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FEDORA Prizes Biennale 2025 - Dance Jury
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24 June 2024
FEDORA Prizes
Meet the Jury members of the FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2025, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. Learn more about these industry experts' professional backgrounds, their support for the FEDORA Prizes, and their dedication to fostering innovation in the dance sector.
*Jury members are listed by alphabetical order of last name, and starting with the Jury Chair.
© Norwegian National Ballet i
Ingrid Lorentzen
Jury Chair
Artistic Director
Norwegian National Ballet
(Norway)
“The FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize and the FEDORA Prizes Biennale promote innovation, support emerging talents, and foster international collaboration, ensuring the evolution and vitality of contemporary dance in today’s dynamic cultural landscape.”
Ingrid Lorentzen has been the Artistic Director at the Norwegian National Ballet since 2012. She was a principal dancer with the Norwegian National Ballet as well as choreographer and actress. She received the Norwegian Dance Critics Award for her role in Kim Brandstrup’s work “Place of Stone” (2001) and the Telenor
“Boundless Communication” Culture Prize (2004). She has also held positions in the Norwegian Culture Council, launched the Norwegian National Ballet youth company (Nasjonalballetten UNG) (2015) and was appointed as the new head of the Jury for the International Ibsen Award (2019). As Artistic Director, she was named by Dance Europe “Director of the Year” (2015 and 2022) and has been a promoter of increasing participation and diversity in the performing arts sector mainly amongst the youth and women.
© Jan Willem Kaldenbach i
Ted Brandsen
Director
Dutch National Ballet
(Netherlands)
"The FEDORA Prizes Biennale and the FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize provide fantastic opportunities for exciting new productions to come to fruition and find an international audience, stimulating innovation and creation in a unique way."
Ted Brandsen has been the director of Dutch National Ballet since 2003. In collaboration with the National Ballet Academy, he founded the Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company in 2013 to bridge the gap between dance training and professional practice. Brandsen joined the Dutch National Ballet as a dancer in 1981, stood out in contemporary works, and transitioned to a successful freelance choreographer in 1991. After serving as Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet from 1998 to 2002, he returned to Dutch National Ballet as Assistant Artistic Director, becoming Artistic Director in 2003. He is a sought-after jury member for prestigious awards such as the Prix de Lausanne, the FEDORA -
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Dance, the Dance Open, and the Benois de la Danse awards. In recognition of his contributions, he received the Merit Award from Stichting Dansersfonds ’79 in 2014, the Amsterdam Prize for Art in 2019, and was appointed Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion in 2022.
© Lennart Sjöberg i
Katrín Hall
Artistic Director
Gothenburg Opera Dance Company
(Sweden)
“I am honored to serve on the jury for the FEDORA Prizes Biennale 2025. The FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize brings to light original choreographic creations in development, giving artists access to a platform where innovation is spotlighted, recognized and encouraged. The FEDORA Prizes Biennale creates interactions with the public from an early stage and gives visibility to emerging creative teams at an international level."
Katrín Hall is the current Artistic Director for Gothenburg Opera Dance Company since 2016. The company received the 2017 Dance Prize from the Swedish Association of Theatre Critics. Hall has transformed the company into a dynamic force in contemporary dance, spotlighting the unique artistry of its 38 dancers. Her repertoire features original and exclusive works by renowned choreographers like Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, and rising stars such as Yoann Bourgeois, Imre and Marne van Opstal, Emma Portner, and more. Internationally, Katrín has led the company on groundbreaking tours to Asia and Australia, making regular appearances at prestigious festivals and venues like Sadler’s Wells, La Villette, Maison de la danse, and Pfalzbau Theatre. Before helming Gothenburg Opera Dance Company, Katrín served as the Artistic Director of the Iceland Dance Company from 1996–2012. Recognizing her significant contributions to the Icelandic dance community, she was honored with the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland in 2000. In addition to her directorial role, Katrín has proven to be a prolific choreographer, creating numerous works for the Iceland Dance Company and collaborating with international companies in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and the USA.
© Rick Guest i
Cathy Marston
Choreographer & Director
Zürich Ballet
(United Kingdom / Switzerland)
"This prize is international in reach and innovative in vision. It helps the world of dance identify and spotlight those artists creating at the cutting edge of our form, and enables the artists to share their dreams with us all."
