Toer van Schayk

Toer van Schayk (Amsterdam, 1936) received his first ballet lessons from Iraïl Gadeskov and was further trained by Sonia Gaskell. From 1955 to 1959, he was affiliated with Gaskell’s Nederlands Ballet, but he interrupted his dance career to complete his studies in sculpture at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague.

In 1965, Toer van Schayk returned to the field of dance. He joined Dutch National Ballet, which had since been established, where he became a beloved soloist thanks to his expressive and intense performances. One of his most acclaimed roles was that of the Young Man in Rudi van Dantzig’s ballet Monument for a Dead Boy (1965). In 1971, Van Schayk made his debut as a choreographer, at Van Dantzig’s urging, with Onvoltooid verleden tijd. Since then, he has created over fifty works, many of which are also performed by international companies. His best-known choreographies include Voor, tijdens en na het feest, Life (in collaboration with Van Dantzig), Landscape, 7th Symphony, Requiem, and The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (in collaboration with Wayne Eagling). In 1999, he also choreographed the musical Elisabeth for producer Joop van den Ende.

Van Schayk is also widely recognised as a visual artist. His free work includes sculptures and paintings, which have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Amsterdam, Athens, London, and New York. In addition, he is one of the most remarkable Dutch set and costume designers. Besides designing for his own ballets, he created sets and costumes for nearly all of Van Dantzig’s ballets. Furthermore, in 2003, he designed the sets and costumes for a new production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella at The Royal Ballet in England.

Although Van Schayk retired in 2011, he remains highly active. In September 2021, his most recent choreography, Lucifer Studies, premiered as part of the Dutch National Ballet programme TOER. He continues to stage his earlier ballets with Dutch National Ballet, supervises his designs, and, in 2009, created the sets and costumes for the company’s new production of Giselle.

During the premiere of the programme Dutch Masters in 2016, Van Schayk was promoted to Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau. In 2012, he received both the Silver Medal of the City of Amsterdam and the Benois de la Danse Lifetime Achievement Award.

Awards and honours:

2016 Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau
2012 Silver Medal of the City of Amsterdam
2012 Life Time Achievement Award (Benois de la Danse)
1987 Choreography Award (Amsterdam)
1979 Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau