At the Paris Opera, one of its former star dancers, the Spaniard José Martinez, was appointed this Friday, October 28 director of dance. He took over the ballet four months after the surprise resignation of Aurélie Dupont.
He will know ” ensure the stability, influence and excellence of the Paris Opera ballet “. This was stated in a statement by the director of the institution, Alexander Neef. After Aurélie Dupont, it is once again a pure product of the house who is appointed head of the company of 154 dancers.
But unlike the former star dancer who had no experience in management when she was appointed, the 53-year-old Spaniard was director of the National Dance Company of Spain for eight years. The choice of the word “stability” does not seem insignificant, after the turbulence experienced by the Ballet de l’Opéra over the past eight years since the departure of Brigitte Lefèvre, who remained at its head from 1995 to 2014. Her successor, the choreographer Benjamin Millepied, a bang the door just a year later, to devote himself fully to his artistic career.
Aurélie Dupont, the most famous star of her generation, succeeded her. But this ballet star will face an explosive internal poll of dancers at the start of his term, questioning his lack of dialogue. José Martinez said in the press release on Friday that he wanted to defend “a project that will keep the company at the top of its game and make it an exemplary ballet in its artistic, human and societal commitments”.
A career as a dancer at the Paris Opera
“I will work on it by seeking the best cohesion between all the living forces of the house and by obtaining the support of the dancers and the teams of the Paris Opera”, he added. If in Spain, the company has around fifty dancers, he will have to manage 154 dancers at the Opera.
A noble dancer par excellence, slender, with a refined technique and an elegant incarnation of the roles of princes, José Martinez was one of the Opera’s most awarded dancers. Born in Cartagena in Spain in 1969, he was trained in his country before joining the Paris Opera School of Dance in 1987.
A year later, he joined the Opera Ballet at the age of 19 and rose in rank until obtaining the supreme title of star on May 31, 1997. Traditionally, the director of the Opera chooses the director of the dance, but Alexander Neef preferred this time to rely on a selection committee, chaired by Bernard Stirn, honorary chairman of the Board of Directors of the Opera and composed of choreographers Carolyn Carlson, Angelin Preljocaj and former Opera dancer Charles Jude. There were 23 candidates for this position.
( With AFP)