At calendar age 73, I begin creating this website, in honor of my dancing self.

I am a studio dancer, at least according to May O’Donnell, who classified dancers as either studio dancers or stage dancers.

Stage dancers only begin working in earnest in both class and rehearsal, when they start smelling the stage.

Studio dancers on the other hand dance full-out no matter what, every class, each and every rehearsal; the stage is merely an extra, a cherry topping off their daily dancing cake.

Classical Ballet at the ROTTERDAM CONSERVATORY  1965-1967

 

Professional training at the AMSTERDAM THEATRE SCHOOL 1967-1971

As guinea pig in the early founding years of the Amsterdam Theatre School, with the support of visionary director Jan Kassies (1920-1995), I was granted to follow an individual curriculum of my own choosing (!) and race daily on my bike to and fro between the following institutions:

SCAPINO DANCE ACADEMY (Dir. Karel Poons, Ine Rietstap) and 

NEL ROOS BALLET ACADEMY (Dir. Nel Roos, Maria Koning)                    Classical Ballet (RAD; Cechetti, Vaganova) - Modern Dance (Graham; Jooss Leeder) - Composition - Jazz Dance - Tap Dance - Dance and Cultural History – Pedagogy - Music (Solfeggio and History)

MIME SCHOOL (Dir. Frits Vogels)                                                            Etienne Decroux Technique – Mimography – Pantomime - Martial Arts & Tai Chi

ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART (Dir. André Verdoner)                              Singing (Belcanto) - Acting

DANCE STUDIO PAULINE DE GROOT (extra-curricular)                        Hawkins Technique

As a firm believer in education permanente, during my ongoing career as dancer choreographer-teacher, I studied in

LONDON, SAN FRANCISCO, LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK with a.o.:

 

Ruth Currier (NY, Humphrey-Limón Technique and Composition)

The Place, London School of Contemporary Dance (Graham Technique; Limón Technique; Composition)

Nicholas Gunn (LA, Taylor Technique)

Mary Hinkson (NY, Graham Technique)

Lucas Hoving (Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Limón Technique and Composition)

Margaret Jenkins (SF, Cunningham Technique)

Pearl Lang (NY, Graham Technique)

Daniel Lewis (NY and Amsterdam, Limón Technique)

May O’Donnell (NY, O’Donnell Technique)

Aaron Osborne (SF, Limón Technique)                        

Doris Rudko (NY, Composition)                                     

Paul Sanasardo (NY, Technique Graham based)                               

Anna Sokolow (NY, Composition)                                                                     

Ernestine Stodelle (NY, Humphrey Technique) 

Clay Talliafero (NY, Limón Technique)