Marc Bogaerts

Marc Bogaerts is a Belgian choreographer and artistic director living in Berlin.[1] He has worked internationally for over more than 50 dance, opera and circus companies. Bogaerts stipulates that our current generational dynamic is complex and routed in the mundane and monotonous rigors of our daily need to survive or surpass. Therefore, he believes in the need to counterbalance routine by symmetrically presenting traditionally segregated styles such as opera, ballet, nouveau circus and stationary art. Following postmodernism, Marc Bogaerts builds a bridge between all forms of physical expression. Making unconventional combinations (modern dancers with athletes, circus artists with ballroom dancers, ice skaters with snake women, breakdancers with classical dancers) and bringing in his productions sport, art, ecology/innovations together he creates unusual symbiosis.

Marc Bogaerts
Born
Antwerp, Belgium
NationalityBelgium
EducationThe Royal Ballet of Flanders
Known forTheatre, Dance
Notable work
Not strictly Rubens, Carmina Burana, The Emperor’s Dream
Websitewww.bogaertsproductions.net

Biography

He studied 7 years Latin, Greek and philosophy with the Jesuits, 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 Royal Ballet of Flanders. 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 (Bilbao, Spain)

The Emperor’s Dream with performances in Brussels, Frankfurt (Jahrhunderhalle) and Madrid was a production made for the celebrations of the change of millennium.

For The National Ballet of the Opera Bucharest he made a contemporary dance production Midsummernight’s dream.

For the International Theatre Festival of Sibiu he choreographed the production Moi Rodin (director- Mihai Maniutiu, text by Patrick Roegiers). 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: Jean Bosco Safari 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 the Royal Ballet of Flanders (music- Praga Kahn, costumes- Walter Van Beirendonck) involved creating new MTV video clip, a CD and a fashion exhibition in Antwerp.

His production DuXtrou (Antwerp Accent) was described by the press as a poetic, unprecedented event.

He made Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) for the ballet and orchestra of the Staatstheater Schwerin.

His Sleeping Beauty with 40 actors and dancers was shown on a contemporary dance theater presentation for the Cluj-Napoca National Theatre, Romania.

Opera

Circus

Mass spectacles

Music theater

Street theater
  • Not strictly Van Eyck - Street theatre with band "Carpe Diem" and the improvisational actors from Quicksilver

Film/videoclips

Sport v.s. Art

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 Deutsches Turnfest in Deutschlandhalle where he proposed 18,000 spectators (live RBB broadcast) 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 (Ghent 2006), Flemish Sport Prize Award (Brussels, KVS 2006), "Apotheosis" (Antwerp), 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 Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin, 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.

Awards and achievements

Honours

Rewards and recognitions
  • Received the protection from Volker Schlöndorff, director of the film The Tin Drum (film), and the presence of President Hollande and Chancellor Angela Merkel for the production of the VERDUN 2014-2018 Commemoration with 3400 young French and German performers at the cemetery of Verdun on the music of Tambours du Broncx and beatboxer Scale, broadcast live on TV1.
  • For his drug awareness work in collaboration with the "Just Say No" week established by Nancy Reagan the Mayor of Orlando created Marc Bogaerts Day.
  • For his work with orphans in collaboration with Boystown he received the Keys to the City Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
  • Received the highest protection from the Royal Family von Sachsen Coburg and Gotha, Queen Fabiola and the German First Lady Christiane Herzog for the production of "Requiem von Mozart" in St. Petersburg Russia.
  • Received the protection of then Prince Philippe now King Philippe of Belgium for the production of "Jambe" the 100th anniversary of Scouting Worldwide with more than 600 performers for a crowd of 80.000 at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.
  • Received the highest protection from the Royal Family von Sachsen Coburg and Gotha, Queen Fabiola of Belgium and King Baudouin of Belgium for the celebration of Father Damiaen’s canonization by Pope John Paul II with more than 800 performers for a crowd of 60.000 in the Heizel Stadium in Brussels.
  • Received the admission as member of good standing and recognition for all his work and productions of the International Dance Council Unesco.


References
  1. Burns, Diane Hubbard (4 February 1990). "Marc Bogaerts touches the heart as a choreographer of conscience". Orlando Sentinel. p. F1. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
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