Antonio Carmena is an internationally respected ballet master and educator with a distinguished performing career and a strong commitment to classical tradition and artistic development. He danced for nineteen years with New York City Ballet, twelve of them as a Soloist, performing an extensive repertoire that spans the works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, August Bournonville, and Peter Martins, as well as creations by leading choreographers.

Mr. Carmena is currently a faculty member of Barnard College’s Dance Department and regularly teaches company class for professional institutions including Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ballet Academy East. He has also taught company class for New York City Ballet and serves as an adjudicator for Youth America Grand Prix. His teaching experience extends throughout Europe and the United States, working with professional companies, pre-professional schools, and higher-education institutions.

He has been invited as a guest teacher to numerous prestigious organizations, including the Royal Danish Ballet Summer School, Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain), San Francisco Ballet School, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Ballet Arizona, the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Temple University, the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza in Madrid, and Stage de Danse in Liège, Belgium. Through New York City Ballet’s Outreach Program, he taught master classes internationally in Australia, Ireland, France, and across the United States.

Mr. Carmena’s teaching is grounded in clarity of technique, musicality, and respect for stylistic integrity. Drawing from his training in Spain and at the School of American Ballet, he emphasizes clean classical placement, coordination, and an understanding of movement as an expressive and musical language. His classes are known for their precision, thoughtful progression, and adaptability to dancers at different stages of professional development.

In addition to his teaching work, Mr. Carmena has experience in artistic and institutional leadership. During his time with New York City Ballet, he worked closely with the Company’s Young Patrons program, gaining insight into audience development and arts administration. In 2018, he completed an administrative intensive at Pacific Northwest Ballet, shadowing Artistic Director Peter Boal and engaging with the company’s management team.

Mr. Carmena received his early training at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza in Madrid and continued his studies at the School of American Ballet after winning the Prix de Lausanne. He joined New York City Ballet in 1998, was promoted to Soloist in 2006, and retired from the Company in 2017.