Jan Martens
Jan Martens (Beveren, 1984) studied at the Fontys Academy in Tilburg and graduated from Artesis Academy of Dance in Antwerp in 2006. He danced in the work of Koen De Preter, United-C, Mor Shani and Ann Van den Broek, among others. In 2009, he started choreographing.
His debut as a creator, I can ride a horse whilst juggling so mary me (2010), which he made at United-C in Eindhoven, stood out for the theatrical simplicity with which he portrayed a generation of young women dominated by social media. Subsequently, he created a small guide on how to treat your lifetime companion (2011), sweat baby sweat (2011), BIS (2012), La Bête (2013) and Viktor (2014). In a short time, he conquered the hearts of professionals, press and audiences. In 2013, Jan Martens received the Dance Award from the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund North Brabant.
Since 2011, DansBrabant has been supporting Jan Martens to enable sustainable development. A carefully and adequately mapped out trajectory, supported by various partners, gives Martens a longer-term perspective and also brings working for the big stage within reach.
In the years that followed, Jan Martens made such works as THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER (2014), ODE TO THE ATTEMPT (2014), THE COMMON PEOPLE (2016), RULE OF THREE (2017), lostmovements (2019), any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones (2019-2020), ELISABETH GETS HER WAY (2021).
In his work, Jan strives for a perfect balance and symbiosis between storytelling and conceptualism. He does not set out to create a new dance language, but rather recycles and models existing idioms and places them in a new context, creating new and layered meaning. Rather than excelling in choreographic complexity and physical virtuosity, he puts the beauty of the imperfect human being first. His themes are recognisable and topical and he always seeks connections with pop culture.
Jan Martens has been combining his role of co-artistic director at GRIP with that of associate artist at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen since 2022.
