Javier De Frutos, choreographer, was born in Venezuela. He began his dance training in 1980 in his home land, 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 1994 he established the Javier De Frutos Dance Company in the UK, which toured to great acclaim around the world. In 1999, his achievements were recognized at the prestigious South Bank Show directed by Susan Shaw that followed the creation of his work Grass and the premiere in Lisbon of the Hypochondriac Bird. The program was nominated for the Royal Television Society. His ballet Milagros features in the documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. His film and television credits include The Long Road to Mazatlan in collaboration with Isaac Julien, which was nominated for the Turner prize in 2001. His works are 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. 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 and the acclaimed West End production of Cabaret, for which he won the prestigious Olivier for Best Theatre Choreographer in 2007. He choreographed Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Weill (2011) for the Israeli Opera.