Sharing the stage: a case study of Tij, a choreography for Dutch professional and amateur dancers Caroline Ribbers

& Ninke van Herpt This chapter researches the potential of the shared stage, of what can happen when professional dancers and amateur dancers collaborate on an equal base as dancers in a choreography. The main inspiration for this chapter is the production of TIJ (translated as Tide), in which six professional and eleven amateur dancers collaborated, which was created by choreographers Stefan Ernst and Ronald Wintjens and shown during the 2005 Dutch Dance Festival in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Caroline Ribbers took part as a professional dancer and helped create the related website (www.tijdewebsite.nl) with the intent to share experiences and insights gained during this project. The intent of this chapter is to take a closer look at the Dutch setting in which collaboration projects with other than professional dancers take place, the benefits for partaking dancers, choreographers and audience and the forthcoming questions. Furthermore, this chapter describes the aims of the Dutch Dance Festival to produce TIJ, the aims of the choreographers to create TIJ, the creation process of TIJ and the choreographic outcome, from a case study perspective. Finally this chapter addresses some questions and answers related to the project. Defining the Dutch focus combined dancer projects in the Netherlands Working with mixed casts is not new in the Dutch dance scene. In 2001 Ed Wubbe created one of the first professional dance performances for theatre setting with the 010 B-Boys for Scapino Ballet, joining forces of the contemporary dance performers with the Rotterdam breakdance pioneers. Krisztina de Chtel has also initiated several collaborations with non-dancers, for example, Onderstebavo with her own dancers together with Vanuit Marlies, a group undergoing recovery from mental illness, and Zooi (translated mess), danced with her own dancers and a real group of garbage collectors (dustbin men), which was performed in the open air. De Chtels latest combined dancer project Cirklo (premiered may 2008) includes professional dancers, dervishes and twirling girls. Noticeably, most collaborative productions seem to work with either non-dancers, such as garbage men, or experts in certain dance styles which are not available for study in the Dutch organised professional dance education system. In a dance scene where the focus is shifting to Generation Mix: young makers who, according to Kocken

and Tjon a Fon (2006,y.10-nr20, p.9), aim for anthropological and interdisciplinary collaborations, it can become difficult to define who is the professional and who the amateur. In this chapter the definitions of professional and amateur dancers are mostly based on the insights gained during the production of TIJ. During the participation in TIJ, differences between amateur dancers and professional dancers were discussed. In these discussions, the professional dancer was seen as a dancer who, previous to making a career out of dancing, followed a professional dance education. The amateur dancer has dancing as a hobby, does not get paid for his dancing and has often followed a less intensive education. Based on these points of view, the following differences between the two groups can be identified: level of dance techniques, differences in body control, spatial awareness and in the ability to learn dance movements. Professional dancers are capable of analysing and carrying out body actions faster and this makes them better able to translate this dance material to their own bodies. Through years of training, professional dancers have taken these skills to a higher level, compared to amateur dancers. The amateur dancers involved in this project and with the ambition to work on a professional level are not to be compared with each and every amateur dancer: there must be a strong motivation, discipline and commitment to the production, in other words: a professional attitude. In this chapter the definition of amateur dancers excludes the dancers which have no aspiration to be a dance performer, combined with the willingness and drive to realise this ambition. The amateur dancer with the drive to be a performer has the tendency to look for opportunities to realise this ambition. Hence, the amateur dance scene has the desire to work with professionals, to learn and benefit from those who managed to make their profession out of their hobby, the facilities offered in the professional circuit and the benefits of the existing knowledge. In the Netherlands on governmental level a note of culture is set each four years. These culture plans set the political direction for art funding and general directions for the arts. Recently, in preparation for the new national Cultuurplan 2009 2012, the governmentally issued plan for the arts considering funding and politic stance toward the arts, different advisory texts have been written. The two main texts are Innoveren, participeren! (translated innovate, participate!) by the Raad voor Cultuur, the Dutch advisory board on culture, discussing the general issues of all the arts in the Netherlands and the dance specific Dans zichtbaar beter (translated Dance visibly improved) by the DOD section organisation for dance, which based its advise on recent

