In Belgian dance, which for many years has been the trendsetter in Europe, Jan Martens (1984) has been one of the most important voices of our era. He did not start to dance until he was 18 years old, and this led him to switch his studies from Germanic languages to contemporary dance in Tilburg and later in Antwerp, where he graduated from the Artesis Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in 2006. He has been choreographing his own works since 2010, which have since been performed frequently in front of national and international audiences.

One of the important approaches to Martens’ dance is his idea that all bodies can communicate and that all bodies have something to say. This direct communication expresses itself transparently. In his works, the stage becomes a room in which the sensation of time becomes something to touch and feel. He provides space for observations, emotions and reflections. He uses existing languages, verbal and physical, to generate new ideas. In all of Jan Martens’ productions, he tries to reimagine the relationship between performers and the audience.

Since he started as a choreographer, Martens has stood out on the international arena with his productions. Dansens Hus has previously presented his production The Dog Days are Overfrom 2014. He has also won a number of awards for his work, and in 2014, he and Klaartje Oerlemans established the choreographic platform GRIP, which produces and distributes his productions as well as supporting the work of other choreographers such as Bára Sigfúsdóttir who is also appearing at Dansens Hus in spring 2019.