Jonas Vlerick, born in 1985 in Brugge, Belgium, is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator. After his studies at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, Jonas began a remarkable 14-year journey with the Royal Ballet of Flanders in 2003, where he served under the leadership of Robert Denvers, Kathryn Bennetts, Assis Carreiro, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Jonas’s artistic versatility shone throughout his tenure with the company, captivating audiences as both a corps de ballet member and soloist. He brought to life the works of eminent choreographers like Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Nicolo Fonte, Elo Jorma, Jacopo Godani, Marcia Haydee, Edward Clug, Christian Spuck, and Balanchine, to name a few.
Emerging early on as a creative talent, Jonas conceived several unique ballets, including “Living waters,” “Inner moment,” and “Unforeseen hope.” Notably, at the young age of 22, he was selected to participate in “Uncontainable,” a mixed program by the Royal Ballet of Flanders. His choreographic skills continued to evolve, bolstered by his participation in the third Choreographic LAB of Dance East in Ipswich in 2013. This resulted in Jonas winning a gold medal for his own dance piece and a silver medal for choreography at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition in 2015.
Jonas’s innovative choreographic work led to commissions like “Solar Industries” for the Royal Ballet of Flanders in 2017 and the full-length ballet “When no one is watching,” requested by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for the Royal Ballet Flanders between 2017 and 2019.
Outside the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Jonas made it to the finals of esteemed initiatives by Rambert Dance Company, Ballet X, NW Dance Project (Sarah Slipper), and Tulsa Ballet (Marcello Angelini). As a dedicated educator, he mentored young dancers at the Royal Ballet School,has collaborated with various esteemed dance institutions, choreographing for companies like the Delattre Dance Company in Mainz and the Visceral Dance Company in Chicago.In addition to performing, choreographing, and teaching, Jonas has
worked with respected figures like David Zambrano, Edivaldo Ernesto, Francisco Códova, Horacio Macuacua, and Peter Jasko to nurture the next generation of dancers and choreographers.
Today, Jonas is crafting “Chasing Horizons” for the Mosa Ballet School, further expanding his creative boundaries while inspiring others through his unique vision for dance. His passion, dedication, and relentless pursuit of artistic excellence continues to resonate within the global dance community.