de Stilte
Stichting de Stilte is a Dutch cultural foundation, founded in 1994 and based in Breda, that produces non-verbal modern dance performances for children aged 6 months through adolescence and their families, accompanied by live music and educational programs, and tours these works nationally and internationally across 35+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersBreda, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What de Stilte does
Stichting de Stilte is a Dutch cultural foundation founded in 1994 and headquartered at Markendaalseweg 75, Breda, where it operates a black-box theatre with capacity for approximately 100 children alongside three dance studios. The company produces non-verbal dance performances exclusively for young audiences aged 6 months through adolescence and their families, using modern dance choreography with live music accompaniment as the primary vehicle for communication. Its active repertoire spans intimate duets such as "1-2s" presented in a 3.5 by 3.5 meter space, sensory works for the very young such as "Wait a Minute" (0.5-5 years) and the forthcoming "Îles Flottantes", and full-stage productions including "Lifting the Veil 4+" (2026), "Down To The Wire 4+", "Half Stories 6+", "Eyecatchers 1+", and "Final Chord".
The company earns revenue from three streams: theatre performances and touring (one-time performance fees at the Breda theatre, Dutch schools, and international venues), bespoke education programs including workshops, dance classes, and continuous learning lines for preschool through secondary education (professional-services model), and structural public subsidies plus private sponsorship. Following admission to the Basic Infrastructure of the Dutch Ministry of Culture, Education and Science in 2009 — the only newcomer admitted in the performing-arts field that year — de Stilte receives multi-year structural funding from the Ministry, the City of Breda, and the Province of Noord-Brabant, supplemented by cultural-ANBI tax-deductible donations. Bookings are handled directly via a dedicated contact, Maarten van Herwijnen, and the company maintains no public ticketing disclosure.
De Stilte has been recognised as the most attended youth theatre producer in the Netherlands since 2013 and the most internationally travelled Dutch dance company in six of the eight years since 2015, performing in 35+ countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. It is the initiator of the Brabants International Children's Festival BRIK, a strategic partner in the Creative Europe BABEL consortium (2023-2027) and The Right Time consortium (2026-2030), and operates the Spelendwijs early-childhood pilot with Kober Kinderopvang. It is governed by a Supervisory Board and led by founder Jack Timmermans with artistic directors Gertien Bergstra and Femke Somerwil; the foundation employs approximately 30-40 staff including dancers, musicians, education, technics, and office personnel.
de Stilte firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- de Stilte
- Legal name
- Stichting de Stilte
- Website
- https://destilte.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stichting de Stilte is a Dutch cultural foundation, founded in 1994 and based in Breda, that produces non-verbal modern dance performances for children aged 6 months through adolescence and their families, accompanied by live music and educational programs, and tours these works nationally and internationally across 35+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
de Stilte industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Dance Theatre / Performing Arts for Young Audiences
- NAICS
- Dance Companies (71112), Dance Companies (711120)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Contemporary & Modern Dance (MPAGADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Dance Theatre (Narrative/Experimental) (MPAGADAC), Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ)
Keywords
Where de Stilte is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Breda
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
de Stilte business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Theatre performances: Revenue from performing dance productions for children at their own theatre in Breda, schools, and international venues. Performances are offered to both public audiences and school groups.
- Education programs: Custom-made educational programs including workshops, dance classes, and continuous learning lines for preschool, primary and secondary education.
- Government subsidies and sponsorships: Structural funding from Dutch Ministry of Culture, Education and Science, City council of Breda, Province council of Noord-Brabant, plus private sponsors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Dance trainee internship |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
de Stilte product offering
Product offeringCore offering
de Stilte produces and tours non-verbal modern dance performances exclusively for young audiences (children aged 6 months through adolescents) and their families. Productions are performed live at the company's own 100-seat theatre in Breda, on-site at Dutch schools and childcare centres, and at international venues and festivals. Each production is paired with workshops and educational lesson materials to extend the artistic experience into learning environments.
Product overview
de Stilte is a Dutch dance company specializing in non-verbal dance productions exclusively for children and their families. The company offers a portfolio of live dance performances ranging from intimate duets (1-2s, Parent-Child Workshop) to full-stage productions (Lifting the Veil 4+, Half Stories 6+, Down To The Wire 4+, Eyecatchers 1+, Final Chord) and age-specific works (Îles Flottantes for ages 0.5-5, Wait a Minute for ages 0.5-5). All performances feature live music where possible and are accompanied by educational workshops, digital lesson materials (lesbrieven), and post-show discussions. The company performs at its home theater in Breda, in schools, and tours internationally across Europe and beyond.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BRIK: Brabants International Childrens Festival, a biennial festival taking place in the centre of Breda, initiated by De Stilte.
- Project BABEL
- The Right Time
Products and services
- Lifting the Veil 4+ A dance performance for children aged 4 and up exploring self-identity through fluttering fabrics, poetic narrative, and original live music; targets families and schools via the company's theatre and touring network.
