José Martinez appointed
Dance Director of the Paris Opera

We are pleased to announce that Alexander Neef, General Manager of the Paris Opera, has appointed José Martinez as the next Dance Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, on Friday, October 28, 2022.

The 53-year-old former Director of the Spanish National Dance Company and Danseur Étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet will take up his new position on December 5, 2022, a few days after the premiere of his ballet Le Corsaire in Tallinn (Estonia). He succeeds Aurélie Dupont, who stepped down on July 31, 2022.

Student at the Rosella Hightower Center in Cannes and at the Paris Opera Ballet School, José Martinez joined the Paris Opera Ballet in 1988, before being named Étoile in 1997, at the end of a performance of La Sylphide. After his farewell to the stage on July 15, 2011, he took over the direction of the National Dance Company of Spain, where, for eight years, he successfully gave a new identity to the company in a tense economic and social context.

He has been an independent teacher and a choreographer since 2019.

José Martinez will devote himself exclusively to his activity as Dance Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, thus giving up his activity as choreographer except for two commitments in Bordeaux, in June 2023, and Stockholm, in October 2023, where he will support the restaging of his ballets.

Alexander Neef: “José Martinez’s brilliant career as a dancer, his experience as a company director and choreographer, as well as his sensitivity to mediation and inclusion will ensure the stability, influence, and excellence of the Paris Opera Ballet”.

José Martinez: “I thank Alexander Neef for his trust, and I am delighted to be back at the Paris Opera. Aware of the tremendous potential as well as the challenges the company is facing, I fully intend to commit myself to its service. I will work to achieve it by seeking the best possible cohesion between all the company’s driving forces and obtaining the support of the dancers and the Paris Opera’s staff. My goal is to build a common project that will keep the company at the top of its art and make it an exemplary Ballet in its artistic, human and societal commitments”.

To assist him in choosing the next Dance Director, Alexander Neef relied on the advice of a Selection Committee, chaired by Bernard Stirn, Honorary President of the Paris Opera’s Board of Directors and member of the Institute, and composed of Carolyn Carlson, Charles Jude and Angelin Preljocaj.

A total of 23 applications were received, including 9 women and 14 men. Of all the candidates, 11 were of French nationality, and 12 were of foreign nationality. The selection committee interviewed eight candidates and made its recommendations to Alexander Neef, who decided to interview four candidates, two women, and two men.

Alexander Neef’s final choice went to José Martinez.

As specified when the recruitment process was announced, all applications and projects will remain confidential.