Imre van Opstal Choreographer

Biography

Born in 1989 in Venlo, the Netherlands, Imre van Opstal trained at the Vooropleiding Dans in Venlo under the direction of Liesbeth Wiertz, then at Codarts Rotterdam from 2007 to 2011. She was selected to participate in the "RUIS" project, choreographed by Conny Janssen as part of Rotterdam's European Youth Capital program.

She then joined the Conny Janssen Danst company for the "Common Ground" project before being selected by Itzik Galili and Krisztina de Châtel to join "Dansgroep Amsterdam" as an intern. Imre van Opstal later became part of Norway’s national contemporary dance company, Carte Blanche.

Starting in 2012, she danced with Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) 2 before joining NDT 1 from 2015 to 2017. From 2017 to 2020, Imre van Opstal trained in Gaga dance with the Batsheva Dance Company in Israel under the direction of Ohad Naharin. In 2014, she won the "79 Incentive Award" from the Dancers' Fund, and in 2017, she received the Silver Swan Award for her role in Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar's choreography Salt Womb.

Imre van Opstal also forms a creative duo with her brother, Marne. They began their collaboration with Nederlands Dans Theater 2 by creating the pieces LiNK and John Doe for the Up & Coming Choreographers program before presenting The Grey as part of the regular season programming. In 2019, they created Take Root for Nederlands Dans Theater 1, which was nominated for the Swan Award for Best Dance Production.

They have also choreographed Baby Don't Hurt Me for NDT1 in 2021, Heart Drive for Ballet BC in 2022, Eye Candy for the Rambert Dance Company in 2021, The Little Man for Nationaltheater Mannheim in 2022, and I'm Afraid to Forget Your Smile for the Hessian State Ballet in 2023. Their latest work, Voodoo Waltz, marked their first full-length evening collaboration with Schauspielhaus Bochum in 2024.