Nederlandse Dansdagen 2015

Amos Ben-Tal & Sam Eggenhuizen

18th edition of the Dutch Dance Festival took place traditionally in the first weekend of October.
Dance lovers and professionals from Netherlands abroad took over Maastricht during a rather intense weekend that featured 83 performances, 26 companies / choreographers, 17 locations, six premieres, five dance awards, royal visit and a joyful party.Take a look at this after movie - Link.

The festival took off with a stunning opening evening show at Theatre aan het Vrijthof. First performance on stage was the sublime 'The Black Piece' by Ann Van den Broek (WArd/waRD) that took into darkness with sophisticated moves, intriguing visuals and engaging dancers. The Black Piece was the big winner of the festival, taking home the award for the most impressive production and Dioraphte Dansprijs 2015. Second on the programme was one more beauty, 'Inside Out' by Conny Janssen Danst. The evening continued with  Loïc Perela 'Senses' and Tabea Martin 'Field'. Loïc Perela was the star of the opening evening, taking home the award 'Prijs van de Nederlandse Dansdagen Maastricht 2015'
My Saturday started off with Distinguished Dreams # 2, a co-production project by Nederlandse Dansdagen and Opera Zuid. Three choreographers/dancers and three classically trained singers made two short individual works as duos together. Participants Dario Tortorelli & Veerle Sanders, Amos Ben-Tal & Sam Eggenhuizen, Kalpana & Anna Emelianova managed to surprise and impress with their short works showing potential.
The Dutch Dance Festival Gala on Saturday evening staged the four largest dance companies in The Netherlands; Introdans, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Het Nationale Ballet and Dans Theater 2. Intense but an inspiring evening with royal visit, the Dutch Princess Beatrix as one of the guests.
The winner of the Dutch Dance Festival Maastricht Award 2014, Cecila Moisio, premiered her piece 'Mum's the Word' with a performance that perhaps divided the audience the most. 'Mum's the Word' demonstrates how people wrestle with their emotional inheritance and feelings of shame which are passed on from generation to generation. As a member of the jury I was very excited to see the result of the pitch project. Even though not perfect in all senses 'Mum's the Word' was one of the highlights of the festival, pushing boundaries of contemporary dance through a more narrative approach. Staged in a very well done decor and projections and performed by four expressive dancers 'Mum's the Word' is a promising development of a Cecila's career.
On Sunday I attended 'An Ode to Attempt' by Jan Martens and 'The Garden' by Nicole Beutler. Two very different pieces but both by makers to keep an eye on. As a admirer of contemporary dance this festival offers a great overview of the state of the art of the contemporary dance scene in the Netherlands.

19th edition is scheduled to take place 7 , 8 and 9 October in Maastricht!
http://www.nederlandsedansdagen.nl/

Cinedans – Dance on Screen, 12th edition

12th edition of top international dance film festival at the EYE in Amsterdam

March 11-15
EYE Amsterdam

Cinedans - Dance on Screen is the biggest and most diverse dance film festival in the world, and it’s returning to the EYE in Amsterdam from 11 to 15 March 2015.
Over the course of five days this twelfth edition of Cinedans will present the best new international dance films, documentaries and interactive installations. The festival programme includes documentaries on Jiří Kylián and Sasha Waltz as well as premieres from ISH choreographer Marco Gerris and director Ruben van Leer – the first to shoot a fictional film in CERN, the particle accelerator in Geneva.

Cinedans received more than 300 submissions for this year’s festival. A selection of these films, alongside films curated by the festival itself, make up the six hour-long shorts programmes. Our documentary selection includes one about Jiří Kylián choreographing his final works for Nederlands Danstheater as well as A Portrait, which focuses on the internationally celebrated choreographer Sasha Waltz.

Dutch Dance Festival 2013

The Dutch Dance Festival took place in Maastricht this weekend. For three days in a row the festival presented talked-about, remarkable and unforgettable dance performances from the Netherlands. Through an extensive program the festival showcases the diversity of Dutch dance scene; from classical ballet to avant-garde, from young, talented choreographers to established companies, such as the Dutch National Ballet and the Dutch Dance Theater.
I was able to attend and enjoy this precious festival starting with a very strong opening evening. The evening started with announcement The Dutch Dance Festival 2013 Prize. Giulio D’Anna was awarded, but I already new that as I took part in the jury (read more here).
After the award the audience was treated with stunning performance 'How Long is Now' by Conny Janssen Danst and 'Midnight Rising' by Club Guy & Rony. 'Midnight Rising' won the VSCD prize, the Swan for the most impressive production.
Saturday I had a quite intense day starting with Keren Levi's 'The Dry Piece', stunning and visually striking performance. The Dry Piece was awarded Dioraphte Dance Prize 2013.
Following I saw 'Father Father' by Lloyd Marengo / Don't Hit Mama & HipHipHuis and '4 Seasons' by  Samir Calixto / Korzo Producties. The dancers in 4 Seasons, Samir Calixto and Irena Misirlic really impressed me with their performance.
Saturday got even more intense with the gala evening and the party of the festival 'Het Feest van de Nederlandse Dansdagen'. First part of the evening was celebration of Dutch dance with showcase of four performances; Pearl (Scapino Ballet Rotterdam), Corps (The National Ballet), Kilar (Introdans) and Sara (Dutch Dance Theater 2).
The evening continued on with a cool party hosted by iLL Skill Squad. The only problem was that I only slept for few hours as I went to an early theater premiere of 'Addio Alla Fine' by ICKamsterdam / Emio Greco + Pieter C. Scholten. Waking up for this was totally worth it as this was my personal favorite.
Sunday afternoon I also saw The Red Piece by Ann Van den Broek / WArd / waRD / Korzo Producties and Secrets Revealed, very inspiring studio visit and encounter with choreographer Joeri Dubbe and his two dancers.

Thank you Dutch Dance Festival for memorable weekend!

Here are some impressions of the weekend.

http://www.nederlandsedansdagen.nl