dance sector analysis. In the latter, one of the main issues is, as expressed by Schots (2007, y.11-nr 4, p. 31), the sector wants to discus the different roles the dance artist should for fill in society, and research how the connection between the professional dance arts and the amateur circuit can be improved. This underpins the conclusion that momentarily the professional field and the amateur dance circuit are two separate entities, with their own specific sector organisations, institutes and even scale of charges considering theatre rent. Although a heavy focus is put on talent development in Innoveren, participeren!, thus far the collaborative projects focus mainly on receptive and cognitive exchange and art education in stead of participation on an equal level. In the advisory texts the differentiation is made between Amateur Arts, Art Education, Urban Arts and the professional field; where as in the urban arts professionalism is not dependant on institutionalised knowledge, in the amateur circuit the main differentiation from the professional seems to be the education and the given that an amateur is not paid for their performance. Art education strives to pull together the professional and the amateur. In art education the amateur learns from the professional, be it in the form of practical dance classes or in the informative contacts they make with the, often funded, dance education department of professional dance companies. But in art education there always remains a power difference; the master and pupil. There are hardly any productions, issued by professional companies, in which amateur dancers are equally integrated with the professional dancer, that can be considered professional productions. More often, from the initiative of the amateur scene and facilitated by institutes supporting the amateur arts such as the national Kunstfactor Dans or the provincial Centre for the Amateur Arts, productions which are collaborations between a group of amateur dancers and a professional dancer or choreographer are set up. These productions are often considered amateur dance productions, regardless of the fact that there is one or more professional participants. Is quality of dancers, number of participants from either the amateur or professional scene or the fact that there is no salary for the amateurs the decisive factor for making it an amateur production? If a professional dancer engages in a project for which he is not paid, is he an amateur? An unspoken issue in the amateur field is the sense that in the professional field the main focus seems to be on form and technique, which creates the sense that working with amateurs will never generate a satisfactory product because of their lack of skills and possibilities. Therefore working in the amateur circuit takes a different choreographic approach. The choreographer needs to be able to look for the strengths and capabilities of the performer, with an eye for their working possibilities like ability to remember, create and concentrate on dance material. More and more professional choreographers in Holland, like Adriaan Luteijn, Helma Melis and Thom

Stuart, start working both fields on a professional level, specialising in choreography for both professional and amateur dancers. But the joining of the two fields on stage is hardly ever seen within the context of a professional production. Why is that? Is it possible to merge both fields into a qualitative performance project? Donker (2007, y.11-nr.8, p. 11) explains a section on amateur art from Innoveren, participeren!: Amateur art suggests a full, complete art practise next to the art practise of the professionals, an art that is capable of developing its own voice. () It may be expected of the amateur arts that it contributes to the collective culture and the development of artistic languages with which the professionals can proceed. Van der Lans (2007, nr 3, p.13) questions from the same text the given that there is a world of differences between dance as social experience and dance as theatrical experience, () and professional dance makers would like to bridge that difference.. Van der Lans wonders whom these professional makers are that are willing to tear down the walls between high and low art, mass culture and elite entertainment, young and old, stage and street. We wonder if it is that drastic. When considering the amateur dancer as an artist with his specific contribution to the dance, other than the merit of the professional, can the combining of the two on the same stage not lead to a multifaceted choreography? Next to Tij, there have been other attempts at collaboration of amateurs and professionals in the Netherlands in the last few years, such as the project Wisselwerk, (translation rearranged work) initiated by the Holland Dance Festival, and Go with that Flow, a project of the NoordBrabant Centre of Amateur Arts. The tendency has been for amateur dancers to be asked to learn short dance fragments, from video or with help from professional dancers of the company. Next, they are given time to develop the fragments by themselves or with help of a dance maker of their school. In a later stage, amateur and professional dancers meet in the studio and together with the choreographer of the company, they create a short piece of work. The work, in which professional and amateur dancers dance together, is eventually presented to an audience, but often maintains a sense of incomplete stage quality or does not match the aura of the full fledged production by the professional company it was originally based on. Maybe this is caused by the fact that the amateurs in these constructions have to fit in in an existing product in stead of presenting a product which was made with them.

