After completing my education at the School of the Arts in Amsterdam, I worked for many years as a professional dancer at the Dutch National Ballet. Here I became familiar with the work of choreographers such as Rudi van Dantzig, Toer of Schayk, Hans van Manen, George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jan Fabre, Martha Graham, Frederick Ashton and others. Through my involvement in the Amsterdam club s
cene, I simultaneously developed a great passion for various urban dance styles. Already during my time at Dutch National Ballet I tried to explore the possibilities of mixing different dance styles, with the focus on urban and academic styles. In 2005, two years after retiring from classical ballet, I presented my first choreography. As of 2010 I produce my work under my own foundation: Monique Duurvoort Dance (MDDance). In addition MDDance initiates and establishes collaborations with other artists and organizations for (international) dance projects. In my work I explore various themes regarding cultural identity, self image and heritage. Coming from a multicultural background (Afro Dutch), I try to question and analyze my own perception, which stems from personal experiences in combination with that what is passed on to me by previous generations, and translate this into choreography. For this I make use of the artistic expressiveness of urban, academic and other dance forms. With this I try to come to a (new) cross-over form that enables me to express myself as clear as possible. Check my website for more info.