Cathy Marston is a choreographer and has been the Director and Chief Choreographer of the Zürich Ballet since 2023. She trained at the Royal Ballet School and has worked as a dancer and choreographer for over 30 years. Marston also served as Associate Artist of the Royal Opera House (2002-2007) and Director of the Bern Ballet (2007-2013). She won the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Best Dance Production for “Victoria” (Northern Ballet), the UK National Dance Award for “The Cellist” (The Royal Ballet), and “The Suit” (Ballet Black). She was shortlisted for both the Olivier Awards and National Dance Awards for several other works, including “Jane Eyre” and “Victoria” (Northern Ballet). Marston’s works have been commissioned and staged by companies such as the Zürich Ballet, The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, Northern Ballet, Cuban National Ballet, Danish Royal Ballet, Ballet Black, and The Grand Canadian Ballet.
© Julien Behamou / OnP i
José Martinez
Dance Director
Paris National Opera
(Spain / France)
“The FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize provides important support to innovation in dance, empowering creators to push boundaries and redefine choreographic language and movement that fosters new expressions of our humanity.”
José Martinez is the current Dance Director at the Paris National Opera since 2022. Born in 1969 in Cartagena, Spain, José Martinez won a Prix de Lausanne scholarship which opened him the doors of the Paris Opera Ballet School. The following year, he joined the Paris Opera Ballet. In 1992, he won the Gold medal of the Varna International Ballet Competition. On May 31, 1997, at the end of a performance of La Sylphide, he was named Danseur Étoile. Also a choreographer, he was the Artistic Director of the Spanish National Dance Company (2011-2019).
© Paul Rodriguez i
Mattia Russo
Co-founder & Co-Artistic Director
Kor'Sia
(Spain)
Choreographer of “Mont Ventoux” - Winner of the
FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2023
"The FEDORA Prize Biennale and the FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Prize for Dance are of great importance today, as they offer artists like us a unique opportunity to bring our creative visions to life in a serene environment. Supporting the arts, especially dance, is crucial and we greatly appreciate this platform that provides us with the means to fully express our ideas."
Mattia Russo is the co-Founder and current co-Artistic Director at Kor’Sia. He graduated from the Academy of Teatro alla Scala in Milan and created works for renowned companies such as Hessian State Theatre of Wiesbaden, Grand Avignon Opera, and the Netherlands Dance Theatre, among others. He co-founded Kor’Sia in 2015 with Antonio de Rosa, serving as Artistic Director and Choreographer. Together they have won awards like the FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize 2023 and had their choreographies presented at prominent international festivals in Europe such as the National Dance Theatre - Chaillot (Paris, France), Tanz im August Festival (Berlin, Germany) and Grec Festival Barcelona (Spain).
© Werner Kmetisch i
Beate Vollack
Director
National Opera of the Capitole of Toulouse
(Germany / France)
Beate Vollack has been the Director of Dance at the National Opera of the Capitole of Toulouse since September 2023. She previously trained at the State School of Ballet in Berlin and started her professional career at the Komische Opera Berlin, where she became a soloist (1992). She won the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi (1994), and was with the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich (1996-2005), where she was named "Dancer of the Year" for her role in Giselle. Vollack trained as a professional ballet teacher, which led to her career as a choreographer. She was the resident choreographer for the Bavarian State Opera (2005-2008) and later worked as a freelance choreographer and dancer. Vollack's notable works include her first ballet, Don Quichotte (2009), and her directorial debut, Der Vogelhändler (2010). She became Director of the Dance Company at the St. Gallen Theatre (2014-2019) and Director of the Graz Opera Ballet (2019-2023).
© Kiran West i
Demis Volpi
Artistic Director & Chief Choreographer
Ballett am Rhein
Designated Artistic Director
Hamburg Ballet
(Argentina / Germany)
"The FEDORA - VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize is an outstanding institution that is indispensable for the support of emerging artists. Its funding has helped many choreographers thrive and thus ensures the creative future of dance."
Demis Volpi will take over as Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet in August 2024. He currently holds the position of Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer at the Ballett am Rhein (2020-2024). He has choreographed various works such as “Krabat” (2013) and “Salome” (2016) for The Stuttgart Ballet, and “The Nutcracker” (2016) for the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Volpi has received several awards, including the Erik Bruhn Prize (2011), the Chilean Art Critics Circle Prize (2012), and the German Dance Prize “Future” (2014). He was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse for his full-length ballet “Salome” (2017) and was voted Young Artist of the Year (2017) in the critics’ poll of the magazine Opernwelt. Additionally, he was a jury member for the Prix de Lausanne in 2018 and received the Merit Diploma at the Konex Awards in Buenos Aires in 2019.
