"Dancers need to be heard"
Janine Dijkmeijer is the executive creative director of the New Zealand Dance Comapny. she also was general director of NDT and business manager of Dutch National Ballet.
as a dancer she worked with Krisztina de Châtel, Piet Rogie, Leine & Roebana, Paul Selwyn Norton, Chunky Move (Aus), Conny Janssen Danst, Dansgezelschap Reflex. during that period she also made a number of choreographies.
-You have an amazing career, in every field. What do you think is the key of all your successes?
“I think truly because how I was raised and nurtured in a way that ‘I had to figure it out by myself’. My parents both worked hard and left us 3 children quite free. We had a very safe environment, with very little rules.
Different ideas could be there and were not judged. Curiosity was stimulated. My parents used to read science fiction, where they were fascinated by possibilities.
There was an emotional struggle between them, but it was always forgiven at the end.
Somewhere this sets you free as a child, because you experience people who have totally different ideas, disagree, and still share lots of love.
I have never thought about building a career. I believe it’s a mindset. I am a dreamer, and love to think of concepts that are different from what I see. After dancing this was really hard to explain verbally…I think in colors, lines, circles, distance, shapes, space, time. I do believe my rational and emotional sides ‘talk a lot’ with each other. This can be very confusing for myself and probably for others around me.
It was mostly a couple of years later I realized these concepts became successful.
I started following my intuition more and made sure that I kept working with people that challenge each other and themselves and are not afraid to make mistakes. Because that’s how we learn and grow.
I am ambitious to get things done and disciplined and have patience. Sometimes it takes much longer, especially when you have differences in thought.
I love to see when I put out ideas that are unclear in the seed, others will take care of them growing and nurturing. I like it when people thrive and grow. I have more difficulty when people become static, thinking they know everything better. This does not attract me, because I see we are a collective of different minds that need to confront each other and stay open all the time. That is hard inner work.
I am also ambitious to see that people are equally treated and more even that people have equal chances and are also capable of taking chances all together. It’s the subject of today since black live matters. I am so grateful we are now finally addressing this subject. The world is not equal. I have no clear answers around it. I do know we all judge; I try to stay with the content and not judge the people around me, always aim to see the good in people. This is a challenge for all of us. No one is perfect.”
-What passionates you about dance?
“Movement, fluidity, the connection between body, mind, soul, knowledge, communication, rhythm, engagement, dreaming, playfulness, embracing.”
-You worked for many companies (Krisztina de Chatel, Conny Janssen Danst, Chunky Move and many others). What do you remember the most about your career as a dancer?
“I love working with different choreographers! From minimal to experimental, to theatrical. I love to be their ‘paint’, loved trying to translate ideas that were in the mind of choreographers. I guess I like to be serving to a choreographer and with my colleagues create the best possible translation of the dream that a choreographer has.
What I most missed when I stopped was the true honest open space we created when working on a new choreography. I think dancers are extremely open people and see more than the words that are said. And they are ambitious and see experiment and failing as a process to become better.”
-What did you learn the most by your dance experience?
“To engage with people in an open and vulnerable way. With people I mean the people you work with and the people as an audience.”
-After your career as a dancer you studied Design and MultiMedia. Where did you find the strength to completely change and study something new?
“In 1999, when I stopped, the internet just started blooming. You could suddenly ‘speak’ with the whole world. And you could work with images, film, colors, shapes, design, translating emotions. All of this is close to a dancer’s mindset. When you dance you always imagine ideas…and translate these.”
-How important is to be always able to change and allow changes in life?
“This is very personal. Not everyone likes changes. It’s important that you are able to listen to what you need yourself and not compare your own needs to others. That will take you off track of your own mission in life.”
-Then you also studied to become manager in the performing arts, and then you found your own agency. How did your studies and education as a dancer help you in doing so?
“When dancing (1980-1999) I was fascinated how we could bring this beautiful artform to the future. I loved photography and film. In 2003 we started Cinedans (www.cinedans.nl) where dance, film, media come together. Because there was no money I started managing myself (while earning income by building websites for others). The Netherlands also have a government that creates ideas and wants to listen to artists. As a managing person you need to understand the other, meaning the funders, the people that want to invest in your idea. Because you need to speak in their language, so they can understand. How you do this is a matter of listening.”
-You had also been General Director of NDT. How difficult was to lead this role?
“Lots of really passionate people with excellent ideas. The biggest challenge was to communicate to all the ‘out of the box’ ideas and see how you can keep people happy and challenged. I do believe in a ‘content’ driven organization. This is opposite to ‘artist’ driven. We create content together. The artistic ideas and the executive ideas become one. In my opinion it is crucial that there is a good understanding of artistic/creative and executive sides to get good results. It should be in a very good balance, respecting each other’s needs and dreams with each other. I see that was my biggest challenge at NDT.
What kept me energized was the results, the artworks, performances, execution on the strategy, and the financial results. I was so proud of everyone creating this together. “
-How important is to study and be smart as dancers?
“I believe a dancer is smart in general. I don’t think a study is ‘needed’, because dance is a study on so many aspects. Dancers are extremely dedicated, disciplined, curious, honest and creative. Sometimes people think dancers are ‘too emotional’, while the contrary is true. Dancers can look at emotions with a rational view, because dancers need to work with emotions on daily business.”
-Now you become Executive Director of the New Zealand Dance Company. How excited are you for this?
“Very excited to be in a completely different culture and environment. I go to learn about both New Zealand and the background of Māori culture as well to see how I can share this with others on the globe. “
-You have always worked in the performing field. Why do you think art, and specifically dance, are so important in society?
“Honest translation of our society
Revealing the invisible, the unseen, the beauty, the misunderstood,
Creating understanding
Creating compassion
Wabi Sabi”
-What still needs to improve in the dance field?
“Dancers need to be heard. Dancers need to understand they are smart in general and NOT feel underestimated or insecure about what they already know.”
-How important is determination?
“Personally, for me, pretty important. But only when you know it’s going to be better. When you sense your determination does not help, then you let go. This can create new space, and new determination”
-Can you give some advice to young students?
“For young students I would like to share to not take things too seriously. Be determined and ambitious in what you want but be playful around it. Challenge vagueness, challenge yourself to not know, get to know your own obsessions. You are the one that decides at the end, though you can’t do this alone. Stay as free as you can. So also understand some of the management or executive things…avoid getting others to ‘brand’ yourself without you feeding the content. Marketing and storytelling are creative trajectories, make sure you are the one that is responsible for your own stories you want to share.”
Thank you Janine, it was an honor for us!
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