José Carlos Martínez (born in 29 April 1969 in Cartagena) is a Spanish dancer and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

. He was a '' danseur étoile'' of the Paris Opera Ballet and artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company. He became the director of dance at Paris Opera Ballet in December 2022. He is the only dancer to have received the Prix Benois de la Danse, the Gold medal of the Varna International Ballet Competition, and a scholarship of

Prix de Lausanne The Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition a ...

, among the most prestigious dance competitions in the world. The Japanese ''Shinshokan Dance Magazine'' thus recognized him has one of the best dancers of the era in the world. Martínez studied dance with

Pilar Molina Pilar, Portuguese and Spanish for pillar, may refer to: People * Pilar (given name), a common abbreviation of ''María del Pilar'', including a list of people so named * Pilar (surname), a list of people surnamed Pilar or del Pilar Places Argent ...

in Cartagena, followed by the

École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower The Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower (formerly Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower) is a dance school created by the prima ballerina Rosella Hightower in 1961 in Cannes, on the French Riviera. The school is current ...

. In 1987 he won a scholarship of

and entered the Paris Opera Ballet School, joining the Paris Opera Ballet in 1988, where he was named Danseur Étoile in 1997. In 1992, he was awarded the Gold medal of the Varna International Ballet Competition and in 1999, the

Premio Nacional de Danza The National Dance Award ( es, Premio Nacional de Danza, links=no) of Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English ...

. He danced the major classical ballets such as ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'', ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

'', '' Don Quixote'', '' La Bayadère'', '' The Sleeping Beauty'', '' Raymonda'', '' Paquita'', '' The Nutcracker'', '' La Sylphide'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', as well as neoclassical ballets by

Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositi ...

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

, Kenneth MacMillan, Yury Grigorovich, Antony Tudor, Serge Lifar, Harald Lander, John Cranko, among others. Martínez also danced contemporary pieces by Maurice Béjart, John Neumeier, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián,

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Rose ...

, and Pina Bausch. He performed as guest artist at the most celebrated dance companies in the world, including the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to internatio ...

Mariinsky Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, English National Ballet, La Scala Theatre Ballet,

Tokyo Ballet The Tokyo Ballet is a classical ballet company, based in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1964. Since its foundation, The Tokyo Ballet has developed a wide range of repertoire from classical full-length ballets to masterpieces of contemporary choreograph ...

, Ballet de Bordeaux, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the

Berlin Staatsoper The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

, and l' Opéra de Nice. In 2008, initiating a series of shows under the artistic project ''José Martínez in Compañía,'' Martínez's project showcased in Spain numerous Spanish soloists who had carried out their careers abroad. The shows included renowned dancers

Lucía Lacarra Lucía Lacarra (born 24 March 1975) is a Spanish ballet dancer who has been a principal with the Bayerisches Staatsballett (Bavarian State Opera Ballet) since 2002. A recipient of the Prix Benois de la Danse, she was named the Dancer of the De ...

Tamara Rojo Tamara Rojo CBE (born 17 May 1974) is a Spanish ballet dancer. She is the English National Ballet's artistic director (2012–2022) and a lead principal dancer with the company. She was previously a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet. She wi ...

, Alicia Amatrian, Iván Gil-Ortega as well as provided an opportunity to lesser-known young Spanish dancers to dance in their home country again. In 2002, Martinez began choreographing, completing eight ballets since and receiving the Prix Benois de la Danse as choreographer for ''Les Enfants du Paradis'' in 2009. His latest, from 2010, entitled ''Marco Polo, the last Mission'' was commissioned by the Ballet of Shanghai during the Shanghai World's Fair. In December 2010, Martinez was named artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company. He held the post for eight years. In October 2022, the Paris Opera Ballet announced that he is scheduled to become the director of dance, effective in December.

Awards

* 1987

* 1992 Gold medal of the Varna International Ballet Competition * 1991 Prix de l'AROP * 1992 Prix Carpeaux * 1988 Premio Danza e Danza de la Critica Italiana * 1988 Premio Léonide Massine-Positano (Italy) for The Three-Cornered Hat * 1999 Premio Nacional de Danza de España * 2000 Gold medal of the city of Cartagena * 2005 Prix Elegance et Talent France/Chine * 2005 Premio de las Artes Escenicas ( Valencia) * 2009 Prix Benois de la Danse for ''Les Enfants du Paradis'' * ''Officier des Arts et Lettres'' .

Filmography

* 2003 '' Paquita'', Paris Opera Ballet * 2005 ''

'', Paris Opera Ballet * 2005 ''Appartement'', Paris Opera Ballet * 2006 Sylvia, Paris Opera Ballet * 2008 ''La Dame aux Camélias'', Paris Opera Ballet * 2011 ''Coppélia'', Paris Opera Ballet * 2011 ''La Petite danseuse de Degas'', Paris Opera Ballet

References

Official website of José Carlos MartínezWebsite of the Paris Opera Ballet
Webcitation
Tamara Rojo y José Carlos Martínez, máximos candidatos para sustituir a Duato al frente de la CND
El País, April 14, 2010.
José Carlos Martínez, nuevo director de la Compañía Nacional de Danza
El País, December 17, 2010.

La Moncloa, December 17, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Jose Carlos People from Cartagena, Spain Spanish choreographers Spanish male ballet dancers Living people 1969 births Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Prix de Lausanne winners