Born in France, Ygnace graduated from Princess Grace Academy in Monaco, directed by Marika Besobrasova. After his studies he joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (1996-1998), and the Dutch National Ballet as a Principal Dancer (1998-2012).
Ygnace performed all the leading roles in the classical repertoire as well in productions of Mikhail Fokine, Krzysztof Pastor, John Neumeier. He also performed ballets from Martha Graham, Maguy Marin, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp as well as all most iconic ballets of George Balanchine.
During his career he collaborated closely with choreographers such as Ted Brandsen, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Hans Van Manen, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Rudi Van Dantzig, Wayne Eagling, Toer van Schayk, Christopher Wheeldon, Maina Gielgud, Xei Peng Wang, Dominique Dumais and David Dawson.
Ygnace has been awarded with the Prix de Lausanne (1996), the Gold medal at Rieti Competition (1996), the Danza & Danza prize (1996), the Espoir de la Danse International (1996), the Alexandra Radius Prize (2004), the Golden Swan Award (2009), and in 2011, was nominated for the Benois de la Danse and named by Dance Europe one of the “15 top Principal Dancers’’. He appeared as a guest in performances such as Nureyev Gala, Makarova Gala, Dance Open St Petersburg, and with several ballet companies like The Australian Ballet or Donensk Ballet.
Ygnace worked as Guest Teacher/Ballet Master for the Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Lithuanian National Ballet, Polish National Ballet, and Finnish National Ballet.
Cédric Ygnace joined ESB as Teacher-Ballet Master during the season 2018-2019.