Rudi van Dantzig passed away 10 years ago

Ten years ago today, on 19 January, Rudi van Dantzig passed away. We commemorate a phenomenal choreographer, writer and dancer, who has made his mark on Dutch dance in general and Dutch National Ballet in particular like no other

Rudi van Dantzig (Amsterdam, 1933-2012) was a choreographer and writer and the artistic leader of Dutch National Ballet for twenty years. He started his dancing career in 1952 with Sonia Gaskell’s company Ballet Recital, one of the forerunners of Dutch National Ballet. Following the foundation of Dutch National Ballet in 1961, he became resident choreographer of the company, and, after having been the artistic co-director from 1965 onwards, Van Dantzig became the sole artistic director in 1971, which position he held until 1991.

In total, Van Dantzig created over fifty ballets, often in collaboration with Toer van Schayk as set and costume designer. Van Dantzig’s best-known works include Vier letzte Lieder, Monument for a dead boy, Onder mijne voeten and his versions of the full-length classics Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake.