Jason Beechey is the newly appointed Head of Dance at ZHdK. Previously, Jason Beechey was Rector of the Palucca University of Dance Dresden for 18 years and built up the D.A.N.C.E. programme under the artistic direction of Frédéric Flamand, Wayne McGregor, Angelin Preljocaj and William Forsythe. He trained at Canada’s National Ballet School, the Vaganova Academy and the School of American Ballet, and danced as a soloist with London City Ballet before spending 15 years dancing with Charleroi/Danses in Belgium. There, he began his teaching career and was appointed Pedagogical Director. Since 2009, he has been involved with the Prix de Lausanne. In 2021, he received the Ken McArthur Award for his exceptional contribution to the dance world from Canada’s National Ballet School, and is a board member of the Dancer Transition Foundation in Germany.