Open Call for makers
Over the past ten years, the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet and ISH Dance Collective have shown through several successful collaborative projects how ballet and hip hop can complement and strengthen each other. Through the NextSteps programme, we aim to give a new generation of makers the opportunity to explore the synergy between these two dance forms.
Within NextSteps, emerging choreographers are given the opportunity to develop short choreographies for professional dancers, with ballet and hip-hop as equal starting points. The programme provides an inspiring environment for artistic research, experimentation and exchange, creating a bridge between styles, worlds and generations.
Through this open call, we are looking for new makers from various dance backgrounds. Do you have an idea for a short choreography? Then you can submit a plan. It's a dance piece of 10 to 15 minutes, for two or three dancers. In the piece, ballet and hip-hop come together. You can choose a theme, a working method, a piece of music, or another idea. It's important that we see both ballet and hip-hop in the piece. Work out your plan carefully, so it's feasible to create within a short period of time.
The open call is open to makers from all dance forms. Want to take part? Send your plan to opencall@operaballet.nl. By 'new makers' we mean choreographers who have already created a few works for professional dancers.
A jury will select the best plans. These are Lars de Vos (ISH member and maker of a previous NextSteps edition), Ernst Meisner (director of Dutch National Ballet), and Marco Gerris (artistic director of ISH Dance Collective).
Important dates
Kick-off: December 3, 2026
Rehearsal period
- February 16, 17, and 18, 2027
- March 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, and 25, 2027
Performances
March 26 and 27, 2027 (4 performances), at Studio Boekman at Dutch National Opera & Ballet
To take part, you must be available on the dates listed above and be a resident of the Netherlands.
Submission deadline: October 19, 2026
Most asked questions
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Send your concept plan to opencall@operaballet.nl no later than October 19, 2026.
Please make sure to answer the following questions:
- What is your relationship to dance, ballet and/or hip-hop, and why do you want to take part in this project?
- What would you like to show on stage? Describe the artistic core points of your plan.
- What experience have you gained so far as a dancer and/or maker, and how does this project contribute to your development?
Please include your CV and up to three video links (YouTube, without a password).
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Each maker receives a total of 40 rehearsal hours, spread across the days listed above, to create a piece of 10–15 minutes. On March 24 and 25, there will be time in Studio Boekman for technical setup and rehearsal (tech run).
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The plan you submit is for a work with hip hop dancers and dancers from the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet. The total ensemble per work consists of two or three dancers, of whom at least one is a ballet dancer.
Regarding the ballet dancers: if your idea is selected, you can indicate which Junior Company dancers you would prefer to work with, so we can take this into account in the casting. The final casting will be decided by us, based on the wishes of all selected choreographers.
Regarding the hip hop dancers: you may propose one or two dancers yourself, but we can also – If desired – suggest hip hop dancers affiliated with ISH.
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- Dancer fees are covered by ISH Dance Collective and the Junior Company.
- Each choreographer receives a fee for preparation, rehearsals and performances, based on experience and the Fair Practice Code.
- A lighting design will be created in consultation with us. We will also together explore possibilities for costumes and any props.
- The choice of music will be determined in consultation with us.
- Travel expenses arising from the execution of the project will be reimbursed in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Theatre and Dance (CAO Toneel en Dans).
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Contact us at opencall@operaballet.nl