Author: simonevanschip

Meet the Dancers: Celesta

The newest member of our 2018 crew is sunny Celesta! Only one month prior to the show, this superwoman in dance clothes stepped up and agreed to be a substitute for Ely in our December 1st matinee. For the past weeks, she has been bringing fresh energy to our rehearsal, absorbing every step, twist, jump, roll and turn. Luckily, this contemporary dancer has major talent for picking up and mastering choreography quickly.

In her daily life, Celesta is making the world a better place as a member of a young and dynamic team called “De Ruimdenkers” at the municipality of Utrecht. Her open-mindedness extends to her dancing, as she loves to combine and mix the most eccentric styles. She’s helping to take our show to a different level. Come and see this talented lady at our Saturday afternoon show!

> Get your ticket now

Celesta’s dancer passport

Height: 1.70m
Work/study: working at “De Ruimdenkers”, a self-managing team that leads all sorts of projects within the municipality of Utrecht. (Celesta: “It’s quite vague, but truly awesome!”).
Dance styles: contemporary is her favorite by far, but she loves to combine it with other styles, like urban and show.
Super dance talent: quickly picking up new choreography
Extra talents: coordination and communication
Fun fact: Celesta cries when she laughs. So don’t worry right away when she is teary-eyed – it might well be that she’s just very much entertained!

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

Meet the Dancers: Floor

This year we are featuring not one, but two beautiful ballerinas. Next to Naomi, who we introduced earlier, there’s energetic Floor. She has been dancing with Naomi for years, and so it shows: this happy duo is perfectly aligned when it comes to their elegant lines. Besides Floor’s busy study schedule, with volunteer work for several committees on the side, you can find her in the dance studio in most of her spare time.

Being a true ballerina, Floor stands out with her graceful posture. She makes dancing on pointe shoes look like it’s easy (though we all know the truth!). In addition, Floor is the one who comes up with new ideas when the rest of us seem to have run out. Her energy is an inspiration for all of us!

> Buy your ticket now for ‘What I Meant To Say’ on 1 or 2 December!

Floor’s dancers passport

Height: 1.69m
Work/study: veterinary medicine
Dance styles: classical ballet
Super dance talent: jumps and floor work (what’s in a name!)
Extra talents: always brings energy and enthusiasm
Fun fact: Floor has mastered the fascinating skill of doing an… eyebrow wave!

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

Meet the Dancers: Annelies

Annelies joined Project Blank after she wowed us with a beautiful audition, in which she showed us her unique movement styles. Now that she’s on the team, she also comes up with interesting choreography thanks to her diverse background and creative mind. She is great at defining a story and translating it into movement.

One thing that we appreciate about Annelies is her initiative to be a social connector. Whether it’s planning to practice lifts in the park or a group dinner, we know that we can depend on her to push us to have a little fun! In our show, “What I Meant To Say,” Annelies gets to play a mysterious and epherial character. Did we pique your interest? Then come and watch on December 1st or 2nd!

Annelies’s dancer passport

Height: 1.56m
Work/study: ecologist
Dance styles: jazz ballet, classical ballet, modern jazz
Super dance talent: easily picks up new styles
Extra talents: outdoor sports
Fun fact: this power woman does research on bats. Accordingly, she used to work as an actress in the Amsterdam Dungeon…

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

Meet the Dancers: Naomi

One of our new dancers this year is beautiful Naomi. This bright econometrics student delights us every rehearsal with her gorgeous lines, turns, and jumps. She also contributed to the show with funky classical choreography.

Ballet and pointe shoes may be her specialty, but don’t judge this book by its classical cover – spicy jazz and sexy belly dance have proven to be not a problem at all for this ballerina, and we may have heard some rumors about salsa, too! But when she enters the club, the real magic happens. She breaks it down. Honestly, her club dancing is so impressive, the rest may as well go home.

So stay for drinks with us after the show, and who knows… maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of this extraordinary talent! Keep rocking, Naomi!

Naomi’s dancers passport

Age: 22
Height: 1.58m
Work/study: bachelor degree in Applied Mathematics, currently doing a master in Econometrics
Dance style(s): classical ballet, salsa, modern, show
Super dance talent: piqués on pointe shoes
Extra (non-dance) talents: playing the piano, and baking cookies and pies
Fun fact: Naomi really appreciates a good… whiskey! She’s even planning a trip to Ireland to visit a variety of whiskey distilleries

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

Rehearsal sneak peek #1

Only one month before showtime! The Project Blank team is working hard in rehearsals. We see new pieces fall into place every week and we are growing more excited to share our story with you in December.

> Did you buy your ticket yet? Get one now!

‘What I Meant to Say’ sneak peek

We wanted to give you a little glimpse into the creative process of ‘What I Meant To Say’ so we gave photographer Rick van Woudenberg a one-time access pass to our rehearsal. And what an amazing job he’s done! Here’s a little rehearsal sneak peek.

Enjoy!

