MARTIN FREDMANN
FOUNDER-DIRECTOR-JAPAN GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION
Martin Fredmann, international ballet director, teacher, coach and choreographer is the recipient of the "Order of the Rising Sun with Golden Rays and Rosette" ("Kyokujitsu Shoujushou") bestowed upon him by Emperor Akihito, May 20, 2005, honoring his years of dedication to Japanese Ballet and for his being the founding-director of Japan Grand Prix International Ballet Competition (JGP) in 2003, at the invitation of Ogura Tadayoshi, JGP's founding-manager. As of April 2014, he became the official advisor to the National School of Dance (La Escuela Nacional de Danza "Marcelle Bonge de Devaux"), Guatemala, C.A. He is also the Associate Artistic Director of the Columbia Classical Ballet-International Ballet Center in South Carolina, U.S.A and the Chairman of Taiwan Grand Prix International Ballet Competition-Jury. For JGP 2015, Mr. Fredmann will be officially representing the Ballet Academy at the Vienna State Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and Canada's National Ballet School, in the absence of Ms. Simona Noja, Mr. Dennis Marshall and Ms. Deborah Hess. Most recently Martin Fredmann was the Artistic Director and Executive Director, of the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington D.C. (2010-2013) and Associate Professor of the College of Dance, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan, R.O.C. (2007-2009). Formerly, he was the Artistic Director/C.E.O. of the Colorado Ballet for 20 years (1985-2005) for which he received the 1999 Dance Magazine Award, NYC; principal dancer and assistant director of the Dortmund Opera Ballet, West Germany and Ballet Director (Maestro di Ballo) of Teatro Comunale-Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Florence Italy. He has been the resident company instructor of the San Francisco Ballet and London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), and for many years an international guest teacher for companies including Royal Swedish Ballet, Netherlands Dance Theater, The Australian Ballet, German Opera Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, The Royal Ballet School-England, Ballet Rambert (now Rambert Dance Theatre) and most recently guest teacher and choreographer for the Ballet Academy at the Vienna State Opera, Austria (February 2014). Martin Fredmann celebrates the 30th Anniversary of his close association with Japanese Ballet this year, 2015.
