Judges VSCD Young Swan announced

We are delighted to announce the two new jury members for the VSCD Youth Dance Awards: Jasper van Luijk, artistic director of SHIFFT, and Sanne Berger, programmer Youth & Education at Theater aan de Parade. They will be part of the jury, which further consists of Liesbeth Wildschut, Erik Kaiel, Janneke Schmeitz and Eline van der Stoep.

Jasper van Luijk

Jasper van Luijk studied dance at the ArtEZ Dance Academy in Arnhem. In 2012, he won the ITs Choreography Award as a newly graduated choreography talent. He created his work under the wings of De Nieuwe Oost, Dansateliers, Korzo and Maas Theater en Dans, among others.

SHIFFT is Jasper's dance company, founded in 2017. His work is in the middle of the world. He looks for the themes he relates to in current events. The artistic encounter with the dancers as well as with artistic partners from other artistic disciplines is central. In a rich artistic exchange, his work emerges, which he shares with the audience both in the theatre and at special locations.

Besides SHIFFT, Jasper was artistic director of the Moving Futures Festival and programmer at the Café Theatre Festival between 2020 and 2023. He is currently an advisor at the Amsterdam Arts Council and community manager of the new culture cluster at Berlinplein in Utrecht Leidsche Rijn.

Sanne Berger

Sanne Berger studied to be a teaching theatre maker and started her career as a teacher. After years of teaching, she worked as a project leader for Cultuureducatie met Kwaliteit and Klas en Kunst, focusing on securing arts in education. For two and a half years, she has been Youth & Education programmer at Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Here, she is responsible for programming youth and family shows, school performances, workshops, tours and youth programmes, not only for the city, but also for the region.

Her love for dance theatre is great. She watches with wonder how dancers move their bodies on stage. Sometimes technical and sharp, sometimes just out of rhythm. Dance can say what cannot always be captured in words.

It is with pride that she now takes a seat on the Youth Dance Jury. She looks forward to watching, analysing and sparring with the other judges.