Antonio Carmena was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. He began his dance training at age seven with the Royal Conservatory of Professional Dance in Madrid. While at the Conservatory, he studied with Virginia Valero and Antonio Almenara. In addition, he studied with Maria de Avila, Aurora Bosch, Ricardo Franco, Lazaro Carreno and Stanley Williams. After winning a Prix de Lausanne Scholarship, he came to New York City in 1997 to study at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet. He was invited to become an apprentice with New York City Ballet in October 1998 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in October 1999. In March of 2006 he was promoted to soloist.
Honors
Mr. Carmena is the recipient of numerous awards. In 1996, he was awarded the Gold Medal at the Third International Competition in Havana, Cuba. In 1997, he received top honors at the Prix de Lausanne, as well as at the "Prix des Telespectateurs," which was voted on by the television viewers of the Prix de Lausanne. He was awarded Grand Prix in the Seventh Eurovision Competition for Young Dancers, and in 1997, Mr. Carmena was named the "Most Outstanding Young Dancer" in the First International Dance Competition in Zaragoza, Spain.
Portrait © Paul Kolnik