Belgian-born dancer Niels Claes is a graduate of the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Between 2010 and 2013 he danced at Sally Dance Theatre Maastricht, dansgroep Amsterdam and Polish Dance Theatre, and has danced in productions by choreographers such as Andonis Foniadakis and Jo Strømgren, as well as in projects by various other creators in Germany, Israel and the Netherlands.
In 2017-2018 he taught at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, and in 2017 he was invited to teach at the Čiurlionis Art School.
Choreographies include Maathai (Polish Dance Theatre), Thirst (Aura Dance Theatre), Aside, Marked (Sheiko Dance Theatre) and They Like It (Čiurlionis Art School).
In 2017 and 2020, Claes was awarded the Golden Stage Cross in the category of Dancer of the Year.