Dutch Dance Days aims of producing Tij For one weekend each year the city of Maastricht is dominated by dance. During this weekend of the Dutch Dance Days Festival the most striking, moving and important professional dance performances from the previous season are again shown in several theatres all over town. Each year, the festival initiates a choreography project in which collaboration between professional and amateur dance circles takes up a central part. Up until the 2004 Festival, the emphasis of these projects was on the collaboration between choreographers from professional dance circles and amateur dancers. In the weeks previous to the festival, professionals created a performance with amateur dancers which was then shown to the public. However, in the 2005 Festival a small change in course took place. In that year, the focus of the choreography project shifted to the collaboration between amateur dancers and professional dancers, where under the direction of choreographers Stefan Ernst and Ronald Wintjens, amateur dancers performed with professional dancers in the production TIJ. In an article on the TIJ website Leontien Wiering, director of the Dutch Dance Festival, writes that the reason of the Festival to produce a project like TIJ is to bring amateur and professionals in contact with each other, in the dance studio and on stage, to share knowledge and passion with each other (Wiering, 2006). In this same article she also mentions that: Creative projects within the community imbed the work of dance artist in this surrounding. In this way the environment will be better informed about what the dance artist is occupied with and will therefore show a stronger commitment. By working in the field of amateur dance, the dance artist invests in the future and with that in potential talent and the relationship with the audience. (Wiering, 2006) In the production of TIJ, choreographers Stefan Ernst and Ronald Wintjens collaborated with seventeen dancers. Tij strives to come to a whole where amateur and professional are involved and presented as equals. In doing so the ambition to create a product which merges the expertise of partaking performers gains shape and lifts the chemistry of interaction to another level. The composition of the cast made the production different than other collaboration projects. The dancers in TIJ came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Six of them were professional dancers dancing with a modern dance company in the Netherlands. The other eleven dancers were amateur dancers. Their dance background varied from jazz dance, tango, break dance, tap dance to flamenco. Ernst and Wintjens challenged this group of professional and amateur dancers to create and carry out a dance performance, working together as equal partners. In this way, the

choreographers hoped to realise a number of aims (Ernst & Wintjens, 2006) which will each be described below. In the first place: in making TIJ, Ernst and Wintjens wanted to take the image of collaboration between professionals and amateurs to another level. TIJ had to make both dancers and audience think again about the boundaries which exist between amateur dance circles and professional dance circles in the Netherlands. The experiences and results gained in the performance of TIJ could support the debate about the importance and creation of such collaboration forms. Van der Wiel (2007, p. 9) quotes Wiering that one of the purposes of the Dutch Dance Days is to initiate reflection and discussion, a purpose for which is a dire need, since the development of a dance discourse and formulating vision on dance in the Netherlands is called for, according to initiatives such as Dansplan 20/20, a discussion between Dutch Dance makers on the future of the dance in the Netherlands. Secondly, Ernst and Wintjens wanted TIJ to be an inspiring experience for the dancers. As choreographers who have gained experiences in both professional and amateur dance circles, Ernst and Wintjens are convinced of the idea that establishing collaboration between dancers from these two worlds can be a source of inspiration for both parties and may broaden their outlook. A final aim that Ernst and Wintjens wished to realise in making TIJ had to do with their own artistic development. In their choreographies, the notion of people dancing plays a central part; that is, both makers think it is important in their work that the individuality of each dancer remains visible. The expression of the dancers while dancing is just as important for Ernst and Wintjens as the technical performance and that is why Ernst and Wintjens prefer to work with dancers who have a certain charisma. It is therefore apt that their group of dancers can consist of professional and amateur dancers coming from backgrounds such as modern dance, street dance or tango. Ernst and Wintjens were aware of the importance of investigating which choreographic principles and methods play a part when you have dancers from various backgrounds dancing together. In creating TIJ, Ernst and Wintjens tried to find answers to these issues. Setting Tij in motion preparation, work processes and the final product

