Roger Van der Poel

Roger Van der Poel is a Portuguese-Dutch award-winning dancer. Started his dance education at the National Conservatory of Lisbon at the age of eighteen. His dance career includes Ballet Gulbenkian, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and, for fourteen consecutive seasons, the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT). Roger’s performance repertoire includes existing works by & creations with Sol León & Paul Lightfoot, Crystal Pite, Jiři Kylián, Gabriela Carrizo, Franck Chartier, Marco Goecke, Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe and Mats Ek, among many others. Roger has staged the work of Sol León & Paul Lightfoot and Crystal Pite internationally (Zurich Ballet, National Norwegian Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, The Australian Ballet, the Bayerisches Staatsballett and the Staatstheater Nürnberg), assisted Sol León on her newest creation for Staatsballett Berlin, guest teaches for dance schools and programs around the world and has been on regular faculty at NDT Summer Intensive and chuthis. Movement Intensive. Roger was awarded the Dutch Zwaan for best dance performance of 2008 and the Encouragement Prize 2007 by the Stichting Dansersfonds’79 in Amsterdam. In August 2020, Roger embarked on a new journey as a free-lance artist and continues to stage, teach and perform. Most recently, Roger performed in Peter Chu's world premieres of Conscious Shift and take-off at 92NY - Harkness Dance Center in New York City and Almaty Theatre in Almaty, Kazakhstan; and staged León & Lightfoot’s Stop-Motion at the National Norwegian Ballet.

Photo © Sacha Grootjans