Philipe Lens

The Belgian dancer Philipe Lens studied classical ballet at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp where, in addition to ballet, he also became acquainted with modern dance techniques including those of Graham, Limon and Cunningham. During his studies he took part in competitions such as the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), the Prix de Lausanne and the Korea International Contemporary Dance Competition. Lens joined the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen company in the 2011-2012 season. Here, he has danced in works by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Marcia Haydée, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch and Akram Khan, among others. In 2017, Lens rehearsed Cherkaoui's Faun for the Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris, a duet that he himself danced numerous times. Lens has contributed to several world premiering creations, including Exhibition and Requiem by Cherkaoui and Palmos by Andonis Foniadakis. His most recent productions include Le Sacre du printemps (Pina Bausch), Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s Mozart/Concert Arias. Un moto di gioia, Half Life (Sharon Eyal), Tempus Fugit (Johan Inger), the title role in Akram Khan’s Creature, One Flat Thing, reproduced (William Forsythe) and New Ballet mécanique (Richard Siegal).

Repertoire at OBV

• Impressing the Czar (William Forsythe)
• The Return of Ulysses (Christian Spuck)
• Infra (Wayne Mc Gregor)
• Who Cares? (George Balanchine)
• Dream Weaver (Cameron McMillan)*
• Romeo & Julia (Slava Samodurov): Benvolio*
• Onegin (John Cranko)
• Forgotten Land (Jiří Kylián): Red
• In Flanders Fields (Ricardo Amarante)*
• De groene tafel (Kurt Jooss)
• Made Man (Nicolo Fonte)
• Tyll (Alexander Ekman)
• Les Noces (Edward Clug)*
• Faun (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
• Solo (Hans van Manen)
• De Notenkraker (Demis Volpi): Fritz*
• Doornroosje (Marcia Haydée after Marius Petipa): Blauwe vogel
• Pond Way (Merce Cunningham)
• Approximate Sonata 2016 (William Forsythe)
• Kaash (Akram Khan)
• Requiem (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)*
• L’Oiseau de feu (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
• Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue (Crystal Pite)
• Exhibition (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui): Bezoeker*
• Ma Mère l’Oye (Jeroen Verbruggen)*
• Faust (Jean-Christophe Maillot): Satan
• Selon désir (Andonis Foniadakis)
• Memento Mori (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
• Workwithinwork (William Forsythe)
• In your rooms (Hofesh Shechter)
• Giselle (Akram Khan): Hilarion
• Fall (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)*
• Boléro (Maurice Béjart)
• JOY (Alexander Ekman)
• B.R.I.S.A. (Johan Inger)
• Cantus Firmus (Jeanne Brabants)
• Mea Culpa (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui): Drunken Man
• RASA [after La Bayadère] (Daniel Proietto)*
• Le Sacre du printemps (Pina Bausch)
• Noetic (Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui)
• Palmos (Andonis Foniadakis)*
• Half Life (Sharon Eyal)
• Mozart/Concert Arias. Un moto di gioia (Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker)
• Tempus Fugit (Johan Inger)
• Creature (Akram Khan): Creature
• Palindrome - Chamber movement, perspectives on Bach (Claudio Cangialosi)*
• Vier muren - Chamber movement, perspectives on Bach (Nicola Wills)*
• One Flat Thing, reproduced (William Forsythe)
• New Ballet mécanique (Richard Siegal)*

*originated the role

Update: October 2023