Innovation Award Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht

In 2022, Nederlandse Dansdagen merged the then two festival awards (Prijs van de Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht and Prijs van de Nederlandse Dansdagen Jong Publiek) into one incentive award, the Innovation Award Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht. The award highlights current developments and exceptional talent. 

This incentive award provides a sum of €25,000, supported by the Municipality of Maastricht, to give the winner more clout in producing their ideas. The new work or creation will be presented for the first time during the following edition of the Nederlandse Dansdagen. 

In 2026, the nomination is for choreographers who explore the relationship between dance and cultural identity in their work. Some choreographers draw on their personal history, heritage, or environment, allowing these elements to influence their movement language, form, and expressiveness. Others use dance as a means to explore and shape the complexity and fluidity of cultural identity. In both cases, stories emerge in which personal roots, traditions, or experiences play a role - contributing to a richer and more multifaceted picture of what identity and dance can mean today. 

A jury nominates three makers from the entries who pitched their idea for a new performance. The choreographer with the best, most innovative idea goes home with the award and will create new work.

The Innovation Award Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht jury 2026 consists of:

• Frans Bastiaens, alderman for culture at the Municipality of Maastricht
• Gaia Gonnelli, artistic director at Dadodans / Josephine van Rheenen, choreographer and founder de Dansers
• Ulrika Kinn Svensson, artistic director Dance Arts in Context/ Fontys Academy of the Arts
• Roy Overdijk, dancer and choreographer at the Ruggeds
• Janneke Stroe, head of production and coach maker trajectories at Korzo