Wim Vanlessen

Biography

Born in Belgium and trained at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp. At age of 17, Wim Vanlessen wins the silver medal at the “Concours International de Danse” in Houlgate and the "Prix Professionnel" at the “Prix de Lausanne”. Joining The Royal Ballet of Flanders, he quickly ascended through the ranks, dancing the leading roles in the diverse repertoire of the company.
He receives a lot of media attention for his outstanding performances in “The Sleeping Beauty”, “Swan Lake”, “Giselle”, “La Bayadère”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Apollo” and many others. He works closely with world-renowned choreographers like Maurice Béjart / “Sonate”, William Forsythe / “In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated”, “Herman Schmerman”, “Artifact”, “Impressing the Czar”, Jiří Kylián / “Return to the Strange Land” and “Forgotten Land”, David Dawson / “The Grey Area”, “The Sweet Spell of Oblivion” and “The Third Light” and Jorma Elo / “Lost By Last”.
He features in the “Olympic Games” in Nagano, the gala of the “Prix de Lausanne” and the gala of the “Benois de la Danse” at The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow where he is nominated best dancer.
Wim Vanlessen is honored by “Dance Europe” Magazine "Best Male Dancer of The Year” in 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also wins the Critics Award by "Ballet 2000" magazine in Cannes.