Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (1973), a Belgian with Colombian roots, completed her dance training at the Stedelijk Instituut voor Ballet in Antwerp in 1991. She danced until 2003 with B.W.Gung Tanztheater in Ulm, the Heidelberger Stadttheater, Djazzex and Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, among others.
Lopez Ochoa began choreographing in the Scapino Workshops in the late 1990s, after which she created several pieces for TWOOLS. Her work is multifaceted and from the beginning connects with other genres including theater, opera and musical theater. In 2002-2003, for example, she choreographed various plays, including those by Orkater, Het Toneel Speelt and De Ploeg. With Lonneke van Leth, she founded the Fun Girl Collective in 2003. She is in the spotlight and that year NRC Handelsblad calls her "the rising star of the Dutch dance field."
In 2006, Lopez Ochoa choreographed for Dutch fashion designers Viktor & Rolf at the Van Gogh Museum. Between 2005 and 2015, as a member of dance theater collective Fantasten, she created physical theater pieces that were performed throughout the Netherlands.
Curriculum Vitae
Born
1973, Belgium
Education
Royal Ballet School of Antwerp
Danced with
Djazzex, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam
Created work for
English National Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Scottish Ballet, BalletMet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Het Nationale Ballet, Orkater, Het Toneel Speelt, De Ploeg, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Tulsa Ballet, Ballet Black, BalletX, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam
Scholarships, nominations and awards
- 3d prize Hannover Choreographey competition - 2002
- International Choreographer’s Competition of Bornem (Belgium) - 2003
- Nomination Olivier Award – 2013
- South Bank Sky Arts Awards - 2013
- Best Classical Choreography - Circle of Critics of the National Dance Award UK – 2013
- Villanueva Award (Cuba) - 2015
- Nomination National Dance Award – 2016
- Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Award - 2019
One of the few female choreographers, Lopez Ochoa creates narrative ballets for major companies worldwide. Beginning with a hit in 2012, with the award-winning A Streetcar Named Desire for The Scottish Ballet, she created Frida for the National Ballet in 2020, but English National Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Ballet Black and other companies have also danced original ballets by her.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa also teaches regularly at various training programs. In 2019, she will be director of the Contemporary Classical Summer program at Jacob's Pillow Summer School.
Lopez Ochoa has won a series of international awards. For A Streetcar Named Desire, she was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2013 and won a South Bank Sky Arts Award and the award for Best Classical Choreography from the Circle of Critics of the National Dance Award UK.
For Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa created the three pieces ZIP, ZAP and ZOEF in 2000 for TWOOLS 2 Graffiti and in 2003 for TWOOLS 5. In 2004 she created Nocturne.