changeMakers

The new Nederlandse Dansdagen dansMuseum exhibition changeMakers brings together five Netherlands-based dance makers with roots in the former Dutch East Indies and/or  Indonesia to explore the following questions: 

How do you engage with your (multi)cultural backgrounds through your work? What influence does this have on dance in the Netherlands? And what can your stories contribute to a broader conversation about history and cultural heritage? 

By dance makers, we mean anyone whose creative work involves or relates to dance. For example, dancers, choreographers, writers, photographers, and even visual artists.  

Like previous dansMuseum exhibitions, changeMakers aims to expand an understanding of what constitutes Dutch dance by highlighting the contributions of different cultural groups to its development. 

 

About the dansMuseum 

The dansMuseum is the online museum of the Nederlandse Dansdagen and the only museum devoted to the support and celebration of Dutch dance.  Designed to inform, innovate and inspire, the mission of the dansMuseum is to preserve and present the Nederlandse Dansdagen archive and to encourage critical engagement with Dutch dance history through its exhibitions, research projects and educational programming. 

 

Exhibition content 

changeMakers is a durational research exhibition that will take place on and offline from November 2025 to December 2026. We call it a research exhibition because its focus is on the process of creation rather than displaying existing work. In this exhibition we get to see a glimpse of the creative process behind the making of dance. 

changeMakers will follow the creative processes of five Netherlands-based dance makers with connections to the former Dutch East Indies and Indonesia who are exploring the following exhibition questions in their work: 

How do you process your (multi)cultural background in your work? How does this influence dance in the Netherlands, and what can this contribute to a broader conversation about history and cultural heritage in the Netherlands? 

Throughout the exhibition, a community panel, made up of representatives from the Indisch and/or Indonesian communities, will support the makers’ processes, offering feedback and support when necessary.  In addition, a researcher will explore the exhibition subject from a social, political, cultural, and dance history perspective. 

 

Who can apply?  

Dance makers with a connection to the former Dutch East Indies and/or Indonesia, who currently live and work in the Netherlands, are encouraged to apply. As mentioned earlier, this means anyone whose creative work involves or relates to dance. For example, dancers, choreographers, writers, photographers, and even visual artists.  

The exhibition is intended for any dance maker who wants to contribute to the exhibition by reflecting on and sharing fragments of their creative process. We encourage you to see your current and ongoing projects as the basis for your possible contribution. changeMakers offers space and a framework to give your work new visibility and depth.

 

Planning  

The application deadline is August 24, 2025. The selected makers will be contacted no later than September 20. The first informal meeting of the selected makers and the community panel will take place on Saturday, October  4, during the Nederlandse Dansdagen. After the festival, the makers will be announced publicly, and the online trajectory will begin. 

Online content 
During the first eight months of the exhibition, makers will share a behind-the-scenes look into their creative process in an online exhibition space on the dansMuseum website. Through video, text, images, audio (or any other form that fits their work) makers can offer a glimpse into their ideas and the questions that guide their creative process.  

Offline content 
In addition to this online content, the exhibition will also include live community events, where dance makers will meet in person to share and discuss their work. 

Finally, the exhibition will conclude with a live event during the Nederlandse Dansdagen 2026. The form and content of this event will be determined in collaboration with the makers and as a result of the exhibition process. 

 

How to apply?  

To apply, fill in the form and submit the following, collated in one PDF: 

• Motivation letter (max. 500 words): Why do you want to participate?   

• Project proposal (max. 500 words): Conceptual framework of the project and how it relates to the theme of changeMakers.

• Portfolio: Examples of current or existing work that is relevant within this context.

• Biography (250 words)

• CV (single page A4)  

 

Selection process  

Makers are selected by a community panel consisting of representatives from the Indonesian and/or Indische communities and the Dutch dance field, and based primarily on the following criteria: 

• Relevance: How does the project connect to the research question of the exhibition?  

• Feasibility: Is the project feasible within the resources of the applicant and the framework of the exhibition? 

 

Fee and financial support   

As previously mentioned, dance makers are encouraged to apply for ongoing projects, which may include associated research questions, plans and budgets. For their contribution to changeMakers, selected makers will receive a fee of €5000 to use at their own discretion. 

 

Any questions?  

For any additional questions, please contact Anne Smeets via dansMuseum@nederlandsedansdagen.nl