First Dutch Performer to Join the Brooklyn Nets Dance Team, Sterre Schaapherder Brings an International Career to One of New York's Biggest Stages
After building an international career that spans classical ballet, commercial performance, and live entertainment, the Dutch dancer makes history with the Brooklyn Nets
There are dancers whose careers are defined by a single discipline, and there are those whose artistic language expands with every city, culture, and stage they encounter. Dutch performer Sterre Schaapherder belongs firmly to the latter category, building a career that bridges European classical training with the commercial and contemporary performance world of New York.
This summer marks a milestone not only in her own career but also for Dutch representation in American professional dance. Schaapherder has earned a coveted position on the Brooklyn Nets Dance Team, becoming the first Dutch dancer to join the organization. Beginning with the upcoming NBA season, she will perform throughout the year at Barclays Center, where dance remains an integral part of the game's entertainment experience.
Unlike traditional cheer squads, the Brooklyn Nets Dance Team is recognized for its demanding choreography, blending hip-hop foundations with commercial dance, jazz, street styles, and performance artistry. The audition process spans multiple rounds over several days, narrowing hundreds of candidates to a roster of just twenty-one dancers. Selection reflects not only technical excellence but also versatility, stage presence, athleticism, and the ability to perform before thousands of spectators during one of the world's premier sports leagues.
For Schaapherder, the achievement represents the latest chapter in a career already shaped by international performance.
Born and raised in the Netherlands, she began dancing at the age of four and developed her artistic foundation through rigorous classical training at the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam. She later continued her education at the Lucia Marthas Institute for Performing Arts, where she expanded her repertoire beyond ballet to include jazz, modern, commercial dance, musical theatre, acting, and singing.
Throughout those formative years, she appeared in theatrical productions, television programs, and live performances across the Netherlands, including multiple seasons of the Dutch television series Lang Leve de Muziek and as a contestant on Everybody Dance Now. Those early professional experiences helped shape the versatility that has become one of her defining strengths.
Determined to further her career internationally, Schaapherder relocated to New York, where she completed the prestigious Certificate Program at Peridance Center. Immersing herself in the city's competitive dance community, she refined her artistry while working with internationally recognized choreographers and expanding into the American commercial dance industry. Rather than reinventing herself, she continued building upon an already established foundation, moving comfortably between concert dance, commercial performance, fashion events, and live entertainment.
That versatility has become one of the defining characteristics of her career.
Most recently, Schaapherder joined Colombian pop superstar Greeicy for performances during the singer's U.S. tour, appearing at both Miami Bash and the high-profile Mega Mezcla concert. Selected through Greeicy's American casting process, she performed alongside an elite ensemble in choreography that blended commercial movement with Latin rhythms and salsa influences. For a Dutch performer, the experience represented another example of embracing artistic traditions beyond her own while contributing to an international production on major stages.
Her growing résumé also includes appearances in the Runway 7 Opening Show, performances at Choreographers Carnival under the direction of James Alonzo White, Kendrick Samuels, and Brayden Singley, as well as multiple productions with internationally respected choreographer TweetBoogie. She also performed in Peridance Center's annual showcase featuring works by Shernita Anderson, James Alonzo White, Zojea, and TweetBoogie, further demonstrating her ability to move fluidly across a wide range of choreographic styles.
Equally significant has been her ongoing collaboration with TweetBoogie, one of the most influential female voices in hip-hop choreography. Known internationally for work with artists including Shakira and productions surrounding the FIFA World Cup, as well as performances featuring icons such as Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent, TweetBoogie has become a defining figure in contemporary commercial dance.
Working within TweetBoogie's artistic community, Schaapherder has participated in intensive performance projects that challenged both her technical precision and artistic versatility while continuing to establish herself among New York's emerging commercial dancers.
The progression speaks to more than technical accomplishment. It reflects the confidence placed in performers capable of adapting to different choreographic voices, collaborating within diverse creative teams, and consistently delivering at a professional level.
As New York continues to attract artists from around the world, Schaapherder represents a generation of international performers whose careers are built through versatility rather than specialization alone. Classical ballet, commercial dance, hip-hop, jazz, Latin performance styles, fashion productions, arena entertainment, and concert choreography coexist naturally within her body of work.
Her appointment to the Brooklyn Nets Dance Team further solidifies that trajectory. Performing before thousands of spectators throughout the NBA season places her among a select group of dancers representing one of New York City's most recognizable sports and entertainment organizations while also marking a historic first for Dutch performers within the franchise.
For Sterre Schaapherder, the distinction is not simply about being the first. It reflects years of disciplined training, international collaboration, and an artistic career defined by continually meeting the demands of increasingly prominent stages. From her early training in Amsterdam to major television appearances in the Netherlands, performances with international recording artist Greeicy, collaborations with some of New York's leading choreographers, and now the Brooklyn Nets Dance Team, Schaapherder has established herself as an artist whose career extends well beyond national borders—one whose work reflects the increasingly global language of contemporary performance.