José Carlos Martínez

Born in 1969 in Cartagena, Spain, José Carlos Martinez started dancing in his home town.  He subsequently continued to dance at the “Centre de Rosella Hightower” in Cannes, taught byJosé Ferran, one of the “founders” of the school.  In 1987, the first “prix de Lausanne” (Lausanne prize) opened up an opportunity for him at the dance school at the Opéra de Paris.  A year later he was employed in the Corps de ballet, and became a “Sujet” in 1990. Receiving the “Prix du public” in 1991, in 1992 he won the gold medal in the “Concours International de Danse de Varna” (International Dance Competition of Varna) and received the “Prix du Cercle Carpeaux”.  This same year, he was promoted to “Premier danseur” (first dancer). Mats Ek chose him to be the Hilarion in his Giselle.  Following his performance in La Sylphide, on 31st May 1997 he was named an “Etoile” (the highest ranking title in the Opéra de Paris).  He would perform both radiant princes and more bleak rulers, such as Jean-Claude Gallotta’s Nosferatu or even the terrible Ivan de Iouri Grigorovitch.  Noticed by guest choreographers – in particular those of contemporary expression – he also created at the Opéra Pas./parts de William Forsythe (1999), Appartement de Mats Ek (2000). Pina Bausch chose him to be Orpheus in her danced opera of Orpheus and Eurydice (2008).  
Outside of his activities with the Opéra de Paris, José Carlos Martinez has danced with the largest companies in the world, and formed the group “José Carlos Martinez en Compagnie”, which regularly appears in Europe and particularly in Spain.
As a choreographer, he signed off his first creation, Mi Favorita, in 2002.  This was a new adaptation of the piece presented at the Palais Garnier for the young dancer shows in 2003.  He created his first work for Gaetano Donizetti’s music, for which he draws on his experience of dancing “classical” ballet, experimenting by stepping back from his usual repertoire or changing direction with humour and fantasy.  The same year he choreographed a pas de deux, Delibes Suite, which was also performed at the Opéra’s show for young dancers in 2006, and became part of the San Francisco Ballet’s repertoire in 2007.  In 2005, he delivered a piece for the students of the Ecole de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris, Scaramouche, through which he reconnected with the Commedia dell’arte’s tradition of pantomime.  In the same year, he created Paranthèse 1 in Japan, which was a solo for Laëtitia Pujol.  In 2006 he created Soli-ter as a part of the “Incidence Choréographique” (The Choreographic Effect) shows, then Favorita for the dancers in the Junior Ballet of CNSMDP.  In 2007 he put on El Olor de la Ausencia (The Smell of Absence), a duet with the spanish war as its backdrop, at the Picasso Museum in Malaga, Spain.  In October 2008, he choreographed Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise), from the masterpiece of french cinema by Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert for the Opéra de Paris Ballet.

Source: Site de José Carlos Martínez
More information: www.josecarlosmartinez.com