Niels Claes is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and educator with a BA degree in Dance (2011) from Fontys Academy of the Arts (NL) and MA degree “COMMA” in choreography (2025), a joint degree between Fontys Academy of the Arts (NL) and Codarts University of the Arts (NL). Currently, he is an independent artist, operating through his company, Body Analogy Dance Theatre.
He has worked for several companies including Project Sally (NL), Dansgroep Amsterdam (NL), Polish Dance Theater (PL), Aura Dance Theater (LT), La_trottier Dance Collective (DE), and Šeiko Dance Company (LT). Niels had the opportunity to perform in creations by choreographers such as Andonis Foniadakis, Jo Stromgren, Tina Tarpgaard, Ohad Naharin, Rachid Ouramdane, and others.
Niels Claes was awarded the “Lithuanian Golden Stage Cross” as “Male Dancer of the Year” in 2018 and 2021. He was also nominated for the “Lithuanian Golden Stage Cross” in the category “Choreographer of the Year” in 2018, together with Gintarė Marija Ūsė.
As a member of the “Lithuanian Contemporary Dance Association”, Niels Claes was titled the “Most Memorable Dancer of 2020”.
Niels Claes choreographic work explores the debts and rich information inside the imagination through embodied practice. Some of his choreographies are “Maathai” (Polish Dance Theater), “Thirst” (Aura Dance Theater), “Aside”, “Marked” (Šeiko Dance Company), “They like” (National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Art), and “It’s in the pause” (Body Analogy Dance Theatre).
Noteworthy teaching credentials are Fontys Academy of the Arts, Lithuanian Music and Theater Academy, National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Art, Latvian Academy of Culture, Edge Hill University and Professional Dance Classes for the Lithuanian Contemporary Dance Association and Latvian Choreographers Association.
Niels Claes | Body Analogy Dance Theatre 