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/

The Pilgrim Project

The Pilgrim Project, a brand new dance duet by premiered last night during the charity gala of Dansvooropleiding Maastricht.
The project is a collaboration by finalists of SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance tv show) Natascha Dejong and Uri Eugenio, choreographer Joost Vrouenraerts and designer Branko Popovic.  As you may know I am a huge fan of contemporary dance so it meant a lot to me to be a part of this project and to work with this talented people. The whole project came to life in just one weak and the result is stunning!

The Pelgrim Project was established in command of Euregionaal Dance Platform (Euregionaal Dansplatform VIA 2018).

Secrets Revealed / Conny Janssen Danst

In this years program of the Dutch Dance Festival (Nederlandse Dansdagen), various choreographers opened their studio doors for the public.
During the making of a work, dancers sweat behind closed doors, rehearsals are not accessible to the public and they are often surrounded by an air of mystery. Unpolished diamonds to be considered without lighting, sound and costume. This was an unique chance to see new work in the making and to meet dancers and choreographers.


I attended 'HOW LONG IS NOW' by Conny Janssen Danst where we meet ten dancers who have built a refuge for themselves in the middle of a transient and harsh world. De Machinefabriek in Vlissingen (premiere August 2012) and the historic tram depot in Rotterdam (premiere November 2012) caught Conny Janssen’s eye for her latest site-specific project.

www.connyjanssendanst.nl

NANINE PASSION - Docu about Nanine Linning

NANINE PASSION, the documentary about the successful choreographer Nanine Linning, premieres  on Saturday 6 October at Lumière filmtheater in Maastricht  during NDD (Nederlandse Dans Dagen 2012).  The film follows her for 2.5 year long on the foot during the work and success in Osnabrück, where she settled with her company in 2009 and her first performance of the piece Requiem in Heidelberg City Theatre.
The film shows her unbridled passion for music, theatre, opera and dance. Filmmakers Manon Lichtveld and Bas Westerhof followed Nanine for two and half years on the foot.
The makers will be present at the premiere. If you want to understand and feel the art of dance than you should see this in Lumière.
http://www.naninelinning.nl

Watch the promotional trailer

 

Choreographed garment by Ulrik Martin Larsen

Choreographed Garment Project in FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011 Exhibition.
Ulrik Martin is such a great guy and one of FASHIONCLASH favorite designers. This new project fits perfect in FASHIONCLASH ideology.
http://ulrikmartinlarsen.com