In 2023, SNDO lost an educator whose vision on dance and dedication to nurturing the next generation of choreographers left an indelible mark on the school as well as on lives and artistic paths of hundreds of our alumni and students. Ria believed that all creation resides in the body and that adaptation is a way to be in dialogue with one’s surroundings.

Ria had particular views on dance, body, movement, and these were always interrelated with a sense of freedom and imagination. She found traveling and meeting people important and throughout her career Ria learned to embrace the importance of diverse perspectives.

In her own words from the book Movement Research: Stories and Journeys of Ria Higler:

‘I began teaching at the SNDO in 1980 and co-directing in the 1991… During these years, I also spent a great deal of time abroad, researching, teaching and performing in Europe, the USA, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, India, China and Russia. My travel was partly inspired by visiting guest artists at the SNDO, who brought new information that I wanted to pursue more extensively, and partly by a strong sense that something was missing in the Western way of thinking about dance and about experiencing the body.’

‘Teaching groups of individuals from all corners of the world is a reality at the SNDO, and it is a challenge.
In the same way that their cultural, social and political backgrounds vary, their physical and mental attitudes are differently tuned as well. Whatever I propose in my teaching will have a different reception in each student. My awareness about this has grown over the years: I acknowledge individual diversity, and I let it be felt and seen in the group.’

Ria Higler Fund was launched to ensure that Ria's vision continues to thrive and that her legacy endures.

The Ria Higler Fund aims to partly alleviate financial barriers by offering a scholarship to one, or more, SNDO students from countries outside the European Union. With recent increases in tuition fees for these international students in the Netherlands, many aspiring choreographers face significant challenges in accessing educational opportunities at SNDO. WIth this fund, we aspire to make SNDO more accessible to talented individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

While we recognize that the initial scholarships provided represent only a fraction of the support needed, we believe that every contribution, no matter how small, has the potential to make a meaningful difference.

The fund operates under the ATD Fonds' auspices, ensuring transparency and accountability in resource allocation. The Ria Higler Fund initiator, director of SNDO, Bojana Mladenović alongside a dedicated jury, oversees the distribution of funds in accordance with the Ria Higler Fund guiding principles.