Congratulations, John Neumeier

John Neumeier © Steven Haberland 

The Center sends congratulations to John Neumeier, director and chief choreographer of The Hamburg Ballet. Mr. Neumeier will be awarded the Prix Benois de la Danse 2013 for his lifetime achievement in dance. The Benois de la Danse is one of the most prestigious ballet competitions. Statuettes are given to the winners in the categories of lifelong achievement, ballerina, danseur, choreographer, composer and designer. The award ceremony will take place at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. He became the director and chief choreographer in 1973 and was named Ballettintendant in 1996. 

John Neumeier's Liliom. © Holger Badekow

Neumeier has received many other awards, including the Herbert von Karajan Musikpreis in 2007 and the Deutscher Jubiläums Tanzpreis in 2008. In 2003, he was appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor by French President Jacques Chirac. He was made an honorary citizen of the city of Hamburg in 2007. Last year he accepted the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation. In 2011, Neumeier founded Germany’s National Youth Ballet. The company of eight young dancers is based at the Ballettzentrum in Hamburg. 

The Center has presented the Hamburg Ballet three times. They have performed the U.S. premiere of Neumeier’s Nijinsky and the West Coast premieres of his Lady of the Camellias, Death in Venice and The Little Mermaid.

Silvia Azzoni and Alexandre Riabko in John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid. 

© Chris Emerick