Joined the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1973 and became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1979. She was quickly recognized internationally when she received the Varna Grand Prix (in the youth category) in 1980 at the International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria.
During the Paris Opera Ballet Competition, she was promoted Premiere Danseuse in 1983.
In 1986, the AROP Paris Opera Ballet Association awarded her the Prix du Public. From 1984 to 2005 she interpreted principal roles of the classical repertory (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bayadère, Don Quixote, Coppelia, La Fille mal Gardée, Romeo and Juliette, Etudes…) and new works from guest choreographers invited to the Paris Opera Ballet (William Forsythe, Odile Duboc, John Neumeier…) but also choreographies from Lifar, Balanchine, Robbins, Tudor, MacMillan, Graham, Taylor, Tharp, Kudelka …)
In 1987 she was invited to be a Principal Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet during a leave of absence from the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1988 she became Guest Principal Artist with the San Francisco Ballet and the following year was part of the San Francisco Ballet’s French tour at the Champs-Elysees Theater.
In 2003 she obtained her Diplôme d’Etat in Ballet (official French teaching diploma). Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of France, honored her with the National Merit Order as a Chevalier in 2004.
As a final good-bye to the Paris Opera Ballet, and for the first time in her career, she interpreted the role of Juliet in Nureyev’s choreography Romeo and Juliet at the Bastille Opera on July 9, 2005.
Karin pursued her career as a guest artist. In February 2009 she made her final appearance in Japan performing « Les Biches » Nijinska’s choreography with the NBA Ballet Company to celebrate Serge de Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes 100 years.
Since then Karin is a freelance Ballet instructor and coach for Ballet Companies and Schools throughout the world. She relocated to New York City where she currently teaches daily classes Sunday through Thursday at Steps on Broadway. She is a recognized master teacher and has been invited to teach in France, Korea, Japan , Canada , Israel, across the United States and more.
http://karin-averty.com/