Early life Antoine Paul was born on 21 December 1798 in
Marseille,
France.
Entertainment life Some of Paul's earliest roles were at the Théâtre des Célestins. He was regarded as the successor of
Auguste Vestris who was set to retire from the stage. He quickly became one of the public's favourite
premier danseurs. This opportunity allowed him to secure admission for his sister,
Madame Montessu, into the Académie Royale de Musique. Two years later, she debuted as a ballet dancer alongside Paul. He made an appearance in
Tarare on 3 February 1819. He also performed in the premiere of
Clari ou la promesse de mariage on 19 June 1820, choreographed by
Louis Milon with music composed by
Rodolphe Kreutzer.
August Bournonville stated "Paul's superiority is his lightness, elasticity, speed, softness and precision. He knows how to combine daring and natural grace." In addition to the Académie Royale de Musique, he regularly performed in London, with partners including his sister
Madame Montessu and
Madame Anatole. In 1822, he performed at the
King's Theatre in London with
Lise Noblet. In Paris, Paul danced in the ballet
Aladin, ou La lampe merveilleuse on 6 February 1822. He danced in the "Army of Aladdin" in act two and alongside
Émilie Bigottini and
Fanny Elssler in act three. He played the role of Osmin in
Aline, reine de Golconde, a ballet premiered on 1 October, 1823 by Jean Aumer with music by
Gustave Dugazon. He danced in a revival of the tragedy
Armide in 1825. During the performance, he featured in a
pas de trois, dancing alongside
Lise Noblet, who portrayed
Venus, and
Madame Montessu, who performed as
Flora. On 29 January 1827, Paul performed in ''Astolphe et Joconde, ou les Coureurs d'aventures'', a
comic opera arranged as a ballet by
Jean Aumer with music by
Ferdinand Hérold. He played the role of Joconde with
Albert cast as Prince Astolphe. Around August in the summer of 1828, Paul was finishing up performances at the Lyon theatre. The dancer later appeared in Jean Aumer's Belle au bois dormant, with music arranged by Hérold and a libretto by
Eugène Scribe. It premiered on 27 April 1829 and featured a cast that included Mme Taglioni, Mme Noblet, Mme Legallois, Mme Anatole, Albert, Ferdinand, Montjoye, and Mérante. In 1830, he was a principal dancer in
Daniel Auber's
La Muette de Portici. Paul l'Aérien also performed in
Naples,
Italy, where he was praised by
Stendhal. He retired from the stage in 1831. ==Death==