Ernst and Wintjens divided the creation process of TIJ into two stages: the stage of preparation and the stage of rehearsal. The reason for this scheme was that Ernst and Wintjens, due to available funding and availability of the dancers, had only eight days to create TIJ. In view of the very short rehearsal period, Ernst and Wintjens devoted a lot of time to the stage of preparation. The precious hours on the studio floor had to be used to accomplish an interaction between the professionals and the amateurs, not on defining the concept or organisational matters. Therefore the rehearsal schedule had been set up and choices had been made about the theme of the performance, the music, the stage settings and the costumes. Besides, much thought had been given beforehand both to the working methods that Ernst and Wintjens wanted to use during rehearsals and to the macrostructure of the performance. With the concept of TIJ in mind, Ernst and Wintjens went looking for dancers. The amateur dancers were found by holding auditions which were very well attended. From all corners of amateur dance land, dancers applied. As a result, Ernst and Wintjens were able to compose a varied group of amateur dancers. The search for professional dancers was not that easy. Initially, the plan was to ask dancers from government funded Dutch dance companies. However, the busy rehearsal and performance schedules of these companies did not allow the participation of their dancers. That is why Ernst and Wintjens went in search of six freelance dancers to complement the cast of TIJ. All dancers - professionals as well as amateurs - had to possess a number of qualities which were defined by Ernst and Wintjens based on their concept. First and foremost, the dancers had to be open-minded about collaboration between amateurs and professionals. Also, they had to be able to create their own dance material based on choreographic tasks and guidelines. Ernst and Wintjens do not support the opinion that dancers merely have to carry out the ideas of the makers. Instead, they want to challenge the dancers to contribute their own ideas and to let them take shape. On the level of dance technique, Ernst and Wintjens looked for dancers who had a feeling for their dance style. Finally, the choreographers were looking for individuality in their dancers. Ernst and Wintjens wanted to work with dancers who radiated individuality and self-assurance, which would in turn be reinforced by their personal dance style. Looking back, the choreographers were happy with the dancers they had chosen based on their selection criteria: The careful selection of the dancers provided the project with a firm basis to build on. (Wintjens, 2006)

Once the concept of TIJ had been worked out and the cast had been put together, Ernst and Wintjens started the rehearsals. The amateurs and the professionals each went through a different rehearsal stage. For the amateur dancers the project began with three workshops during which focus was on teaching the dance style characteristics of the choreographers, and how to create and dance duets. The choice of the theme of the first workshop was based on the choreographers' viewpoint that the amateur dancers would need more time to familiarise themselves with the dance material supplied by the makers. The choice of the theme of the second workshop related to the role of the dance duets in the performance. Ernst and Wintjens had decided that, in order to create interaction between the professional and amateur dancers, a dance duet would be the perfect choice. Performing a dance duet requires an optimal interaction between the dancers. More than in any other form of collaboration, dancers should be in tune with each other during the performance of these duets. Tuning to each other is like making contact with the other person by using all your senses. The willingness to be intimate with each other, touching the body of the other person and to feel body parts of the other on your own body may prove to be difficult if you are not used to it. The resulting discomfort may influence the creativity process. Because amateurs and professionals would create and dance duets together in this work, Ernst and Wintjens wanted the amateur dancers to be well prepared for this interaction. After these workshops, the amateur dancers met the professional dancers for the first time. The choreographers gave a dance motif and showed a few steps of a dance duet. In order to learn the steps, a professional dancer was coupled to an amateur dancer. Then the couples were asked to create their own dance duet based on the material given by the choreographers. Ernst and Wintjens stimulated the dancers to contribute elements from their own backgrounds to the dance, so as not to let the individuality of each dancer slip away. During the next rehearsals, the choreographers went to work with the material created by the dancers. The shape of the movements, the placing of the dance material in space, and the quality of the performance were accentuated. In the last two rehearsals, they collected all the dance material that had been created up until that moment and arranged it into a composition. The structure of these compositions was established by Ernst and Wintjens beforehand, so that on the floor their ideas only needed to be carried out. In the final stage of the project, the choreographers worked on the accuracy of the dance movements and on mixing the elements of dance, music, stage settings, lighting and costumes.

