Born in France, Cédric Ygnace graduated from Académie de Danse Classique – Princesse Grace de Monaco de Marika Besobrasova on The John Gilpin Scholarship. He danced with Les Ballets de Monté-Carlo (1996-1998) and from 1998 to 2012 with Dutch National Ballet as a Principal Dancer.
His repertoire includes principal roles in Swan Lake (Rudi van Danzig), The Sleeping Beauty (Sir Peter Wright), The Nutcracker (Toer van Schayk & Wayne Eagling), La Syphide (Dinna Bjørn), Onegin (John Cranko), Cinderella (Frederick Ashton), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Ashton), Giselle (versions by Maina Gielgud and also by Rachel Beaujean & Ricardo Bustamante), La Bayadere (Natalia Makarova), Don Quixote (Alexei Ratmansky), Nijinsky (Krzysztof Pastor), Don Giovanni (Pastor) and Petroushka (Mikhail Fokine). Cédric has danced in a vast range of George Balanchine ballets including Apollon Musagete, Agon, Concerto Barocco, Donizzetti Variations, La Valse, Rubies, Emeralds, Diamond, Square Dance, Serenade, Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperaments, Theme and Variations, The Prodigal Son, Tchaikovsky pas de deux and Violin Concerto. He also performed in ballets by Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp.
Cédric has also been invited to perform as a Guest Artist at a number of international galas and companies and has worked with international choreographers such as Ted Brandsen, Caroline Carlson, David Dawson, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Maguy Marin, Hans Van Manen, Mark Morris, Krzysztof Pastor and Alexey Ratmansky. Cédric was awarded the Prix de Lausanne in 1996, Gold medal at Rieti Competition in 1996, Danza & Danza prize in 1996, Espoir De La Danse International in 1996, Alexandra Radius Prize in 2004 and the Golden Swan Award in 2009. He cooperates extensively with Krzysztof Pastor for years, first he danced in his ballets and now he often works as his choreographer’s assistant. They worked together while creating Dracula for West Australian Ballet (2018) and also when the ballet had premiere in Latvia (2021).
