Foto: Bettina Stöß

Portrait: JASON BEECHEY Rector of the PALUCCA SCHULE DRESDEN

BIOGRAPHY

Belgian-Canadian, born in Vancouver, he is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada, the Vaganova School of St. Petersburg and the School of American Ballet. He began his career as a soloist with the London City Ballet dancing the works of Auguste Bournonville, David Lichine and Vincent Redmond. He went on to dance for 14 years with Frédéric Flamand at Charleroi/Danses. During this time he participated in all of Frédéric Flamand's creations and worked with choreographers including Stephen Petronio, Karole Armitage and Lucinda Childs. Alongside performances throughout Europe and Asia he was the Training Director for both the Company and Choreographic Centre.

Since 2004 he is the Artistic Consultant to both the Ballet National de Marseille and the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille where he teaches on a regular basis.

He received from the French Ministry of Culture the Dispense for the Diploma of a Classical Ballet Teacher and is a member of UNESCO's International Dance Council.

Founder of The Loft dance studio in Brussels and organiser of the Dance for Life Galas, he guest teaches for Companies including the Ballet National du Marseille, Ballet Preljocaj, Ballet du Nord and Architanz Tokyo.

General Coordinator and instigator of the D.A.N.C.E. (Dance Apprentice Network aCross Europe) Programme, he has developed this in close collaboration with William Forsythe, Angelin Preljocaj, Wayne McGregor and Frédéric Flamand. The Programme began in September 2005 with the support of the European Union.

He forms, together with, Professor Udo Zimmermann (Intendant Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Hellerau), Aaron Watkin (Designated Ballet Director, Dresden SemperOper Ballet) the Artistic Direction for the Tanz Studio Dresden, to be created in September 2006 with the recent awarding of the Tanzplan Deutschland Programme to the city of Dresden.

He directs the School since August 2006.