Guillaume Diop had heard the whispers: His feet were flat, his bottom too big; he would never get into the Paris Opera Ballet School. He proved the naysayers wrong, entering the school at 12.

Three years later he was ready to leave. He felt insecure about his body and his abilities, was restricting his eating and had received treatment for anorexia. His friends all aspired to join the Paris Opera Ballet, but Diop was not so sure. There was no one at the company who looked like him — and besides, he still dreamed of being a doctor.

But, at 18, Diop did join the Paris Opera Ballet. And in March 2023, he became its first Black étoile, or “star,” thrusting him into the spotlight as a symbolic figure for young dancers of color, as an emblem of a more diverse France and as a fashion-world darling.

The attention and pressure of flying the diversity flag is “sometimes overwhelming,” Diop, 24, said recently, speaking in his dressing room at the Palais Garnier, where the Paris Opera Ballet performs. “I’m very proud of the impact I can have on a younger generation,” he said. “But it is a weight, and it’s not easy to talk about because there is no one who shares it here.”

The previous evening, Diop had been scheduled to dance with Valentine Colasante on the first night of performances of “Paquita,” but the show was canceled at the last minute because some of the dancers were negotiating with management about pay. He seemed unfazed, murmuring simply that he was disappointed not to have danced.

What the audience missed: Diop’s beautiful line, astounding jump, arched feet and radiant stage presence.