The 2025 Jury 

Choreographer, Teacher, Dancer, and Videographer Born in Brazil, Xavier has lived and worked in the Netherlands since 1993. He is a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher, and filmmaker. Xavier began his dance journey in Brazil through Capoeira, Afro, Jazz, and Modern dance. After just two years of Ballet (RAD), he moved to Amsterdam to study at SNDO. He later joined major Dutch and international companies, including Scapino Ballet, Duda Paiva Company, LeineRoebana, Nanine Linning, Djazzex, and Frankfurt Ballet. In 2002, he received the Swan Prize for Best Dancer (VSCD). He won Best Male Act at Baj Pomorski Festival in 2009 with Duda Paiva Company. Xavier holds a BA (Hons) in Digital Filmmaking from Middlesex University and SAE Amsterdam. In 2020, he became a certified Fletcher Pilates instructor. As a freelancer, he works as a choreographer, videographer, teacher, and rehearsal director. His creative approach bridges physical expression with cinematic storytelling. He remains active in both performance and education. Xavier’s work reflects a rich, hybrid background in movement and media. He continues to inspire through collaboration, versatility, and passion for the arts. see also: https://www.edersonxavier.com/

Artistic Director Henny Jurriëns Studio Evan, the artistic director of the Henny Jurriëns Studio in Amsterdam is a native of Los Angeles, California, Evan received his education from The Juilliard School, in New York City. He has worked with various companies including Thang Dao Dance Company (USA), Tanzcompagnie Konzert Theater Bern (CH), National Dance Company Wales (UK), Grand Théâtre de Genève (CH) and Cie Opinion Public (BE) to name a few. Evan has performed works by Pina Bausch, Ohad Naharin, Marcos Morau, Roy Assaf, Twyla Tharp, and Martha Graham, amongst others. He has danced across the United States, Europe, Asia, as well as the Middle East. Some of his achievements include the Martha Hill Prize and the YoungArts Scholarship, presented by the National Foundation of Advancements in the Arts. Evan’s class follows the basic structure of a classical ballet class, but draws from visualizations and imagery to help tackle difficult movements. “I focus my exercises greatly on musicality, alignment as well as natural weight distribution and flow. My goal for the artists joining class is to leave with new information and tactics when approaching movement.”

Movement Coach at ArtEZ Dance Artist & Coordinator of the Mosa Ballet School Contemporary Program Ime Essien-Hassel is the Contemporary Program Coordinator at Mosa Balllet School in Belgium and a regular teacher/coach at ArtEZ Dance Artist program. She was trained as a stage dancer and dance teacher at the École Française de Ballet (Bonn) and the New City Dance School (Stuttgart). She worked as a dancer and singer in various musicals, rock operas and in modern musical theater in Germany. After her internship with the contemporary dance company Conny Janssen Danst in Rotterdam (NL) in 1992, Ime worked for Charleroi Danse/ Plan K in Belgium and with the Tanzcompagnie Gießen in Germany. There she worked first as a dancer, then as a rehearsal director and choreographic assistant in. This was followed by a 7-year engagement as artistic rehearsal director (RD) with NorrDans in Härnösand (SE), and subsequently as guest RD with the Staatstheater Bielefeld (D), the Theater St. Gallen, as RD & ensemble coach with Skånes Dansteater in Malmö (SE) and assisting Jasper van Luijk (NL) in creation for the ArtEZ Bachelor of Dance in Arnhem (NL). Since 2000 and 2007 Ime Essien-Hassel has been studying and working with the essential-communication approach Process Inquiry®, the movement inquiry through Dansergia®, and as a Change Catalyst®. This work and more forms the methodological basis for I.M.E. InnerMovementEvolution, the holistic approach for personal authentic performance quality and physicality that she teaches. Since 2004 Ime Essien-Hassel taught and worked as a dance teacher and movement coach in contemporary dance companies, colleges of dance and open dance studios internationally – in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland & Tanzania, and was part of the former Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet (US) Germany tour 2010. I.M.E. InnerMovementEvolution is embedded in the curriculum of the ArtEZ Bachelor of Dance in Arnhem/The Netherlands since 2005, with the main courses “Process Inquiry® in Dance”, Essence Work, Physical Musicality and Inner Architecture. Besides, it develops further to support personal development and healing through energy-movement understanding also for non-professional dancers and every-body. Ime Essien-Hassel is a certified ContaKids Teacher.

Ballet Teacher National Ballet Academy Laurence Korsenti studied at L’Ecole de Danse de l’Opéra de Marseille under the direction of Rosella Hightower, Pedro Consuegra and later Roland Petit. As a student she joined the company of Les Ballets de Marseille on various tours. She danced with the Israel Ballet, Scapino Ballet, the Frankfurt Ballet and the Scottish Ballet where she was promoted to first soloist. After completing her teacher’s course she taught at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague between 1992 and 2011. Since then she has been a teacher at the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam until her retirement in September 2024. She was also a regular guest teacher at the Royal Ballet School.