Louis Stiens
Choreographer
Louis Stiens is a German choreographer and dancer whose work explores tradition, form, and cultural contexts. He studied dance at the Heinz-Bosl Foundation in Munich and at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart. From 2011 to 2022, he was a demi-soloist with the Stuttgart Ballet, performing works by John Cranko, Marcia Haydée, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Marco Goecke, Christian Spuck, and Nanine Linning, while simultaneously developing his own choreographic practice.
Stiens first gained wider attention with the solo "Mäuse" (2010) for the Noverre Society Stuttgart, which was awarded First Prize at the BEO Competition. Since then, he has created works for renowned institutions such as the Stuttgart Ballet and Zurich Ballet, as well as independent projects including Solid Transitions, contributions to the Stuttgart Winter Film Festival, and collaborations with the artist Peaches. Major world premieres followed in 2024 and 2025, including "Fever" for Ballet Graz, "Strip" for Leipzig Ballet, and "High" for the Vienna State Ballet. With "Plasma und Penicillin" (2025) at the German National Theatre Weimar, Stiens made his directorial debut.
Alongside his choreographic work, Stiens regularly works in spoken theatre, opera, and musical theatre. Key projects include "The Seven Deadly Sins" (2019, directed by Anna-Sophie Mahler) and "Dancer in the Dark" (2012, directed by Christian Brey) at Schauspiel Stuttgart; "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" (2024, directed by Matthias Rippert) at Opera Graz; "Das Ballhaus" (2023, directed by Jan Neumann) at the German National Theatre Weimar; as well as productions by Sibylle Berg, Gianina Cărbunariu, and Burkhard C. Kosminski. In 2025, he created his first musical choreography for André Kaczmarczyk’s production of "Kiss Me, Kate" at the German National Theatre Weimar.
In 2026, Louis Stiens will choreograph for the first time at the Salzburg State Theatre for the opera production "Onegin". In the same season, he will also create the choreography for "Don Pasquale" at the Linz State Theatre, directed by Matthias Rippert.
Last updated: January 2026