‘What I Meant To Say’ – our 2018 dance production

As we are halfway through the rehearsal process, it is about time we shared some details about our upcoming shows with you! We are excited to officially announce the 2018 Project Blank dance production:

What I Meant To Say

In ‘What I Meant To Say’, the diverse dancers of Project Blank fuse classical, modern, and urban dance styles to explore human relationships with ourselves and others. This physical and emotional performance does not shy away from the beautiful or the ugly; the intense or the serene. For an hour, audiences will be taken on a relatable journey of conflict, struggle, and ultimately, support.

Please allow us to take you on a journey through the connections that we experience in our everyday lives.

Dates & times

  • Saturday 1 December 13.30
  • Saturday 1 December 19.30
  • Sunday 2 December 13.30
  • Sunday 2 December 19.30

Duration: approx. 1 hour

Location

Theater Kikker
Ganzenmarkt 14, Utrecht

> Directions via Google Maps

Tickets

Stay tuned – ticket sales will start soon. Hit the ‘Interested’ button on our Facebook event to be the first to find out!

Also, do you follow us on Instagram?

Meet the Dancers: Evelyn

This week, the spotlight is on Evelyn. She is a dancer who can make any move look effortless. If you need proof, just check out that photo… This girl is a true jane-of-all-trades. Not only does she bring multiple styles to the dance floor, but also plenty of stage experience – from public speaking to theatre directing.

This year’s show will feature Evelyn both as a dancer and a choreographer. She always has a clear vision for her choreographies. However, her passion for improvisation leaves her dancers with plenty of room for experimentation, too. This fuels their creative spirit and results in a powerful piece. Rock on, Evelyn!

Evelyn’s dancers passport

Age: 30
Height: 1.70m
Work/study: an aspiring artist, plus university researcher in Media and Performance Studies
Dance styles: her favourite is contemporary but African dance is stealing her heart
Super dance talent: improvise, improvise, and improvise some more
Extra talents: most likely found in the kitchen, improvising recipes, and exploring new ingredients
Fun fact: caffeine makes Evelyn jump up and down and up and down and up and down. It’s not a pretty sight. (She only drinks coffee decaf!)

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

Meet the Dancers: Nadia

We kick off this year’s Meet the Dancers series with bubbly Nadia. We are thrilled to have her and we wish that she could have joined us sooner. Be that as it may, that wouldn’t have been possible: she has been travelling the world for more than a year and a half!

What makes us so glad Nadia is on our team? First of all, she brings a happy energy and sincere eagerness to every rehearsal. In addition, she is helping to expand the Project Blank range of styles. This couldn’t make us happier, as you know we just love diversity. Together with Evelyn (soon to be introduced), Nadia is bringing a fine mixture of urban styles to our show. We can’t wait to showcase her hard-hitting moves!

Nadia’s dancer passport

Age: 28
Height: 1.68m
Work/study: psychologist for young kids with eating disorders
Dance styles: hiphop, afro and modern
Super dance talent: gymnastic techniques
Extra talents: Nadia is a musical star, too. She played a role in the Dutch musical ‘Kunt u mij de weg naar Hamelen vertellen, meneer?’, based on the fairy tale The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Fun fact: Nadia’s toes are slightly crooked but symmetrical on both feet!

Curious about the other dancers?

Check out our earlier Meet the Dancers posts below:

YES! Project Blank is whole again

In our previous post, we revealed a little secret: to be able to kick ass in winter, we hibernate in summer. Last Saturday, on 1 September, the meteorological autumn officially started. That means that by now, we are all fully awake!

Hence, with excited smiles, we proudly present to you: the full Project Blank 2018 team! Just look at this happy bunch. Doesn’t it make you wanna dance, too?

  • Top row: Annelies, Robbert, Larissa, Lydia, & Simone
  • Bottom row: Afra, Evelyn, Ely, Jolijn, Lot, Nadia, Floor, & Naomi

We have quite a few returning dancers, but we’ve also been blessed with some damn good fresh blood. We will be introducing our newbies over the coming weeks in our Meet the Dancers posts.

Want to re-meet the golden oldies? Check out last year’s Meet the Dancers here:

Stay tuned!

Meet the first batch of the Project Blank 2018 team!

Most animals hibernate in winter (and some humans, too). But not us. Project Blank is dormant in the summer, but with the first rain showers of autumn, it is time for us to wake up!

We’re starting off slow. Our first rehearsal was pretty quiet – we are still waking up from our summer dance sleep – but that does not matter.  The ball is rolling.

Here we are again!

Project Blank is back, with a new team. With bigger and better ideas. With more ambition than we have ever had before.

Let us introduce you to the first batch of 2018 crew members. From left to right:

Afra, Robbert, Lydia, Larissa, Annelies, Simone, Nadia, & Floor

We can’t wait to take on this year’s creative ambitions with you. And with the five other amazing dancers, who we will introduce soon, of course.

In the meantime, check in regularly for blogs, vlogs, rehearsal sneak peeks, and more!