Judith started her first dance classes at the Marleen Sempels Dance School in Leuven. In 2011 she started her training at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp. The next year she decided to study contemporary dance at de!Kunsthumaniora Wilrijk. She graduated in 2016 and that same year Judith was accepted as a student at P.A.R.T.S. 
At P.A.R.T.S. she created and performed her solo 'Shuffle' at Dansand in Ostend, (2017) and created 'Shuffle (extended version)' that premiered at the GXII Festival in Rosas/P.A.R.T.S. in 2019 that she curated with her fellow students. 
During her graduation year, she completed an internship with the Batsheva Dance Company in Tel-Aviv and created the site-specific performance SOMNIA, (Kunstenfestivaldesarts, 2019) together with all students of her generation under the direction of Jolente and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. After graduating at P.A.R.T.S., she decided to continue her studies within Performance Art and Fine Arts at KASK (Royal Academy of Fine Arts). 
During these studies she performed in works by Sofia Caesar (Unrest), Laure Prouvost & Alex Cecchetti (Occupie Paradit), Nathalie Rozanes (March), Amos Tindemans (Chloé en Anton) en Rut Buelens (Piste Blauw). 
In July 2022 she graduated with greatest distinction as a Master of Fine Arts. She started researching how to archive, maintain and own non-tangible artistic practices. Alternating between choreography, Performance Art and Fine Arts, Van Oeckel plays with themes such as ownership and control and explores how dance, as well as the performer can be preserved. 
'All She Wants to Do Is Dance' is her debut performance and has already been seen at Museum Dr. Guislain (Par Hasard, 2023), at Playground Festival (Museum M, 2023), Chambers d'O (KAAP, 2024), De Villa (Dag van de Dans, 2024), 30CC (Young Poets Society, 2024) and will be seen at S.M.A.K. in February 2025 within the context of Zaal 1. 
Currently Judith is artist in residence at A Two Dogs Company for the creation of 'Cavity' (2025). 

Back to Top