José Carlos Martínez, etoile dancer of the Paris Opera, choreographer and currently director of the National Dance Company, presented his artistic career yesterday afternoon at the high school Mayor Goroabe of the University. He was accompanied by the former dancer Almudena Lobón, teacher and director of his own school and of the Aldanza Company of Pamplona.

José Carlos Martínez began the session by explaining how he discovered his passion for dance, "at the age of 9 I had to dress my 5 year old sister for a ballet performance because my mother could not attend. When I saw that, I thought I wanted to dance too". At 14, he joined the Centre de Danse International Rosella Hightower in Cannes and 10 years later was named Star Dancer of the Paris Opera, the highest category in the Ballet hierarchy. "But I didn't want to be a star dancer, I wanted to dance. I wanted to tell things through the body."

On the other hand, he says that from the beginning his only desire was to dance, but he knew that one day he would have to stop. Now, as choreographer and director of the National Dance Company, he faces new challenges and responsibilities. About his transition from performer to creator, he says: "Choreographing is an extension of my dancing. I continue to dance through others and I see that thanks to my work as choreographer and director they can dance". Among his projects for the CND is to achieve the specialization of its dancers in three profiles: classical, contemporary and versatile. "In general, the public lacks curiosity, the desire to know things they are not used to seeing. We have to encourage the curiosity to discover the show," says the dancer. Therefore, his mission statement as director is also to awaken people's interest in attending the theater and thus promote dance in Spain. 

Cycle of Artists and Stages

The lecture is part of the cycle " Artists and Stages" that the high school Mayor Goroabe has organized to approach the world of cinema, ballet and opera. For this purpose, this quarter there have been different conferences with artists and directors of dance and film. The guests are interviewed by an expert in the field in which they work, they make projections that illustrate their presentations and then a colloquium is opened. The activity is organized in partnership with Alumni College, the training program of the four colleges Aldaz, Goimendi, Olabidea and Goroabe of the University of Navarra.

This cycle will also feature costume designer Sonia Grande, who has collaborated with some of the most emblematic film directors such as Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Almenábar and Fernando Trueba. The quotation will be later in March.