De Keersmaeker did not study dance until her last year of high school, instead studying music, specifically the flute. In 1981, she attended the
Tisch School of the Arts at
New York University. While at the Tisch, she presented her first production,
Asch (1980), in Brussels. In 1982 upon her return from the U.S.A. she created
Fase, four movements to the music of Steve Reich. It was this production that brought her "a breakthrough on the international dance scene, performing, among other places, at the
Avignon Festival". The success of
Fase contributed largely to the foundation of the Rosas in 1983.
Rosas danst Rosas, de Keersmaeker's first choreography for the young company to new compositions of
Thierry De Mey and
Peter Vermeersch, brought Rosas the international breakthrough as a company. During the eighties, Rosas was supported by Kaaitheater of Brussels (director Hugo De Greef). Within the framework of Kaaitheater, her oeuvre took shape. Performances such as ''Elena's Aria
(1984), Bartók
/Aantekeningen
(1986), a staging of Heiner Müller's triptych Verkommenes Ufer
/Medeamaterial Landschaft mit Argonauten
(1987), Mikrokosmos-Monument Selbstporträt mit Reich und Riley (und Chopin ist auch dabei)
/In zart fliessender Bewegung - Quatuor Nr.4
, (1987), Ottone, Ottone
(1988), Stella
(1990) and Achterland'' (1990), were produced in collaboration with Kaaitheater. In 1992,
La Monnaie's general director
Bernard Foccroulle invited Rosas to become the resident company of Brussels' Royal Opera
De Munt/
La Monnaie. At the start of the residency, de Keersmaeker set herself three objectives: to intensify the relation between dance and music, to build a repertory, and to launch a dance school (after the disappearance of MUDRA from Brussels in 1988). That year, Rosas created ERTS and released
Rosa—a film of a choreography by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker to Bartók music directed by
Peter Greenaway. Later that year, Rosas created
Mozart Concert Arias, un moto di gioia for the Avignon Festival. A production made in collaboration with the Orchestre des Champs Elysées, directed by Philippe Herreweghe. In 1993, Rosas created
Toccata, to the music of
J.S. Bach, for the Holland Festival. In May 1994, the KunstenFESTIVALdes Arts in Brussels premièred
Kinok, produced in collaboration with
Thierry De Mey and the
Ictus Ensemble. At the end of 1994, this collaboration resulted in a new creation:
Amor Constante más allá de la muerte. In November 1995, La Monnaie premièred
Verklärte Nacht, a choreography that was part of a production of
Schönberg music
Erwartung/
Verklärte Nacht. In 1995, Rosas and La Monnaie launched in Brussels a new international school for contemporary dance, the
Performing Arts Research and Training Studios (PARTS), where sixty students coming from some 25 countries are trained, over a three-year period, by more than 50 teachers. In December 1996,
Woud, three movements to the music of
Berg, Schönberg &
Wagner was premiered in Seville. At the beginning of 1997, de Keersmaeker created, together with Steve Paxton and The Wooster Group, 3 solos for Vincent Dunoyer. In November 1997,
Just Before, to a live performance by the Ictus Ensemble of music composed by
Magnus Lindberg,
John Cage,
Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, Pierre Bartholomée and Thierry De Mey, was presented in La Monnaie. In February 1998, de Keersmaeker made her debut as an opera director at La Monnaie with
Bartók's ''Duke Bluebeard's Castle
. In August 1998, the Impuls Festival in Vienna premièred Drumming'', a production to Steve Reich's composition of the same name. In November 1998 she created
The Lisbon Piece, for the Portuguese Companhia Nacional de Bailado: her first experience as a guest choreographer. In March 1999, de Keersmaeker created, together with Rosas dancer Cynthia Loemij, and Jolente De Keersmaeker and Frank Vercruyssen from the theatre company STAN,
Quartett; a dance-theatre performance based on the text by
Heiner Müller. One month later, she choreographed and danced a duet with Elizabeth Corbett for the production
with/for/by. In May 1999, Rosas premiered
I said I, a collaboration with Jolente De Keersmaeker for the direction, with the Ictus Ensemble,
Aka Moon and
DJ Grazzhoppa for the music composition and execution. Jan Joris Lamers designed the set and lighting and
Dries van Noten the costumes. For
In Real Time in 2000, Rosas again collaborated with Stan, as well as with the jazz-ensemble Aka Moon for the composition and live interpretation of the music. In January 2001, de Keersmaeker created
Rain, another performance to a score by
Steve Reich, his
Music for 18 Musicians. 2002 saw the celebration of twenty years of Rosas and ten years of residence at La Monnaie, with the re-run of the text-pieces, the creation of
(but if a look should) April me and
Rain live, the two latter accompanied by Brussels contemporary music ensemble Ictus. A 336 pages book
Rosas, if and only if wonder was published and a multimedia exhibition was organised in newly opened halls at the
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, and was attended by over 15,000 people.
Once, a solo to the music of
Joan Baez, concluded the celebration year's performances. 2003 showed yet a new evolution: whereas in the past her choreographies had been very precise and closely linked to the music, in
Bitches Brew / Tacoma Narrows, De Keersmaeker for the first time allowed improvisation by her dancers during the performance. Over the past years, Rosas has also revived several earlier pieces:
Rosas danst Rosas,
Fase,
Mikrokosmos,
Achterland and others. Rosas' productions have been invited by theatres and festivals across five continents. In October 2011, De Keersmaeker's choreography from "Rosas Danst Rosas" and "Achterland" was sampled without permission by the R&B singer
Beyoncé in the music video for the single
Countdown. In July 2021, she founded the ATDK Foundation a foundation with the intent of safeguarding her artistic legacy, and enable her to share her artistic excellence. In June 2024, the Belgian newspaper
De Standaard published an extensive article on its website revealing major accusations against the choreographer and, in particular, her working methods and managerial leadership including authoritarianism, bullying and bodyshaming. The article was based on the attestations from the present and former company dancers, as well as other company's employees. In the course of the
COVID-19 pandemic, she is said to have put the health of company dancers at risk on several occasions. Rosas then published a general statement recognizing the importance of well-being in the work environment and expressing the belief that artistic work must be created in a safe and respectful environment. A direct response to the accusations was rejected with reference to healing conversations, Keersmaeker did not personally respond to the accusations. ==Awards==