Dutch Choreographer Wins Skopje Dance Fest Award

 

Hans van Manen. Photo: koreatimes.co.kr

Hans van Manen is the winner of the 2014 Menada award for achievements in dance at the 10th anniversary of Skopje Dance Fest. The decision to award this Dutch renowned artists was unanimously passed by the Festival's council.

Hans van Manen was born in 1932 in New Amstel, the Netherlands. He took his first dancing lessons in the late 1940s by Sonia Gaskell, who in 1951 hired him as a dancer in her group "Ballet Recital". He continued his dance career with the Dutch National Ballet and the Parisian Ballet Roland Petit.

His debut as a choreographer dates back in 1957 with the Fischgericht Ballet, when he won the National choreography award. Since 1961, he has been working as a co-manager of the Netherlands Dance Theater, as well as a chief choreographer at the Dutch National Ballet. His ballets are performed by more than 50 companies throughout the world. His choreographies are danced by a large number of international stars, including Anthony Dowell, Marcia Haydee, Natalia Makarova and Rudolf Nureyev.

Hans Van Manen is one of the rare choreographers who has managed to bring contemporary dance closer to the wider audience, through the mix of classical ballet and contemporary dance. His choreographies for the Netherlands Dance Theater have an experimental aspect. Most remarkable among them are: "Solo for Voice I" (1986), "Mutations" (1970), the duo "Twilight" and the video-ballet "Live" (1979).

Working at the Dutch National Ballet, his choreography becomes more classical. Among his most romantic lyric works are "Adagio Hammerklavier" (1973), "Four Pieces of Schuman" (1975), "The Grand Trio" (1978) and "Piano Variations III" (1982). His latest works are "Frank Bridge Variations" (2005), "Six Piano Pieces" (2006) and "Tears" (created for the "Into Space" program in 2008) and "Without Words" (2010).

Hans van Manen has created more than 120 ballets, thus winning several awards, as well as the dance award of Germany, the award for lifelong accomplishments 'Benois de la Danse', the music award of the city of Duisburg and many more.

- See more at: http://www.independent.mk/articles/3587/Dutch+Choreographer+Wins+Skopje+Dance+Fest+Award#sthash.aaunAzBR.dpuf