Marc Bogaerts


Marc Bogaerts is a Belgian choreographer and artistic director living in Berlin. He has worked internationally for over more than 50 dance, opera and circus companies. Bogaerts' work features unusual symbiosis of unconventional combinations, such as modern dancers with athletes, circus artists with ballroom dancers, ice skaters with snake women, and breakdancers with classical dancers.

Biography

Bogaerts studied Latin, Greek and philosophy with the Jesuits for seven years, which influenced his later work by integrated understanding of all sports, the unity of body and soul, as it was formulated by the ancient Greeks. In 1975 he started his career as a dancer and soon also as a choreographer with the . From 1982 to 1993 he resided in New York City, where he danced as an honorary guest performer with Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown and Laura Dean, taught at the Actors Studio in New York and initiated numerous artistic social projects raising awareness about abortion, drugs and genocide. From New York he moved to Berlin. As the only choreographer working for all three opera houses in Berlin: Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Komische Oper Berlin he created performances such as Carmina Burana, L’Histoire du Soldat or Four Seasons. He created a lot of social-cultural works worldwide with major involvement of youth. E.g. USA "Missing Persons" on human rights, or issues on abortion, drugabuse, terrorism each time touching the nerf of times without insulting or scandalizing, which for him is the easy way out. Living all around the world he finds inspiration for his interdisciplinary productions. At the moment creating a synthesis of sport and stage art is in the centre of his artistic work.

Work

Dance productions

He choreographed so far for more than 48 operas, dance companies and circus groups including:
*
He represented Belgium at the Contemporary Dance Festival in the Guggenheim Museum
The Emperor’s Dream with performances in Brussels, Frankfurt and Madrid was a production made for the celebrations of the change of millennium.
For The National Ballet of the he made a contemporary dance production Midsummernight’s dream.
For the International Theatre Festival of Sibiu he choreographed the production Moi Rodin. Performances were shown also at the International Theatre Festival in Russia, Poland, Israel, France, Korea, Canada.
He created a multi dance project De koninginnen van de nacht with participation of: and Geike Arnaert, European and World Champion in Karate Tina Bellemans, boxer and ex-Mr. Universe Bill Richardson accompanied by live drum music with the Japanese Wadokyo / taiko Tenbe.
His production Not strictly Rubens for involved creating new MTV video clip, a CD and a fashion exhibition in Antwerp.
His production DuXtrou was described by the press as a poetic, unprecedented event.
He made Dorian Gray for the ballet and orchestra of the.
His Sleeping Beauty with 40 actors and dancers was shown on a contemporary dance theater presentation for the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, Romania.

Opera

Since 10 years Bogaerts works worldwide in close cooperation with numerous Olympic training centers in order to bring more value in the world of sport. He led many artistic skate dancers to the Olympic Games, did the opening of the Pan American Games and was also the director of the Berlin International in Deutschlandhalle where he proposed 18,000 spectators his vision of bringing sport and art together. With the idea of Sport vs Art he made in Belgium productions for Rotterdam Sport Congress, FIG-Gala, Flemish Sport Prize Award, "Apotheosis", Ghent Sports Arena, West-Flemish Sport Prize, "S.P.O.R.T." Hour Culture at the Catholic University of Leuven.

Teaching

Concerned about stagnation of modern dance after the death of José Limón and Martha Graham, foreseeing new development in contemporary and classical dance, Bogaerts developed a methodical-pedagogic system starting at age of twelve, that combines the Vaganova method with the Limón technique and emphasises on the knowledge he acquired working for many Olympic Training centres worldwide.
He taught this system at the, Ballettschule der Wiener Staatsoper, Heinz-Bosl-Stiftung Munich, the Royal Ballet School Antwerp, the Australian Conservatory of Ballet, the Victoria College of the Arts, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Saint Petersburg and the Royal Danish Ballet School.

Famous People

Awards and achievements

Honours