On 1 March, Marieke van der Heijden was appointed the scouting and outreach coordinator of the Dutch National Ballet Academy. She succeeds Jane Lord, who held the position for over ten years. Marieke will combine her new position with the responsibilities she has had since 2001 for the pre-NBA and with directing her own ballet school: Balletstudio Marieke van der Heijden. Jane Lord will remain a teacher with the Dutch National Ballet Academy, where she gives repertoire classes to the Associate Degree students.

Marieke van der Heijden graduated in 1995 from the Theatre Dance Teacher course at the Theaterschool (now the Academy of Theatre and Dance) in Amsterdam, specialising in classical ballet, children’s dance and modern dance. After dancing and teaching in various places, she took over Balletstudio Loes Jongejan in 1999. Rechristened Balletstudio Marieke van der Heijden, the school grew to become one of the best-known amateur classical ballet schools in the Netherlands, leading to an intensive collaboration with the Dutch National Ballet Academy.

Since 2001, Marieke van der Heijen has been affiliated with the Dutch National Ballet Academy as a teacher and coordinator of the classes of the pre-NBA programme, and since 2019 also as a teacher of Progressing Ballet Technique. In addition to these responsibilities, she is now taking up the position of scouting and outreach coordinator.

Marieke is also an ABT® Certified Teacher pre-primary - level 5 and Certified Teacher Progressing Ballet Technique®. She gives regular refresher courses at the Dutch National Ballet Academy, Holland Dance Festival and the Henny Jurriëns Studio, which focus on coaching talented youngsters, and teaching ballet technique and using lesson structures for young dance pupils.