In this file photo taken on October 29, 2013 John Neumeier, ballet chief of the Hamburg State Opera, gives a press conference on October 29, 2013 at the city hall in Hamburg, northern Germany. The Hamburg State Opera announced that it has extended the contract of its long-serving ballet chief, US-born John Neumeier, for another four years. Neumeier, 71, has led Hamburg's state ballet for 40 years and was made its "intendant" or artistic chief in 1996. His current contract had been scheduled to expire in 2015. AFP PHOTO / DPA / ANGELIKA WARMUTH.