José Carlos Martínez (dancer)

In December 2010, Martinez was named artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company. He held the post for eight years. In October 2022, the Paris Opera Ballet announced that he is scheduled to become the director of dance, effective in December.

In 2008, initiating a series of shows under the artistic project José Martínez in Compañía, Martínez's project showcased in Spain numerous Spanish soloists who had carried out their careers abroad. The shows included renowned dancers Lucía Lacarra, Tamara Rojo, Alicia Amatrian, Iván Gil-Ortega as well as provided an opportunity to lesser-known young Spanish dancers to dance in their home country again.

In 2002, Martinez began choreographing, completing eight ballets since and receiving the Prix Benois de la Danse as choreographer for Les Enfants du Paradis in 2009. His latest, from 2010, entitled Marco Polo, the last Mission was commissioned by the Ballet of Shanghai during the Shanghai World's Fair.

Martínez studied dance with Pilar Molina in Cartagena, followed by the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower. In 1987 he won a scholarship of Prix de Lausanne and entered the Paris Opera Ballet School, joining the Paris Opera Ballet in 1988, where he was named Danseur Étoile in 1997. In 1992, he was awarded the Gold medal of the Varna International Ballet Competition and in 1999, the Premio Nacional de Danza.

José Carlos Martínez (born in 29 April 1969 in Cartagena) is a Spanish dancer and choreographer. He was a danseur étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet and artistic director of the Spanish National Dance Company. He is scheduled to become the director of dance at Paris Opera Ballet in December 2022