Nelly Van Bommel

Nelly van Bommel is a French-born choreographer and dance educator who blends classical technique with folk-derived music and theatrical storytelling. Born in France to Dutch parents, she trained at the Académie de Danse Claudie Plaçais-Rocher in Limoges and the Centre National de la Danse in Paris, studying under artists including Richard Alston, Susan Buirge and Christian Trouillas, alongside academic work at universities across France. In 2002 she moved to New York on a fellowship from the Conseil Régional d'Île-de-France and completed an MFA at Purchase College, SUNY, receiving the school's Outstanding MFA Graduate Award in 2004.

Van Bommel's choreography emerged through institutional commissions and competition recognition. In 2007 she won the first jury prize at Milwaukee Ballet's Genesis International Choreographic Competition, followed by works including *O Clemens* (2007) and *Gelem, Gelem* (2008), which the company restaged in 2023. In 2010 she appeared in *Dance Magazine*'s "25 to Watch" and won Ballet Austin's New American Talent/Dance jury prize alongside Austin Critics' Table recognition for *Fanfarnèta*. Her work has circulated through Ballet Austin, Kaatsbaan, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Taipei National University of the Arts and university dance programs across North America and beyond.

Van Bommel founded and directed NØA Dance, a New York-based vehicle for contemporary work that extended her choreographic reach. She served as Director of Choreography for Regional Dance America's Summer National Choreography Intensive in 2012 and 2013. In 2018, Juilliard commissioned *Nadir*, credited jointly to van Bommel and the dancers of the second-year class for *New Dances: Edition 2018*—a collaborative model reflecting her approach to composition as a shared practice.

Her career has increasingly integrated creation with higher-education leadership. A 2021 institutional profile identified her as Director of Purchase College's Conservatory of Dance. As of 2026, van Bommel holds the position of Associate Professor of Dance and department chair for the BFA in Dance at Purchase College, where she shapes the next generation of choreographers and performers.