Game Changer

When Hans van Manen passed away on 17 December 2025, it was a shock—for the dance world, for his friends around the globe, and for me as well. Anyone who had known him—even in his later years at an advanced age—couldn't imagine that he would one day no longer be there. When I met Hans van Manen in Amsterdam with his longtime partner and husband, the video artist Henk van Dijk, I encountered an alert, mischievous, witty, charming, approachable, curious, and generous person who loved being with people and entertaining them. Hans van Manen had no private life, no "work-life balance"; on the contrary: "I hate that, private life. My house must always be full."

Choreographic Work
In 2019, Hans van Manen created his last choreography, Dances with Piano, for Ballett am Rhein, with whom he had a ...