Thank you for visiting my website and for taking an interest in what I do! This site will guide you through the pantheon of my thinking, the corridors of my world and the corners of my ever-expanding universe.
I am a choreographer, photographer and researcher. I am an image junkie and an information addict. I love chocolate, bread, tea and ice creams.
For several years I worked as a quantitative analyst and risk manager in finance. I'm currently head of financial markets research at the National Office of Statistics of The Netherlands. In 2008-2009 I took a sabbatical to finish my book on dance, aesthetics and the brain. During that time I was an associate researcher in the department of Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at Tilburg University. Previously I was a visiting scientist and artist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. In 2005-2006 and again in 2009-2010 I was a visiting professor in the Dance Unlimited program of the Arnhem School of Dance, a post-graduate course in choreography. Together with my students we studied different ways of cointegrating critical theory and dance practice.
I was born in the year The Beatles broke up and Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died and on the same day of the year as Andy Warhol was born and Velázquez died. I am about 2 meters or 6'6" tall and weigh 86 kg, weather permitting. I studied econometrics (or mathematical finance if you prefer), philosophy and literature at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Leiden (both The Netherlands) and University College London. I used to be highly proficient in C++ and various other programming languages, but those days are now behind me.
My research applies insights from philosophy, cognitive neuroscience, psychology, mathematics and sociology to the study of art in general and dance and choreography in particular.
My artistic work arises from the friction between my formal interests in structures and patterns and my predilection for "dirty realism". In 2004 I created a full evening choreography for the former Ballett Frankfurt, now The Forsythe Company, Communications from the Lab. I'm currently working on a new piece which will premiere in 2011.
I have presented my work and research at festivals and conferences in Los Angeles, Toronto, Boston, Berlin, New York, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Porto, Cologne and various other cities around the world.
This site is an incomplete record of my work and ideas. As with all my work it is a continuous work in progress. If you want to know more about me, check out the various entries in my blog from which you can infer more about me than I'd like you to know.
If you've got any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this site, my work, my research or any other aspect of my life, do not hesitate to contact me.