Rutkay Özpinar

Born: 1991, Doetinchem (The Netherlands)
Education: RijnIJssel, Arnhem and Codarts, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
Experience: De Dutch Junior Dance Division; Korzo; Introdans (2015 and 2020/2021)
Accolades: BNG Bankprijs 2016 – Excellent Talent

The Turkish-Dutch Rutkay Özpinar thought for a long time that he couldn’t do anything. Now he knows that he is a creative with a knack for mathematics who speaks an exceptional number of languages. This allows him to connect with and even merge different worlds.

Rutkay received his dance training at RijnIJssel in Arnhem and Codarts School of the Arts in Rotterdam. He then danced with De Dutch Junior Dance Division, among others, where he discovered his talent for choreography. Since 2014, he has been making choreographies under the wings of the Korzo makers house in The Hague. That makes him one of the youngest choreographers in our country.

After a number of short creations, including the prize-winning Grip (BNG Bank Prize 2016 and a nomination for the first edition of the Hague Piket Art Prizes), about the inner struggle with yourself and the expectations of the outside world, he did an artistic research into his own roots in 2019. He explored the sensual and powerful Oryantal (belly dance), the heavy and repetitive Halay and the narrative and harmonic Zeybek, resulting in the choreography His. This creation was also shown in the Introdans HubClub programme.

In the 2020/2021 season, Rutkay will be a guest dancer in Karole Armitage’s choreography Rave, in the family performance Confetti.