About Us
The Dance Europe Network connects the administrative and management leaders of European and Global dance and ballet companies, creating a space for dialogue, innovation and learning. Through annual and semi-annual meetings held in European cities, participants share experiences and are exposed to current expertise and new perspectives relevant to their work and their companies. While artistic excellence and vibrancy are at the heart of every dance company, our network is focused on those responsible for the strategic and operational structures essential to thriving organisations.
Partnering with generous host companies, the Dance Europe Network plans and produces regular gatherings and provides digital access to meeting presentations, research and applicable updates. By expanding professional networks and identifying common challenges, we aim to foster insight and practical knowledge for the administrative leaders of ballet and dance organisations, contributing to the long-term sustainability and impact of the dance ecosystem.
Our Mission
To bring together the administrative and management leaders of ballet and dance companies for dialogue, knowledge sharing and exploring issues shaping their work and the evolving dance sector.
Our Vision
A thriving global dance community where strong leadership, partnership, and shared expertise sustain and advance the art of ballet and dance.
Core Values
• Excellence, quality of art
• Networks
• International connection
• Current research
• Open dialogue
• Information and data sharing
• Confidentiality
• Learning
• Transparency
Our History
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2016 Amsterdam: Host Company Dutch National Opera and Ballet. Partnered with Opera Europa as a sub group of Spring Conference
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2017 Copenhagen: Host Company The Royal Danish Ballet. Partner, Dance USA​​
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2019 London: Host Company, The Royal Ballet. Partner, Dance USA
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2022 Amsterdam: Host Company, Dutch National Ballet
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2023 Paris: Host Company, Paris Opera and Ballet. Partner, National Ballet of Canada
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2024 Hamburg: Host Company, Hamburg Ballet
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2025 London: Host Companies, English National Ballet, Rambert, The Royal Ballet
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2026 Vienna: Host Company, Vienna State Ballet​​
The first tentative steps toward a network for European ballet and dance administrators took place in Amsterdam in June 2016. Founded by Valerie Wilder, an artistic and executive director of international dance companies, the initial meeting was held in Amsterdam, hosted by the Dutch National Opera and Ballet. For the leaders of the seventeen companies represented, the meeting provided an opportunity for inspiration and information sharing that had the potential to enhance their work and the art form in important ways. Meetings continued for several years, often in partnership with Dance USA.
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In the June 2022 meeting, again in Amsterdam, the Dance Europe Network was launched. A core membership group emerged, supplemented by many associate attendees. Since then, meetings have taken place in London, Paris, Hamburg, and Vienna. Together with host companies, the Network organises gatherings that keep companies abreast of current research and topics of cutting edge value. In-person and virtual meetings provide opportunities for leaders to discuss key issues impacting their work, share advice, discover solutions and explore collaborations.
Leadership
Founder Valerie Wilder is a senior arts executive recognized for her extensive international experience and achievements in leading major dance organizations and advising cultural institutions around the world. Her career spans artistic leadership, executive management, governance, and strategic consulting, with a consistent focus on strengthening organizations.
After a career as a dancer at the National Ballet of Canada, she was invited by Erik Bruhn to join the company’s leadership team. She went on to become Artistic Director before being appointed as Executive Director. Valerie subsequently served as Executive Director of Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet Centre for Dance Education and later was named Executive Director of the Australian Ballet. Across these organizations, she led robust strategic planning processes that drove organizational capacity and delivered significant successes in revenue generation, capital campaigns and financial stability.
Valerie has served on numerous nonprofit and advisory boards including as Board Member and Vice Chair of Dance USA, where the value of meaningful professional networks and collaboration inspired her to found the Dance Europe Network in 2016. Since then, the organization has supported and connected the administrative leaders of ballet and dance organisations from around the world through in-person and digital meetings, dialogue, research and shared learning.
She holds a Master's degree in Management from McGill University in Montreal and has completed executive programs in nonprofit strategy at Harvard Business School and corporate governance from the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Valerie was recently appointed Honorary Life Member of the Australian Ballet by its Board of Directors in recognition for creating an “extraordinary philanthropic legacy” for the company.
Photo: James Braund
General Manager Sabina Perry is a cultural leader, curator, and arts manager with an extensive background in the international dance sector spanning 25 years. Her understanding of the field stems from her foundation as a movement artist, after studies at the National Ballet School and School of Toronto Dance Theater in Canada she completed a BFA in Dance from Codarts Rotterdam University for the Arts, which launched an international performance and choreographic trajectory. She transitioned her expertise through postgraduate Arts Management coursework at Harvard Extension School, culminating in a Master’s in Arts and Culture Management from Leuphana University Lüneburg, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut.
As a curator and organizer, Sabina served as a founding member of the MD Kollektiv, Founder and Co-Director of the Katalyst Festival in Cologne and administrator for the Dance Europe Network meetings since 2016 in collaboration with Dance USA.
Since 2022, she has served as General Manager of the Dance Europe Network, steering leadership and management events and strategies tailored for administrative and executive leaders of dance companies from around the world. She is also the Choreographer in residence at the Burgtheater Vienna and continues to advocate for the intrinsic value in dance in every context of her work.
Photo: Michael Maurissens