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John Neumeier was born in 1939 to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he began to studying dance. His studies continued to Chicago and at Marquette University in Milwaukee where he produced his first choreographic works. After further ballet studies to Copenhagen and at the Royal Ballet School in London, in 1963 he was invited from John Cranko to join the Stuttgart Ballet, where he became principal dancer and continued his path from choreographer. In 1969, Ulrich Erfurth appointed him director of the Frankfurt Ballet, where he soon caused a stir with his new interpretations of famous ballets such as _The Nutcracker _and Romeo and Juliet. In 1973, he joined the Hamburg Ballet as director and chief choreographer and, under his direction, the company became one of the leading companies on the German choreographic scene, soon receiving recognition to internationally. As a choreographer, John Neumeier has always focused on preserving the ballet tradition, while managing to to give his works a modern dramaturgical edge. His shows range from new versions of traditional ballets to musicals, as from symphonic ballets, particularly those created to the music of Gustav Mahler, to choreography to sacred music. His latest creations for the Hamburg Ballet are: _Anna Karenina _(2017), Turangalîla (2016) and Duse (2015). Neumeier boasts awards and honors such as the Dance Magazine Award (1983), the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Order of Arts and Letters, and the Legion of Honor. In 2006, he was awarded the prestigious Nijinsky Prize for Lifetime Achievement. He received the Herbert von Karajan Musikpreis in 2007 and the Deutscher Jubiläums Tanzpreis in 2008. In 2015, the Inamori Foundation awarded him the Kyoto Prize for his contributions to the arts and philosophy. His most recent awards include the renowned Prix Benois de la Danse for Lifetime Achievement, the Prix de Lausanne Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2017 the Erich Fromm Prize.