A native of Quebec’s Charlevoix region, Raphaël Bouchard began his dance training at the late age of 16, at the École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, under the direction of Didier Chirpaz. A few months later, he joined the Jeune Ballet du Québec, where he had the opportunity to participate in creations alongside renowned choreographers.
As a talented student, you may have guessed, Raphaël was offered a scholarship in 2002 and 2004 to take part in the Monaco Dance Forum. Raphaël went on to make a name for himself in 2005, when Jean-Christophe Maillot, director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, offered him a place in the famous company. Raphaël rose through the ranks to become a Soloist a few years later.
In 2013, the artist joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet for two years, before going back to Quebec to join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal as a Soloist. During the 2020-2021 season, he was promoted to First Dancer.
Alongside his career as a dancer, Raphaël shares his knowledge by teaching at the “Danse à la Carte” school. He also helped prepare the national diving team for the recent Olympic Games as a ballet teacher. A guest teacher with the “Cas Public” company, he also teaches the subtleties of pas de deux at the École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec and in various schools throughout the province.
In 2022, Raphaël co-founded the Charlevoix Danse Festival, dedicated to discovering the world of the performing arts.
