Javier de Frutos

Javier De Frutos was born in Venezuela in 1963 where he began his dance training in 1980, continuing at the London School of Contemporary Dance and at the Merce Cunningham School, New York. From 1988 to 1992 Javier was a member of Laura Dean Dancers and Musicians in New York. In 1992, he was appointed Choreographer in Residence at Movement Research in New York City. On his return to the UK in 1994, he established the Javier De Frutos Dance Company, which toured to great acclaim around the world. In 1999, his achievements were recognised a prestigious South Bank Show directed by Susan Shaw that follows the creation of his work Grass and the premiere in Lisbon of the Hypochondriac Bird. The programme was nominated for the Royal Television Society Award. In 2000, the digital channel Artsworld made a documentary about the making of The Celebrated Soubrette for Rambert Dance Company, as well as a companion broadcast of its performance at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London. His ballet Milagros features in the documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The same year Javier was among the first fellowships of The Arts Council of England. Under that programme he conducted for two years exhaustive research on the work of American Playwright Tennessee Williams. In 2006 he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale (the Venice Triptych) with a trilogy of his work and also developed and staged a new musical (Cattle Call) in collaboration with Richard Thomas the creator of Jerry Springer the Opera and the 2008 Tony Award winning designer Katrina Lyndsay. Javier's film and TV credits include The Long Road to Mazatlan in collaboration with Isaac Julien, which was nominated for the Turner prize in 2001. Javier is also credited with the movement direction for Mika's music video We Are Golden and more recently the pilot for the new HBO drama Game of Thrones, directed by Thomas McCarthy. Javier's work is in the repertoire of many Ballet and Contemporary Dance companies: Rotterdam Dance Group, Ballet Shindowski, Nuremberg Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, The Royal New Zealand Ballet, Candoco, The Royal Ballet and Gothenburg Ballet, among many others. But his range extends beyond ballet and contemporary dance. A passionate focus of Javier's work is musicals. He choreographed the musicals Carousel for the Chichester Festival Theatre, the National Theatre's production of Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman (for which he was also movement director) and the acclaimed West End and touring productions of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret, for which he won the prestigious Olivier Award for 'Best Theatre Choreographer' in February 2007. This follows Olivier Awards nominations in 2004 for best achievement in Dance (Elsa Canasta) and in 2005 for best new Dance Production (Milagros). Other awards include the 1995 Paul Hamlyn Award, 1996 Bagnolet Prix d' Auteur (E Muio Disperato...), 1997 South Bank Show Award (Grass and All Visitors Are Welcome, Some by Coming Some by Going), 2004 Time Out Live Award (Sour Milk) and the 2005 Critics Circle National Dance Award for Best Choreography (Elsa Canasta and Milagros) plus a nomination for the same award again in 2008. Javier has also received nominations for the Theatregoers' Choice Award (Cabaret), Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards and the International Theatre Institute Award.