Youval Kuipers

Youval Kuipers (Nieuwegein, 1983) grew up with both martial arts and music: he was concertmaster of the Jeugdorkest Nieuwegein for several years and practised judo until the age of 19. While studying architecture at Delft University of Technology, his passion for medieval European weapon arts grew and, together with other enthusiasts, he founded the Orde der Noorderwind, an association that uses these martial arts as inspiration for fight shows and film productions. As an instructor with this association, he developed an affinity for training performers and was invited internationally to teach courses and workshops in European weapon arts.

Meanwhile, Kuipers works mainly as a fight choreographer and stunt fighter for various media and art forms. He co-founded the stunt team Vanguard Action and worked as a stunt coordinator for historical films such as Michiel de Ruyter (2015) and Redbad (2018). Furthermore, he provided fight choreography for adventure films such as Molly (2017) and the documentary Het verhaal van Nederland (2022). Kuipers also coordinated several fight scenes for theatre productions, including the opera production Thijl by Stichting Lustrum-Opera in 2018 and Roméo et Juliette by Opera Zuid in 2021. As choreographer of the fight scenes in Raymonda, he made his debut with Dutch National Ballet in 2022.

Last update: 7 December 2023