Yaël grew up in a small village by a river in the Netherlands. As a little girl, she already looked very intensely at the world, at people and nature. She saw every movement, every colour, every person. She was fascinated by everything she saw, especially people: how they communicated among themselves, how they moved, at the emotion on their faces, their facial expressions.

She looked at them as if she was not one of them.

In primary school, it became clear why she had developed such sharp eyesight. She was hard of hearing. Yaël got hearing aids so that she could finally use her hearing in observing the world too. But she continued to observe.

Yaël understands movement better than sound; that has never changed.

Since she grew up in a house full of books, it was not surprising that she also became a bookworm. She discovered the power of stories and thought for sure she wanted to be a writer. But when she took a theatre workshop in 2012 and realised you could combine movement, language and images, she knew: this is what I want.

In 2019, she completed her secundary vocational school of performing arts in Arnhem. She then freelanced as an actor, maker and teacher.

In 2023, she decided to study again. This time at the International Theatre School Jacques Lecoq in Avignon, France. A course specialising in movement and creation. Jacques Lecoq fitted her like a glove.
She successfully graduated in June 2025.

Now that school is finished, Yaël is working on a career in theatre. She does this from anywhere. Her biggest inspiration is nature and, more specifically, her passion for birds. She got her love for birds from her grandfather and the rich nature along the river of her childhood.

‘When I miss home, I just look at the birds. After all, they were there at my home too. They are everywhere in the world. Birds are my home.’

Yaël Korse