Jean-Christophe
Maillot
Benois de la Danse laureate
Benois de la Danse nominee
He continued his studies up until he was awarded the Lausanne prize in 1977. Thereafter, John Neumeier engaged him with the Hamburg Ballet, where as soloist during f ve years, he danced principal roles. An accident brought a brutal halt to his dancing career.
In 1983, Jean-Christophe Maillot returned to his hometown of Tours where he was named choreographer and director of the Grand Theatre Ballet of Tours, which later become a National Centre of Choreography. He created more than twenty ballets for this company.
In 1985, he created the Dance Festival «le Choré-graphique». Monaco invited him to create Les Adieux for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and particularly in April 1987, Le Mandarin Merveil-leux which was a great success. That same year, he asserted himself with L'enfant et les sortilèges.
During the 1992-1993 season, he became Artistic Advisor of les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and in September 1993, H. R. H. the Princess of Hanover appointed him as Director-Choreographer. His taking over as director of the company of f fty dancers has turned les Ballets de Monte-Carlo on a new path that rapidly develops the level of maturity and excellence that is indicative of the company today. He has created for les Ballets de Monte-Carlo: Bêtes Noires (1993), Home Sweet Home and Dov'e la luna (1994), Ubuhuha (1995), Vers un pays sage (1995), Romeo and Juliet (1996), Recto Verso (1997), l'Ile (1998), Cendrillon and Casse-Noisette Circus (1999), Opus 40, En-trelacs (2000), Oeil pour œil and La Belle (2001), Men's Dance (2002), D'une Rive à l'Autre (2003), Noces (2003), Miniatures (2004), Le Songe (2005), Altro Canto (2006), Faust (2007). His personal inward quest is the origin of the new language that enables him to handle the great cl assics as well as to establish his mark in the world of abstraction — an artistic approach that has been heralded throughout the international press. His fervent passion is the development of his company and its ability to open to other creators. Thus Jean-Christophe Maillot enriches the repertoire of the company by yearly inviting renowned choreographers to Monaco, and, at the same time, of ering to young choreographers the opportunity to work with his company. With the same verve, he assumes his responsibilities as director and his vocation as choreographer, and relies on a choice of dancers whose strong and contrasting personalities, as well as their great faculty of adaptation, spurs his never-ending pursuit to highlight their competency and their professional artistry.
This fundamental preoccupation leads him, in 2000, to create the Monaco Dance Forum, an international showcase of choreograph╛ic art, which is the equivalent in the world of dance of the Cannes Festival to the cinema. In creating the Nijinsky awards, the highlight of the event, Jean-Christophe Maillot signs an article of faith and renders tribute to artists he considers insuf ciently recognised. Via the many tours of les Ballets de Monte-Carlo to which he gives great importance, Jean-Christophe Maillot is recognised as one of the most represented French choreographers abroad: London, Paris, New York, Madrid, Lisbon, Seoul, Hong Kong, Cairo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brussels, Tokyo, Mexico, Beijing, Shanghai. During the last years, he has been in╛vited as guest choregrapher by les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Essen Ballet, The Pacif c Northwest Ballet, the Korea National Ballet, Stuttgart Ballett, Royal Danish Ballet where he has staged his productions such as “Cinderella“, Romeo and Juliet”…
In March 2007, Manfred Beilharz, intendant of the Hessisches Staat-stheater in Wiesbaden invited him to stage the opera “Faust“ and Jean-Louis Grinda, Director of the Opera of Monte-Carlo, has proposed him to stage the opera Norma” in 2009. Jean-Christophe Maillot's production, La Belle, obtained the Nijinsky award for the best choreographic production of 2001 at the occasion of the Monaco Dance Forum in 2002, and the Danza & Danza Prize for the best show 2002, awarded by the Italian critics. Jean-Christophe Maillot is Of cer of the Order of Cul╛tural Merit and Chevalier of the Order of Grimaldi, in the Principality of Monaco and also Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letter and Cheva╛lier of the Legion of Honour in France.
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