Scapino Ballet Rotterdam

Scapino Ballet Rotterdam
Name	Scapino Ballet Rotterdam
Founded	1945
Founder	Winston A. Prins
Location	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Venue	Rotterdamse Schouwburg
Artistic director	Ed Wubbe
Website	scapino.nl

Scapino Ballet Rotterdam is a contemporary dance company based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, known for its inventive choreography, theatrical staging, and collaborations across art forms. The company has performed in venues and festivals such as the Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Sadler's Wells, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Théâtre du Châtelet, and Holland Festival, engaging audiences with works that reference literature, visual arts, film, and music. Scapino has worked with choreographers, composers, and designers linked to institutions like the Royal Conservatoire The Hague, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Dutch National Ballet.

History

Scapino Ballet Rotterdam was founded in 1945 in Rotterdam, emerging amid postwar reconstruction that also shaped cultural revival in cities like Amsterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht; early influences included touring troupes from Paris, London, Berlin, and New York. In the 1960s and 1970s the company intersected with figures associated with the Royal Ballet, Ballet Rambert, and Ballets Russes legacies, and later entered dialogues with the repertories of Nederlands Dans Theater and Introdans. Directors and makers who influenced Scapino’s trajectory have ties to institutions such as Opera Rotterdam, De Nederlandse Opera, De Doelen, and Conservatorium Maastricht. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s collaborations brought in artists from the worlds of film and visual art—names connected to the Netherlands Film Festival, Van Gogh Museum, Stedelijk Museum, and Rijksmuseum—while touring linked Scapino to festivals like Edinburgh International Festival, Salzburg Festival, Venice Biennale, and Montpellier Dance Festival. The company’s recent history intersects with municipal cultural policy in Rotterdam and partnerships with the Municipality of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, and Theater aan de Parade.

Repertoire and Artistic Direction

Scapino’s repertoire spans narrative and abstract works staged at venues such as Opera Garnier, Palais Garnier, La Scala and Staatsoper Unter den Linden; choreographers associated with its productions include internationally known creators who have worked with Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra National de Paris, Royal Opera House, and New York City Ballet. The company has premiered works inspired by writers and composers whose names appear at institutions like Royal Shakespeare Company, Comédie-Française, Théâtre de la Ville, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Concertgebouw. Design collaborations have involved designers and visual artists linked to the National Theatre, Barbican Centre, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, MoMA, and Guggenheim. Scapino has commissioned music from composers affiliated with Holland Festival, Don Giovanni productions, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, BBC Proms, and Berlin Philharmonic projects, and has staged ballets referencing painters and filmmakers shown at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlinale, and Locarno Film Festival.

Dancers and Company Structure

The company roster includes performers trained at institutions such as the École de Danse de Paris, Vaganova Ballet Academy, Palucca Hochschule für Tanz Dresden, State Ballet School of St. Petersburg, and School of American Ballet; alumni have joined companies like American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, and Finnish National Ballet. Scapino’s internal structure comprises an artistic director, rehearsal directors, répétiteurs, choreographers in residence, and administrative teams that liaise with production houses including Stage Entertainment, Dutch Touring Ballet, and touring agents at IETM and Dance House. Guest artists have been drawn from companies such as Bayerisches Staatsballett, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Australian Ballet, and Swedish National Ballet. The company works with technical partners experienced in lighting and set design for venues like Palais Garnier, Sadler’s Wells, and the Bolshoi Theatre.

Education and Outreach

Scapino runs educational projects in partnership with schools and conservatories including Codarts Rotterdam, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Fontys Dance Academy, and Amsterdam University of the Arts; community programs have been delivered alongside cultural institutions such as Kunsthal Rotterdam, Nederlands Fotomuseum, and Theater Rotterdam. Outreach initiatives connect with youth orchestras and choirs associated with Concertgebouw and Philharmonie de Paris, and with social organizations active in Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam. Workshops and masterclasses have featured guest teachers affiliated with Nederlands Dans Theater, Introdans, Rambert School, and Juilliard School, while residencies and research projects have linked the company to university departments at Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University, and Delft University of Technology.

Tours and International Presence

Scapino has toured widely, appearing at venues and events including Sadler’s Wells, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Théâtre du Châtelet, Teatro alla Scala, Volksbühne, Théâtre du Rond-Point, and festival stages at Edinburgh International Festival, Holland Festival, Festival d’Avignon, and Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada. International partnerships have connected Scapino to arts presenters such as Lincoln Center, Centre National de la Danse, Tanzquartier Wien, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Singapore Arts Festival, and châteaus and opera houses across Europe. Touring administration has engaged with funding bodies and cultural networks like Creative Europe, DutchCulture, European Festivals Association, and IETM, enabling exchanges with companies from Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and the United States.

Awards and Recognition

The company and its artists have received honors linked to institutions such as the Dutch Theatre Festival, VSCD Classical Music Awards, Prix Benois de la Danse, Dance Magazine Awards, and International Dance Council (CID) listings; individual choreographers and dancers have been acknowledged by the Lucas Hoving Prize, Zwaan Award, and Dutch Music Prize circuits. Scapino’s productions have been reviewed in publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, NRC Handelsblad, and De Telegraaf, and have been supported by foundations and prize committees such as Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, VSBfonds, and Stichting Dioraphte.

Category:Ballet companies Category:Performing arts in Rotterdam Category:Dance in the Netherlands