We are very proud to have Mr. Michel at Infinity Dance! Michel grew up at the National Ballet School and went on to perform with the National Ballet of Canada Company for many years.
Michel Faigaux, born and raised in Toronto, Canada, started his dance training at the National Ballet School of Canada at the age of ten. After receiving the Peter Dwyer Award for excellence in artistic achievement, he graduated and apprenticed with the National Ballet of Canada before being hired into Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Promoted to soloist, Michel danced many soloist and principal roles including Fritz and Lead Russian in The Nutcracker, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Jester in Swan Lake, The Bluebird Pas de Deux in The Sleeping Beauty, The Flower Festival in Napoli, and the Peasant Pas de Quatre from Giselle.
Leaving to join the National Ballet of Canada in 1995, Michel continued to dance soloist roles including Kick Boy in Elite Syncopations, The Blue Bird Pas de Deux in Sleeping Beauty, William Forsythe’s the second detail, Glen Tetley’s Voluntaries, and James Kudelka’s Washington Square. Michel also performed the company premieres of James Kudelka’s Terra Firma, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Sir Fredrick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations, The Beggar Chief in Kenneth Macmillan’s Manon, and ‘Oh Johnny’ in Paul Taylor’s Company “B”. Michel also danced in the world premieres of James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons and Nutcracker.
Joining Alberta Ballet and new artistic director Mikko Nissinen in 1998, Michel performed the Nutcracker Prince, the Lead Couple in Balanchine’s Rubies, the Solo Couple and Lead Couple in Helgi Tommasson’s Much Ado, Iago in John Butler’s Othello, the Lead Couple in Jean Paul Commelin’s Les Nuits D’ete, Puck in Christopher Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the 1st Song in Rudi Van Dantzig’s Four Last Songs, and Balanchine’s Prodigal Son.
Michel has also worked on film, including being Martin Short’s dance double in the Hollywood film ‘A Simple Wish’, and ‘Trio’, a short film for Bravo and CBC, directed and choreographed by Veronica Tennant. Michel is also an international guest artist, having performed with Maximum Dance in Miami, Fla., (partnering Tina Leblanc and Julie Diana, Principal dancers with San Francisco Ballet), Singapore Dance Theatre, (performing Hilarion in Giselle and the Lover in The Red Shoes), The Georgia Ballet, (dancing the Nutcracker Prince and James in La Sylphide), Les Petit’s Ballet in Ottawa, Canada, The Santa Fe Festival Ballet in Santa Fe, NM., The Great Lakes Ballet in Detroit, MI., The Stars of Canadian Ballet, and with Artistic Dance Theatre in Miami, Fla. Michel has spent 2 seasons in the Stratford Festival, performing in The King and I, Hello Dolly and The Tempest, and spent 2004 in the Charlottetown Festival during their 40th anniversary season. He has also performed as Mr. Mistoffelees in CATS, as Ike Skidmore in Oklahoma, as ‘The Toreador’ in La Traviata, and as a Gambler in Guys and Dolls. Michel also enjoys teaching, and is a world renowned guest ballet teacher, having taught in the USA and Japan, as well as for Ballet BC, Alberta Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada and for Dance Teq in Toronto.