Ernst and Wintjens wanted to take the image of collaboration between professionals and amateurs to a new level. From their point of view it was therefore of the utmost importance to create an interaction between, on the one hand, the dancers of this occasional company and, on the other hand, between the dancers and the audience coming to watch TIJ. That is why interaction became the theme of the production. In the foyer of the theatre, a long line of hat stands had been placed on which dozens of yellow raincoats hung. Members of the audience had to put on one of these coats and pull the hood over their heads. While they were 'dressing up', they did not notice that they were joined by the dancers disguised in the same yellow raincoats. Together the dancers and the audience entered the hall of the theatre, where the lights were dimmed. There were no seats. Soon it became clear that everybody had to stand behind the red line drawn on the floor. There was a distance of about eight inches between this line and the wall. The audience had little space. Through your raincoat, you could feel the slightest movement of the person standing next to you. You nevertheless remained anonymous, because of the hood pulled over your head and because of the darkness in the room. You had no idea who was standing next to you. It could either be a member of the audience or a dancer. In this situation, the boundaries between dancers and audience as well as the dividing line between professional and amateur dancers had disappeared. There must be dancers behind the red line, that much was clear. But who was the professional and who was the amateur remained unknown. This question remained unanswered, even after the first dancers stepped from behind the red line upon the dance floor. Only when the dancers took off their raincoats did they shed their anonymity. They went in search of one another and met in different formations. There were solos, duets, trios and group dances. But the duets formed the basis of the choreography. In most cases, the duets seemed to come about by coincidence, but this was not so. There was no coincidence in the choreography. Ernst and Wintjens had thought carefully about which dancers met where and when. As a result, the relation between the professionals and the amateurs on the dance floor was kept in balance, without seeming to be contrived. The interaction between the amateurs and professionals developed organically. It became irrelevant to know who was a professional dancer and who an amateur. What was more intriguing was the natural communication between the dancers, the way they looked at each other, touched each other. It was all about people dancing with each other, regardless of background, and reinforced by the context in which the dance was presented. The music, the lighting, the stage settings and the costumes were kept simple and this simplicity was well thought out. As a result, Ernst and Wintjens had the audience focussing

their attention on the events on stage. They could zoom in on the dancers and feel a connection to them, which resulted in establishing not only an interaction between the dancers but also an interaction between the dancers and the audience. As a symbol for this interaction, Ernst and Wintjens chose the tide (Tij in Dutch), the interaction between ebb and flood. Part two of the performance felt like a visit to the museum, a promenade. In unexpected places in the theatre, such as the attic, the office and the foyer, the audience could stop to watch a dance duet. These duets had been created by the dancers during the rehearsals and formed the elements of the first part. The locations where these duets were presented could be visited in random order. It was up to the audience to decide when they would be on their way again. Part one and part two together gave the audience the chance to participate in, and to contemplate about, the remarkably surprising results of collaboration between professional and amateur dancers. Experiencing Tij - raising questions, finding answers The interaction between the two groups of dancers raised interesting questions, such as: what are the differences between the two groups of dancers and what skills are essential to have for choreographers who want to work with both professional and amateur dancers? How might this collaboration influence the dancers and the audience? Partaking amateur dancer Selene Driessen states: Professionals have learned more, but sometimes their knowledge can be a burden (Driessen, 2006). Professional dancer Liat Waysbort agrees with Driessen: I like the self-assurance of the amateur dancer. To them, making a mistake is not the end of the world. It took me some years to learn to think like that. (Waysbort, 2006) To Ernst and Wintjens, the most essential difference between professional and amateur dancers has to do with the individuality of the amateur dancers: The professional dancer has been taught to "neglect" his individuality and to sound out first what the choreographer wants from him. It is easier for the choreographer to mould them. The trump card of the amateur dancer is his individuality, and it influences everything he does. (Wintjens, 2006) Amateur dancer Selene Driessen subscribes to this conclusion:

