Only ten days until the opening night of our 2017 show ‘Society and the Demons Within’… Getting curious? Check out this teaser video!
We can fight our demons, but win or lose, we carry them with us as Baggage. Do they break us down or make us stronger? Watch this piece live on stage on 16 or 17 December at Theater Kikker, Utrecht.
Tickets are still available, but don’t wait too long!
This our last Metaphor Monday, brought to you by Miss Metaphor herself: Larissa! From all metaphors we heard during rehearsals, most of them are hers.
Metaphor Monday No. 7: “Twist an apple and pick it from the tree.”
The observant visitor will spot this Latin dance move a couple of times during our show. It’s a classic! Curious to see more of our show full of modern and latin styles? You know what to do: be quick to get your tickets!
With only three weeks left until showtime, we have come to the final Meet the Dancers. Last but not least: Simon and Lot!
Simon was one of last year’s stars. A charismatic Brazilian Zouk dancer, he wowed us all with his newfound modern dance technique. His work ethic set an example for everyone. This year he regrettably didn’t have the time to go full throttle with Project Blank. However, when our beloved Jesús had to quit due to injuries, he stepped in for a piece, which requires two male dancers. We are grateful that he is able to join us on stage again!
Lot brightens up every rehearsal with her smiley demeanor. She was born to be on stage, and is a triple threat with her singing, dancing and acting talents! In addition to Project Blank, she is currently taking ballroom and Latin classes, and she has recently even been offered a role in a mime-inspired theater production! On stage with Project Blank, she shines the brightest in jazzy and expressive pieces. Off stage, she is part of the social media team. Needless to say, she is irreplaceable and incredibly valued here at Project Blank!
Name: Simon
Age: 35
Height: 1.99m
Work/study: Translator/Editor
Dance style(s): Zouk, Kizomba
Super dance talent: lifts and acrobatics, playing with dance connection
Extra talents: Simon is sometimes called a walking encyclopaedia (Quote: “Lots of useless facts and figures with sometimes the odd useful one!”)
Fun fact: lived in 11 countries in his life and is finally settling down in the Netherlands. He says he loves it here!
Name: Liselotte (Lot)
Age: 24
Height: 1.72m
Work/study: in between jobs; she recently graduated in Product Design and now thinks about starting her own business
Dance style(s): modern, jazz, show, ballroom/Latin
Super dance talent: theatrical expression that ranges from awkward to sexy – and everything in between
Extra (non-dance) talents: Lot is a true performer who, next to dancing, also sings and acts
Fun fact: as member of the social media team, Lot took (almost) all ‘Meet the Dancers’ portrait photos!
Do you want to read more about our dancers? Check out the Dansers page on our website (in Dutch)!
“It’s a Monday, it’s so mundane” – this is a phrase from one of the songs in our upcoming show. About time for another Metaphor Monday, then! Our choreographers often use metaphors to explain a new dance move. Every week on Monday we share the smart and funny things they come up with.
Metaphor Monday #6: “Shampoo your hair”
In order to synchronize a dance move, choreographer Sanne told the group to ‘shampoo their hair’: move your hand around your head as if to distribute the shampoo over your pretty locks. In the video, Karin shows you how it’s done. This one sure stuck to our heads!
Curious to see more of our awesome (metaphor) moves? Come and check out our show on 16 or 17 December in Theater Kikker, Utrecht! Get your tickets now.
We proudly present to you, two graceful women: Jolijn and Karin. On the left is Jolijn, who once started with classical ballet, moved on to modern and jazz, and has since focused on becoming an incredibly skilled… belly dancer! Didn’t see that coming, did you? Her unique isolations and continuously flowing arms mesmerized us all during her audition and still never fail to impress. We can’t wait to show her off on stage!
Poised and elegant Karin is a tall beauty, and one of our finest classical dancers. Her long legs and delicate landings make her jumps a joy to watch. This year, Karin discovered her (inner and outer) strength through lifts and acrobatics. A very skilled dancer and an awesome personality, she is a great asset to our team!
Name: Jolijn
Age: 33
Height: 1.64m
Work/study: account manager IT
Dance style(s): belly dance
Super dance talent: isolations
Extra talents: face painting
Fun fact: works as a street artist in her spare time, hence the face painting skills
Name: Karin
Age: 32
Height: 1.80m
Work/study: freelance writer, communications specialist and designer
Dance style(s): classical and contemporary ballet
Super dance talent: jumping
Extra talents: singing and politics
Fun fact: co-founded a political party for students and starters in Utrecht, and has an unhealthy obsession with RuPaul’s Drag Race
Did you know that we’re less than a month away from rocking the stage with our show Society and the Demons Within? Now you do!
