Art as Cultural Diplomacy
Personal Statement
Marc Bogaerts is a professional Producer, Choreographer Director and widely recognised all over the world for his creativity and innovation in the field of entertainment and artistic performance. Having grown up in Belgium studying Latin, Greek and philosophy under the tutelage of the Jesuits, he became intimately interested in the mind/body dynamic which was later expressed by his innovative productions. Marc’s pillars of inspiration are rooted in his international experiences, in Europe, the United States and the Eastern bloc countries.He went on to excel at boxing and middle distance running; he later decided to pursue more artistic efforts. Marc Bogaerts began his artistic career at the Royal Ballet of Flanders. He later became an honorary guest performer with Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown and Laura Dean. He called New York his home for eleven years, while continuing to mesmerize audiences worldwide.
From New York he travelled to Berlin, where he cemented his reputation as a pioneer in cross-disciplinary genres. He achieves this vision through less conventional combinations such as ballet dancers with athletes, circus artists with ballroom dancers, figure skaters with weight lifters, dramatic tension is uniquely created by exploring the boundaries of artistic synergy.
Productions
DANCE: “Everything that Moves is Dance.”—Marc Bogaerts
Marc Bogearts has choreographed over 10 ballet productions with the Royal Ballet of Flanders, during which time he worked with MTV, the Antwerp Fashion Museum, the band “Praga Kahn” as well as in venues such as the Royal Opera House, Sadlers Wells and the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt—all the time he worked to achieve his ultimate vision.Marc Bogaerts has also worked as a Choreographer with over 40 international dance companies including:
- Royal Danish Ballet (Denmark)
- Deutsche Staatsoper “Unter den Linden”
- Deutsche Oper Berlin
- Tanztheather of the Komische Oper Berlin
- Bayerisches Staatsballet
- Washington Ballet
- International Dance Festival Tokyo
- Sibiu International Festival (Romania)
CIRCUS
Marc Bogaerts has also worked intensively with the Tollwood festival in Munich, Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, Canada, Freidrichstadtpalast in Berlin and Circo d’ell Fuego in Antwerp.FILM/VIDEOCLIPS
True to his creative side, Marc Bogearts has also choreographed two films with Director Robert Groslot: “The Great Globe” and “Si le Monde.” He has also choreographed “Novalis, die blaue Blume.” These films are innovative, multi-faceted and open to many interpretations.He has also choreographed for:
- Placebo
- Hooverphonic
- Dirk Zoellner
LARGE SCALE
Under the request of Prince Phillipe of Belgium, Marc Bogearts choreographed the 100th anniversaryof Scouting Worldwide “Jambe,” with more than 600 performers for a crowd of 80,000 at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Under the highest protection of Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin, Marc Bogears choreographed “Father Damiaen” in celebration of Father Damiaen’s canonization by Pope John Paul II in 1995, with more than 800 performers for a crowd of 60,000.ICE SKATING
Marc Bogearts has also conceptualized for many American and Canadian Olympic ice-skaters for both national and international competitions. He has also worked extensively with former German champions Kati Winkler and Rene Lohse.MUSIC THEATRE
- Studio 54
- Ice Theater of New York
- I Fiaminghi “Sound of Silence” (Togo Hideki, Japan)
- Maurice Engelen and Inja Van Gastel “Eroticon” & “Code Red”
SPORTS
True to the cross-disciplinary nature of his work, Marc Bogaerts has choreographed, directed and collaborated with numerous sporting events:- Deutsche Turnfest 2005 Berlin “Berlin bewegt uns”, working with Berlin’s Multitask Mediabuero, live broadcasting and over 100,000 spectators.
- DKB Istaf 2007 & 2008 Opening Ceremony “Golden League” at the Berlin Olympic Stadium
- Opening Ceremony for the Pan-American Games, Opening Ceremony Eurogames 2007
- Promotional Video Clip for Special Olympics with Pascal Duquenne and Giulia Tonini
OPERA/MUSCIAL PRODUCTIONS
- Deutsche Oper Berlin—“Carmina Burana” “L’Histoire du Soldat” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
- Royal Flemish Opera—“Traviata”, “Meistersinger von Nurenberg”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “My Fair Lady”, “Sound of Music”, and “Fiddler on the Roof”
- Schwetzingen Festival and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music working with Philippe Arlaud on “El Divisione del Mondo”
- Staatstheater Mecklenbuergisches Schwerin “Dracula”
STREET THEATER
Marc Bogaerts has also exploded on to the newest scene in artistic productions working with “Carpe Diem” to create a street theater performance for Quicksilver “Not strictly Van Eyck.”Teaching
Convinced of the stagnation of modern dance after the death of Limon & Graham, forseeing new development in contemporary and classical dance, Marc Bogaerts developed a methodical-pedagogic system (Starting age - 12), that combines the Vaganova method with the Limon technique and emphasises on the knowledge he acquired working for many Olympic Training centers worldwide.Bogaerts has taught worldwide at:
- State School of Ballet Berlin
- Australian Conservatory of Ballet
- St. Petersburg Ballet School
- North Carolina School of the Arts
Awards & Achievements
Chief Choreographer for Hans-Otto Theater Potsdam in collaboration with the Brandenburger Philharmonic Orchestra Co-Founder of the Ice Theater in New YorkProgram Director for Arts and Sports as Cultural Diplomacy at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin
Chosen to be knighted as a Commander in the Order of Merit for lifetime achievement by the Foreign Office of Belgium in 2008
Received the Keys to the City in Omaha, Nebraska, USA for his work with orphans in collaboration with Boystown.
The Marc Bogaerts Day was created by the Mayor of Orlando, Florida for his drug awareness work in collaboration with the “Say No to Drugs Week”, established by Nancy Reagan.
