Scapino Ballet Rotterdam is a city dance company founded in 1945 by Hans Snoek, Hans van Norden, Nicolaas Wijnberg and others to bring colour back to children affected by war. The company is financially supported by the City of Rotterdam and the Dutch Government. Scapino describes itself as the oldest touring dance company in the Netherlands and has been active for over 75 years. The company operates under the artistic direction of Nanine Linning, with Rob van Steen as managing director.
The company presents contemporary dance performances that merge dance with other art disciplines, couture, science, digital art and interactive technology. Productions address social themes and include works such as La Mer, Killing the butterfly, Double Helix and Anima Obscura. Scapino maintains a roster of 21 dancers and operates a Young Talents Program with five participants. The company also offers cultural education programmes, community art projects, repertoire workshops for schools through Scapino Academy, and neighbourhood initiatives in Rotterdam. In 2022, the company presented 81 performances across 10 productions, reaching over 52,000 visitors and engaging more than 63,000 participants in school-related cultural education activities.