Zuska, and the technically demanding choreography of John Cranko, George Balanchine, and Uwe Scholz, to name a few.

What Mathias cherishes most is interpreting roles—whether it’s a wicked character like Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty (J. Torres), the comic Alan in La Fille mal gardée (F. Ashton), or the eccentric King in Leonce and Lena (C. Spuck). He’s also brought complexity and nuance to characters like Scrooge in The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol (J. Vámos) and the Superintendent in Cinderella (J.-C. Maillot).
Mathias considers it a special privilege and a rare freedom to reinterpret the role of Catalabutte in Marcia Haydée's Sleeping Beauty—an opportunity that will forever hold a treasured place in his heart.

Classical Repertoire

• Coppélia – Mayor, Villagers, Work, Wedding Dance, Mazurka / Czardas (solo couple) (Ronald Hynd)

• La Bayadère – Bodhisattva, Magdavea, Man from the Temple of Goddess Kali (Javier Torres)

• La Fille mal gardée – Alain (Frederick Ashton)

• La Sylphide – Two Men (Johan Kobborg)

• The Nutcracker – A Christmas Story – Harlequins, Bob Cratchit, Old Miser Scrooge, Drosselmeier (Toy Seller), Ghosts, Baker Couple (Youri Vámos)

• Romeo and Juliet – Mercutio, Father Lorenzo, Duke of Verona, Capulet Youth / Ball & Carnival Boys (John Cranko)

• Swan Lake – Companion of the Polish Princess, Polish Dance, Tutor (John Cranko)

• The Sleeping Beauty – Catalabutte (Márcia Haydée)

• The Sleeping Beauty (Šípková Růženka) – Carabosse (Fairy of Fear), Street Cat (Javier Torres)

• The Snow Queen – Imps, Reindeer (Michael Corder)

Contemporary and Neoclassical Repertoire

• A Little Extreme (Ondřej Vinklát)

• Ballet 101 (Eric Gauthier)

• Beyond Vibrations – Fly Paper Bird (Marco Goecke), Moving Rooms (Krzysztof Pastor)

• bpm – ARTZA (Eyal Dadon), Bill (Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar), Bohemian Gravity (Yemi A.D.)

• Catalabutte – variation (Márcia Haydée)

• Chvění (Petr Zuska)

• Cinderella – Prince’s Friends, Entertainment Organizers, Mannequins, Four Dummies (Jean-Christophe Maillot)

• Déjà vu (Petr Zuska)

• Forsythe / Clug / McGregor – The Second Detail (William Forsythe), Handman (Edward Clug), EDEN I EDEN (Wayne McGregor)

• In the Middle Somewhat Elevated (William Forsythe)

• Just Solo (Mathias Deneux)

• Kill de Bill (Štěpán Pechar)

• Kylián – Bridges of Time – Bella Figura, Gods and Dogs, Petite Mort, Six Dances (Jiří Kylián)

• L’Histoire de Manon – Eight Townspeople, Old Client (Kenneth MacMillan)

• Moonshine – Dance at the Crossroads, Moonshine, Rooster (Christopher Bruce)

• Phoenix – Dos Soles Solos (Alejandro Cerrudo), Prelude und Liebestod (Cayetano Soto)

• Reflections on the Fate of Human Forms (Jacopo Godani)

• Sarkasmy – Katastrof – Solo (Eyal Dadon)

• Seventh Symphony in A major, 3rd movement – two boys (Uwe Scholz)

• Solo for the Two of Us (Petr Zuska)

• The Sun, the Moon and the Wind – Fear of Flight (Viktor Konvalinka)

• The Nutcracker and the Plush Mouse – Devil, Me (Petr Zuska)

• Theme and Variations (George Balanchine)

• A Streetcar Named Desire – Soldier (John Neumeier)

• Vertigo – Cacti (Alexander Ekman), Rain (Ohad Naharin)