L’Uomo: interview with Hugo Marchand

L’Uomo: interview with Hugo Marchand

“It was love at first sight,” says Hugo Marchand, 27, who has been an étoile of the Paris Opera company for four years now. He wasn’t

smitten with a lover, but with the art of dance. A highly active child who attended courses in gymnastics and circus art, when he was nine he asked his father to enrol him in the Conservatoire de Nantes. Of his four years there he says: “I became aware of my body, of others, of space, of the air that surrounds us. I realised I had the ability to control my body, and this would give me freedom, allowing me to make the most of life.” At 13 he entered the Paris Opera Ballet School. His hard work and determination won him a place in the Opera’s Corps de ballet at 17, and by 23 he was appointed danseur étoile.

Down filled shirt in nylon, 7 Moncler Frgmt Hiroshi Fujiwara.

© Alexandre Guirkinger

Was it the right decision?
If I’d known what I was getting into, I might have been apprehensive. But I approached everything with innocence. It’s been a long road, yet I always had a clear sense that this was my vocation. Dance has given my life meaning.

But it called for a sacrifice.
I think of it as a choice rather than a sacrifice. Choosing one thing often means giving up something else. I gave up everyday family life, but I discovered the pleasure of tackling the world head-on.

Chino trousers in cotton, 7 Moncler Frgmt Hiroshi Fujiwara.

© Alexandre Guirkinger

When you speak of excellence, you also speak of being kind to yourself.
To me, excellence means overcoming your limits and finding fulfilment by channelling your dreams. It takes a lot of effort and plenty of luck, but above all you need to be motivated by desire, an almost violent urge, a vital force. With excellence alone you risk burning out. Being kind, on the other hand, means keeping your equilibrium, taking care of yourself, surrounding yourself with friends, with love, trying to preserve a normal life. Ideally, you want to be able to be excellent in the long term.

What about fashion andMoncler?
I met Moncler through my agent. I’d already seen their beautiful exhibition at the Musée Picasso [Moncler Pierpaolo Piccioli, part of the Moncler Genius project, January 2020]. After that I met Remo Ruffini and Gian Luca Passi [the brand’s president and CEO, and the worldwide entertainment industry director, respectively], and they invited me to Milan for Moncler Genius 2020, where they organised an incredible evening in a disused factory. Recently I also took part in Moncler Voices for the opening of the Paris boutique. Moncler has a powerful identity with cutting-edge communication. I like that they’re interested in athletes and artists rather than the usual stars. In Moncler’s case it’s genuine patronage.

(Continues)

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALEXANDRE GUIRKINGER
STYLING BY PAUL HAMELINE
Hair David Delicourt
Make-up Eny Whitehead
Production Julien Dominguez @ Rose

Read the full interview by Lella Scalia in the July issue of L'Uomo, on newsstands from June 29th

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