Toer van Schayk is the first to receive the Dance pin

Toer van Schayk is inextricably linked with Dutch National Ballet. His set and costume designs have graced the scene since it was founded in 1961 and in the years that followed, he danced and created idiosyncratic dances. Van Schayk also enjoys great fame as a visual artist.
For the past 5 years, the Nederlandse Dansdagen has been busy connecting the heritage, current events and the future of Dutch Dance. Such as with the danceMuseum, where the work of Toer van Schayk is central this year. To reinforce this, the Nederlandse Dansdagen wants to honor those who represent this with the Dansspeld, a new sign of merit.

dansMuseum #5 Changing Forms: Five Conversations with Toer van Schayk
The danceMuseum strives to illuminate Dutch dance from new and surprising perspectives every year, and this year is no exception. dansMuseum #5: Changing Shapes is an exhibition that enters into a 'conversation' with one of the most versatile artists in the history of Dutch dance: choreographer and visual artist Toer van Schayk.
Throughout his career, Toer van Schayk has explored many forms of artistic expression. From choreography to painting and from sculpture to set design, his wide-ranging oeuvre bears witness to a life devoted to and surrounded by art. To honor this — and to celebrate his 85th birthday — this year's exhibition pays tribute to his unique artistic vision and the example he sets as a leading, multidisciplinary dance artist.

Toer van Schayk - drawings
In collaboration with the Bonnefantenmuseum and in conjunction with the online exhibition Changing Shapes: Five Conversations with Toer van Schayk, the Nederlandse Dansdagen and the danceMuseum present drawings from Van Schayk's recently completed episodic series, inspired by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo's 'Punchinello' series ( about 1800). The thirty drawings on display, which can be seen in the Bonnefantenmuseum from 30 September to 7 October, are accompanied by a filmed conversation between Van Schayk and art and literature historian Prof. Dr. Emilie Sitzia.

Toer Van Schayk
Toer van Schayk is a choreographer and visual artist. He studied sculpture at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, and continued his education in the visual arts at the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp. During his sixty-year career with Dutch National Ballet, he was a celebrated dancer, set designer and choreographer, creating 56 ballets for the company. In 1987 he won the choreography prize of the VSCD for 7th Symphony. In 2012, he received the Silver Medal of the City of Amsterdam and the Life Time Achievement Award for his complete oeuvre from the Benois de la Danse. In 2016 he was promoted to Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau.