
Thom Stuart
Thom Stuart graduated from Royal Conservatoire Dance. He is well known as a professional dancer, choreographer, mentor and as co-founder of De Dutch Don’t Dance Division. He has been a force to be reckoned with in the dance world for nearly 40 years.
Thom credits the conservatoire for teaching him the profession and providing him with the tools he needed to succeed. “I really learned the profession at the conservatoire, with seven years of classes. There are still teachers I think of very fondly and exercises or learnings that I still use in my own classes. I was very disciplined and studying at the conservatoire enables you to grow up quite quickly. I also loved being in the same building as the musicians, that was really inspiring. I’d often visit the concerts and created ballets with pianists' compositions.”
After graduating, Thom was hired by Amsterdam’s folkloric dance theatre, Introdans and Scapino Ballet. One of the perks of the dance profession for Thom has been the opportunity to travel the world. He’s lived in Israel and the US and travelled extensively for work throughout the globe. Thom attributes his success to his ambition, hard work and willingness to take risks. He emphasises the importance of creating one’s own opportunities and being proactive in pursuing them.
Thom’s dedication to dance led him to establish his own dance company with husband Rinus Sprong, De Dutch Don’t Dance Division. The idea started when he and Rinus did community art projects in places like New Jersey for several years, working with children, amateurs, enthusiasts, and professionals. Once back in The Netherlands they started with a few small-sized productions, now they produce all year round and everywhere from Amare to a small church. The performances regularly sell out.
As a choreographer Thom has over 80 works to his name, from a small autobiographic solo performance to a mass choreography for 1200 dancers at Holland Dance Festival. He teaches at Codarts/Rotterdams Dansacademie and mentors young dancers, also in television productions such as ‘The ultimate dance battle’. Over the years he has won several awards including the Lucas Hoving Prize in 1998 and the Dansersfonds ’79 Merits Award, together with husband Rinus Sprong, in 2013.