Three participants from the Netherlands and one participant from Ghana, Indonesia, or South Africa were sought through an open call. Through the ISPA network, the selected fellows will meet other professionals from leading international stages and festivals and will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas with leaders of some of the world's most important art organisations.

The new fellows are:

• Mxolisi Masilela: founder and director of Tx Theatre (Ekurhuleni, South Africa)
  
• Yannick Noomen: artistic director of Nineties (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
  
• Andrea Voets: artistic director of Resonate Productions (Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
  
• Maya Roest: artistic director of the Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition (RIDCC) (Rotterdam, the Netherlands)
  

The Dutch fellowship programme is organised by the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) and is made possible by the Performing Arts Fund NL.

Mxolisi Masilela is the CEO and artistic director of TX Theatre and navigates between the theatre and art worlds. With a passion for storytelling, Masilela excels as an author, director, actor and producer, creating narratives that resonate with a variety of audiences.

As a facilitator and curator, Masilela strives to foster creativity and cultural exchange. Under Masilela's leadership, TX Theatre has flourished. Masilela inspires the global artistic community, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural landscape.

Yannick Noomen is a performing artist and artistic director at the Dutch theatre company Nineties. Blending visual art, digital media, literature, music and performing arts, he manages to break theatre conventions. In an attempt to make the present time less elusive, he combines new perspectives on our changing world and the challenges it brings.

Noomen is a curious and versatile artist who creates contemporary performing arts in collaboration with leading artists from various disciplines, both inside and outside of theatre. In doing so, he opts for radical forms and styles. Whether it’s a robot opera, a fictional television programme, a pop concert or a digital installation, he always breaks the fourth wall and strives to reach a new audience.

Andrea Voets is the artistic director of Resonate Productions. She’s a ‘musical journalist’ who weaves in-depth social journalism with original music, as seen in While We Live (2020), which was chosen by NRC as the 'best classical music of 2020' and hailed as a 'fascinating new genre.'

Her latest production FOR REAL (2024) is a theatre-radio programme exploring what it means to be taken seriously, starting with the intellectual undermining of women. Each performance results in a podcast episode. Andrea writes for De Groene Amsterdammer, is an artist-in-residence at Festival van Vlaanderen Mechelen and the O. Festival in Rotterdam and is currently working on her international ambitions within the Fast Forward programme.

Maya Roest is an experienced dancer with Scapino Ballet Rotterdam. She has received various grants and dance prizes, including second prize in the Choreography Solo Competition in Stuttgart and a grant from the Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation. In 2017, Roest was one of the initiators of the RIDCC concours, creating opportunities for choreographers.

Partly under her leadership, the RIDCC has rapidly developed into a dance competition and festival with a professional organisation, focusing on network development, providing genuine opportunities for emerging choreographers and connecting the international dance community. The RIDCC is a multi-day festival that attracts interest from across the international dance world.