Exhibition
Movement Matters: Twenty years of the Dutch Dance Festival
2017 marked the twentieth edition of the Nederlandse Dansdagen. To honor the occasion, the festival presented Movement Matters, a retrospective exhibition celebrating two decades of the festival’s achievements and contributions to Dutch dance.
In a collection of material drawn from the festival’s archive and donated by colleagues from the dance community, Movement Matters presented a dynamic portrait of the festival as both an advocate for Dutch dance and an innovator in the field.
By considering the movement we have seen, as well as the movement we have not, Movement Matters aimed both to celebrate the festival and to reflect upon it; to set a path for the festival’s future, by first exploring the movement of its past.
What was on display at the exhibition?
- A description of twenty years of Nederlandse Dansdagen divided into four phases: Making Movement (from 1998), Connecting Movement (from 2003), Stimulating Movement (from 2008) and Contemplating Movement (from 2012).
- An overview of all performances (1998-2017) and program editors.
- The history of the Avond van de Nederlandse dans.
- Overviews of the winners of The Golden Swan (2003-2016), the VSCD Dance Awards (1998-2016), the Prize of the Nederlandse Dansdagen (1998-2016), the Dioraphte Prize (2011-2016), the Kylián Ring (2006 - 2016)
- A description of the relationship between the Nederlandse Dansdagen and Maastricht as its location.
- An overview of the Nederlandse Dansdagen projects such
as Distinguished Dreams, (OLD) Fashion(ed), Act Your Age en Performing Gender.
- Impressions of the festival's general and artistic directors: Leontien Wiering (2001-2010), Peggy Olislaegers (2010-2016) en Ronald Wintjes (2016).
Movement Matters
A path for the future
Over the last twenty years, the Nederlandse Dansdagen has become a vital part of the dance landscape; a landscape that has undoubtedly changed since the festival’s first edition. As the festival now looks towards the future, reflecting back on its history may provide insight about the festival’s role in shaping that landscape, and about how it might best support both the dance community and its public moving forward.
Click below to read some of the exhibition's texts:
...because movement does, in fact, matter
Movement Matters Debat:
Archive as an instrument for innovation?
As part of the pop-up exhibition Movement Matters, the Nederlandse Dansdagen organized a debate on the importance of archiving. The purpose of this debate was to encourage reflection and dialogue on the relationship between archiving and innovation, and to consider how that relationship relates specifically to the field of dance.
The participants at the Movement Matters Debate were young professionals representing different academic and artistic backgrounds. The debate was a collaboration between the Dutch Dance Days, Maastricht University's Master of Arts, Culture and Heritage and the Maastricht Center for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage (MACCH). The moderator was Dr. Christoph Rausch, assistant professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at University College Maastricht (UCM) and founder of the MACCH.
Curatorial team
Eva Haasnoot
Stephen Shropshire
Marlène van Willigenburg
Production support
Ron Bernstein, Romy Finke, Margriet Thissen | Jan van Eyck Academie
Ruud van Helder | MH Roadstyling
Christoph Rausch, Emilie Sitzia en Vivian van Saaze | Maastricht University
René Smeets | Pixelfusion
Peter Snellens | Theater aan het Vrijthof
With thanks to
Maarten Van den Abeele, Giulio D’Anna, Anja Beutler, Robert Benschop, L.Bernearts & I.Müller, Anne Beentjes, Roelof Bos, Ryer Boxem, Bob Bronshoff, Charlotte Brand, Daan Brand, Jamain Brigitta, Cinzia Camela, Krisztina de Châtel, Ben van Duin, Angele Etoundi Essamba, Maurits van Geel, Hans Gerritsen, Rikie Gorrissen, Cees de Graaff, Rob ’t Hart, Koen Hauser & Maarten Spruyt, Marc Haegeman, Bert Holtman, Harry Heuts, Jochem Jurgens, Martijn Kappers, Sofie Knijff, Daisy Komen, Anna van Kooij, Andrea Leine, Joep Lennaerts, Keren Levi, Nanine Linning, Pepijn Lutgerink, Jean Pierre Maurin, Deen van Meer, Dominik Mentzos, Inge van Mill, Robert van der Molen, Relinde Moors, Antoinette Mooy, Esther Noyons, Myrthe van Opstal, Koen den Os, Jamie Dee van den Oudenrijn, Sandra Peerenboom, Tim Persent, Leoni Ravestein, Iris Reyes, Merijn Roest, Jerry Remkes, Rahi Rezvani, Mories Römkens, Sophie van Schouwen, Paul Sixta, Jasmijn Slegh, Michael Slobodian, Rinus Sprong, Angela Sterling, Jean-Pierre Stoop, Tom Stoopman, Thom Stuart, Ton van Til, Hans Teurlings, Milena Twiehaus, Leo Van Velzen, Roel Voorintholt, Leontien Wiering, Ronald Wintjens, Hans Withoos, Laurent Ziegler, Leine Roebana, Conny Jansen Danst, Club Guy & Roni, Internationaal Danstheater, Introdans, ISH, Nationale Opera en Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Stichting Hans van Manen, Vooropleiding Dans ArtEZ, WArd/waRD.