When TV's were huge and I was small, a ballet performance left me mesmerized. It was
the first day of 1991 that I decided I wanted to be a dancer. For real. Not with tutu's,
a childish teacher and silly games. Because we lived in a small village, it wasn't easy to find a proper ballet school. My mother supported me, always.
I started ballet close to my hometown Dalfsen -only once a week as school; friends; Barbies and handball were as much as important to me. After finishing elementary school, I got into the preparatory dance training at The Amsterdam University of the Arts. Every weekend my mom and I traveled for a few hours to Amsterdam, where she explored the city and I learned many new things like jazz dance, contemporary and tap dance. Great, although friends; Barbies and handball took a hit.
The decision to move to a host family in Enschede at the age of fourteen, was hard. But necessary to be able to combine my pre-university education with the preparatory training for theatre dance at the conservatory. Four years of homesickness, school and dance. Dancing every day, that was what I always wanted. At the conservatory, I fell in love with folklore. I really like rhythm, I am interested in other cultures and my Hungarian dance teacher showed me dances and costumes from different parts of the world. I began to dream about dancing in the International Dance Company in Amsterdam: the only professional company in Europe dancing dances from all over the world.
Early on I knew that if you really want something, you succeed.
Four years later I moved to Amsterdam to complete the Bachelor of Theatre Dance at the Amsterdam University of the Arts. An internship is part of the program and I participated in the auditions for the International Dance Company (my dream job, remember!).
Nerve-racking but I got in! When I think of my time in this company, I think of color. Many different colors because of the variety of countries; dances; costumes; colleagues; theaters and emotions. I had the honor to dance here for four colorful years. I learned a lot, developed myself and became even more certain about my love for folk dancing.
My heart beats like the rhythm of dance.
I followed my heart to Slovakia, as folklore dancing was exchanged for contemporary dancing in Amsterdam. Sl'uk, the Slovak State Traditional Dance Company, was my new home. In no time, I tried to make the Slovak traditional dances my own. Until today, my dear neighbor in Bratislava does not believe that a Dutch girl was dancing in Sl'uk.
I planned to live there for a year, to extend my professional dance career. It turned out to be three. Slovakia and the folklore culture have been very good to me, but I just wanted to go back to Amsterdam and discover what else life had to offer me.
For the past 25 years I danced through my life. I liked it, loved it, hated it. It hurt: I've had injuries, I have sacrificed.. but I got so much in return! I believe that dance has brought
me a lot -being strong both psychically and mentally. It will help me to get through this.
Dance is part of my life, dance is part of me.
Once a dancer. Always a dancer.
* Here you can see me dance in the Sl'uk Anniversary Performance.