Maybe you have seen some of our promotion efforts already. For example, we are featured on Theater Kikker’s website and on UITagenda Utrecht. Also, we are leaving flyers everywhere in Utrecht and around to make sure as many dance and theater lovers as possible will find out about our performances on 16 and 17 December. Like this flyer at lunchroom KEEK. Did you spot us too? We love to hear from you!
P.S. Let us share a secret… about one third of the tickets has been sold. So get cracking and get yours too! Go to the Tickets page now and make sure you don’t miss our killer 2017 show.
P.S.2 Are you coming to see us in Theater Kikker? That’s amazing! Let us know on our Facebook event & spread the word!
Is it Monday again? Yes, it is… That’s why we’re back with another Metaphor Monday! Luckily, the metaphors used by our choreographers keep piling up. We’ve got plenty of creative imagery to share with you.
Metaphor Monday #5: “Hold your hand like you hold a pasta plate.”
Teaching Latin-inspired moves to dancers who are not used to this type of partner work, asks for a fair amount of creativity. So when two modern/contemporary dancers had to work out a ballroom-like turn together, the choreographer came up with a tasty metaphor for the one leading the turn: hold your hand like you hold a pasta plate. That’s how we make things work!
Bon appetit :-).
Are you having a good Monday, folks? Here’s this week’s Metaphor Monday! Our choreographers often use metaphors to help explain a new dance move. Every week on Monday we share the smart and funny things they come up with.
Metaphor Monday #4: “Don’t be a wet noodle, be a broomstick!”
Acting according to this metaphor is crucial when it comes to lifts – it’s the key to effectively base any type of flyer. As you might know, we sure love to add some stunts to our shows, and that’s why we have been hearing this a lot lately.
Our advice? Keep calm and be a broomstick!
Slowly but surely we’re coming to an end of our weekly Meet the Dancers item. However, we still have a handful of inspirational dancers left. This week, Ely and Hannah are up.
A dance teacher herself, Ely chose to participate in this year’s Project Blank team so she could dance and not teach for once. And we’re so glad she did. Having Ely in your crew means having someone who is well versed in a host of styles. Her creative brain is a great source of inspiration too, as she often comes up with ideas to improve choreo pieces that just need that little bit of tweaking.
Sweet Hannah is the kind of dancer that switches from introvert to extrovert on stage. As we saw in last year’s show, her stage presence is truly memorable. Hannah’s attention to details when picking up new choreography is also super valuable – she has a knack for asking just the right questions until she’s got it just right. Her quirky personality puts a smile on everyone’s face time and time again.
Name: Ely
Age: 25
Height: 1.68m
Work/study: dance teacher (quote: “Working with kids 6 days a week keeps me young!”)
Dance styles: modern, jazz, show
Super dance talent: turn and jump techniques
Extra talents: Ely can’t sit still; besides dancing almost every day of the week, she plays field hockey and hits the gym on a regular basis!
Fun fact: Ely’s full name is Elyanne, though hardly anyone calls her that. Also, she hates riding a bicycle.
Name: Hannah
Age: 22
Height: 1.75m
Work/study: social worker in mental health care and (pre-)Master’s student Pedagogical Sciences
Dance styles: modern and jazz
Super dance talent: incredible stage presence
Extra talents: in our multilingual group, Hannah makes us laugh with her awesome quotes in a mix of Dutch and English (like “Do we have to make a schuine lijn here?”)
Fun fact: Hannah’s been told many times that when she talks about Project Blank (or dancing in general), it brings twinkles in her eyes!
Do you want to read more about our dancers? Check out the Dansers page on our website (in Dutch)!
Occasionally, we enjoy a pop of colour on our otherwise boring skin. Some people get tattoos… dancers get bruises! To a dancer, bruises are beautiful in their own way, because they are a symbol of hard work. There’s nothing we love more than putting in a hard day of studio time, so we accept our bruised fate. Hey, it comes with the territory!
Our bruises come from making connections with each other and the dance floor. Sometimes, they are a result of lifts and acrobatics. Other times, we are so passionate about the movement, that we let the emotions take over from our cautious brains. We often do not even realise that we are bruised until we go home that evening…
Seeing the progress that we make at each rehearsal is worth the pain. Our injuries are minor and temporary, but we’re sure our show will make a lasting memory!
Speaking of which… only six weeks to go until our 2017 show! Stay tuned for details about ticket sales.
And on that positive note, here’s last week’s happy group shot. See you soon!
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