- 1-2s
Quantifiable outcome
- Most attended youth theatre producer in Netherlands since 2013
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use de Stilte
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
de Stilte technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
de Stilte partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Right Time (14 European partners from 13 countries)coreEuropean research project 'The Right Time - Exploring Time in Performing Arts for Early Childhood' running from January 2026 to January 2030. Coordinated by La Baracca ONLUS. Partners include Art Fraction Foundation (Poland), Artika Theatre Company (Greece), ASSITEJ Cyprus, Helios Theater (Germany), Teatrul Ion Creangă (Romania), Kopla Bunz (Luxembourg), Théâtre de la Guimbarde (Belgium), laSala/elPetit (Spain), Theatre Madam Bach (Denmark), Neimënster (Luxembourg), Teater Tre (Sweden), and Toihaus Theater (Austria). Supported by Creative Europe.
- BABEL (14 European partners)coreEuropean project 'BABEL - or the Art of Listening in Theater for Young Audiences' running from 2023-2027. Involves 14 European partners working within youth theatre. Focuses on investigating communication process, intercultural dialogue, and fostering mutual understanding in creating performing arts for young audiences. Supported by Creative Europe.
- Kober KinderopvangcorePartnership since 2015 for project-based collaboration, expanding to the two-year pilot project 'Spelendwijs' from 2021. Project focuses on children aged 2-4 with language delays, combining dance workshops, theatre visits, and parent participation to improve transition to primary education.
- Brabant Menu partnersminorCollaboration between five Brabant youth theatre and music companies: Schippers&VanGucht, Philzuid, Artemis, Oortwolk, and de Stilte. Presents a diverse offering for cultural education working groups and marketplaces in Noord-Brabant.
- Chassé Theater BredaminorPartnership with Chassé Theater in Breda for performances and showcases, including joint showcase events.
- TOEAC (Pieternel Berkers & Renée Bekkers)minorAccordion duo collaborating on the 'Half Stories' production. TOEAC is internationally celebrated for their daring artistry and genre-crossing collaborations.
- Remy van KesterenminorComposer and harpist collaborating on 'Final Chord' production. Winner of the Dutch Music Prize and praised by The New York Times as a 'brilliant harpist'.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
de Stilte competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DanceEast: UK national dance organisation producing touring work plus extensive youth and family programming; comparable as a publicly funded dance company with both venue-based and educational distribution.
- Jasmin Vardimon Company: UK-based contemporary dance company with explicit family and youth programming; comparable as an internationally touring dance company producing physical, narrative-led work accessible to younger audiences.
- Theatre Madam Bach: Danish visual theatre creating performances for young children; partner in The Right Time, making it a direct European peer in the non-verbal/visual youth theatre category.
- La Baracca ONLUS: Italian theatre company for very young children (under 6) and named coordinator of de Stilte's 'The Right Time' project; closest direct peer in the European early-childhood performing arts niche.
- Introdans: Dutch contemporary dance company producing repertoire for wide audiences including youth programmes; comparable as a Netherlands-based dance company with a multi-tier funding model and significant domestic touring footprint.
- Helios Theater: German youth theatre company and partner in the 'Right Time' European consortium; directly comparable as a German-language children's theatre producing original dance/theatre work for early years.
- Toihaus Theater: Austrian dance-theatre company producing work for early childhood; 'Right Time' consortium partner and direct peer in the European toddler/young-children dance segment.
- ISH Dance Collective: Amsterdam-based contemporary dance company with substantial youth/family programming; comparable as a Dutch dance company with both live touring and educational outreach.
Broad incumbents
- Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT): The Netherlands' flagship contemporary dance company; not a youth specialist but a broader incumbent in Dutch dance, sharing the same BIS funding ecosystem and audience funnel for dance in the Netherlands.
- Het Nationale Ballet: The Dutch national classical ballet company; broader incumbent in Dutch dance with extensive education/outreach programmes, comparable in scale and funding profile but operating in classical rather than youth-dance.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
de Stilte social profiles
Digital presencede Stilte financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
de Stilte leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
de Stilte funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
de Stilte M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about de Stilte
What does de Stilte do?
de Stilte produces and tours non-verbal modern dance performances exclusively for young audiences (children aged 6 months through adolescents) and their families. Productions are performed live at the company's own 100-seat theatre in Breda, on-site at Dutch schools and childcare centres, and at international venues and festivals. Each production is paired with workshops and educational lesson materials to extend the artistic experience into learning environments.
Is de Stilte a public or private company?
de Stilte is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was de Stilte founded?
de Stilte was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is de Stilte based?
de Stilte is headquartered in Breda, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does de Stilte make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Theatre performances are the primary driver. The others are education programs and government subsidies and sponsorships.
Who are de Stilte's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DanceEast, Jasmin Vardimon Company, Theatre Madam Bach, La Baracca ONLUS, Introdans, Helios Theater, Toihaus Theater and ISH Dance Collective. Broad incumbents are Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) and Het Nationale Ballet.
Does de Stilte have an API?
No public API is recorded for de Stilte.
What industry is de Stilte in?
de Stilte's product category is Youth Dance Theatre / Performing Arts for Young Audiences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGADAB, Contemporary & Modern Dance, with a secondary code of MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre. Its NAICS code is 71112 and its SIC code is 7900.