Fabrice Calmels

Born and raised in France, Fabrice Calmels began ballet training at three-years-old. At age eleven, he entered the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School, and following his graduation, he moved to the United States, where he joined the Rock School in Philadelphia and danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Calmels furthered his training in both Russian and Balanchine techniques and Boston Ballet and the School of American Ballet. In 2012, he established himself in Chicago with the Joffrey Ballet, where became a lead dancer two years later. Calmels was honored to perform the Othello pas de deux for the 2016 Benois de la Danse Gala at the Bolshoi Theatre, and in December 2019, he took his final bow with the Joffrey Ballet in order to pursue other artistic ventures.

In 2014 and 2016, Calmels was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance and was later signed by IMG Models New York. As a model/performer, he has appeared in several international fashion magazines, including the Versace 2016 fall/winter campaign. Calmels can be seen on the Fox series The Big Leap, and at over 6’ 6”, he proudly holds the Guinness World Record for Tallest Ballet Dancer.