To me, dance is not what I am capable of, but dance is what I am feeling. And I can express my feelings in this project. My dance technique is not my strongest point. I cannot but draw on inner resources. (Driessen, 2006) Selene's description of the process fits in with what professional dancer Jesus de Vega Gomez notices of the way in which amateur dancers dance: I noticed how the amateur dancer experiences each new movement with great intensity. It reminds me of how it used to feel, when I started my dancing career. (de Vega Gomez, 2006) But professional dancer Marc van Loon has different views on the subject. At first, he thought that the dancing of the amateur dancers lacked intention. He felt that the amateur dancers gave all their attention to the form of the dance and only at a later stage gave interpretation to the movements: From day one I know there will be an audience watching me. I immerse myself fully in the dance, with everything I have learned, everything I am. That is why I found it strange to see that people approached the dance in such a different way. At first, it was just the form. But now I can see that each movement gains meaning. It will come... it just takes time... (Van Loon, 2006) Amateur dancer Rodney Kasandrikomo agrees with Marc van Loon. He says: The big difference between the professional dancer and the amateur dancer is that the professional knows how to give the dance a particular style, to improvise on the dance right away. He knows there is more than technique. He is jamming right away. (Kasandrikomo, 2006) Shifting perspective to choreographic skills, according to Ernst and Wintjens, a choreographer should understand that in a project like TIJ, choreographic process and outcome cannot be viewed separately. In order to achieve the desired choreographic outcome, guiding the creation process plays an essential role. In their evaluation report on the TIJ website Ernst and Wintjens (2006) mention that they deliberately focused on creating mutual trust and establishing good communication between the dancers. Only when trust and clear communication have been established can the interaction between dancers and between dancers and choreographers come into being. During the rehearsals with the professional dancers, it soon became evident that the preliminary workshops for the amateur dancers had turned out well. Wintjens said: The preliminary workshops proved their worth during the creation process. There was an enormous surge of mutual enthusiasm which made

it possible to begin the interaction with a certain kind of "greed." (Wintjens, 2006) Possibly the results of the preparation can be read in a reaction from professional dancer Liat Waysbort on her collaboration with amateur dancer Rodney Kasandrikomo: The experience that I could work together with Rodney on such an equal footing was a revelation to me. We really made the dance duet together, complementing each other all the way. That surprised me. (Waysbort, 2006) This aspect of the relationship between process and product also makes me realise why from the very first minute of the joint rehearsals Ernst and Wintjens tried to not make a distinction between the professional and amateur dancers. They approached both groups of dancers in an open and easy manner and showed the dancers that they were confident that an interaction between both groups of dancers could be established. Because of the composition of this particular group, Ernst and Wintjens made slight adjustments to their ways of working. There were small differences in the way they addressed professionals and amateurs. This was noticeable, for instance, in how they chose their words. When talking to the amateur dancers, they limited their use of professional terms. At moments when they had to use dance jargon, they used imagery to support their explanations. Ernst and Wintjens both know exactly how to make use of striking examples, images or symbols to make clear to their dancers what they have in mind. Another aspect they took into account was the work pace. The rehearsals were regularly interrupted by short breaks. Before providing the dancers with new information, they first checked if the information given earlier had been understood. In making a production with professional and amateur dancers it is also important that a choreographer is aware of and able to work with the boundaries of the performers. On the other hand, according to Wintjens we should learn to see the amateur dancer as a full performer. We should see the more limited possibilities of the amateur dancer as a base, not as a limitation. As a choreographer it means you should learn to watch, listen and to be patient until you see the real person, the real power and specific colour of the dancer. Only than one could unfold and really use these aspects in the process of creation and the final choreography. (Wintjens, 2006)

What the production of TIJ also has made clear to Wintjens is that because of the presence of the professionals, I physically demanded more of the amateur dancers and wanted them to reach higher levels. I noticed that they also wanted to find and push their own boundaries. The final results were surprising. This means that in the future I can put greater physical challenges to amateur dancers. Before, I did not think so much was possible. (Wintjens, 2006) Ernst and Wintjens were convinced that collaboration between professional and amateur dancers could be an inspiration to both groups and may broaden their outlook. Some professional dancers involved first doubted this. What can the professional dancer gain from the experience? Is it not easier to suppose that, in the case of professional and amateur dancers working together, the amateur dancers are the ones who have more to gain from the collaboration? After all, professionals have trained for years, and know the ins and outs of their discipline. Does collaborating with amateur dancers add anything new for them? On the TIJ website, Ernst and Wintjens write that "in collaboration between amateurs and professionals it is not only the amateurs that learn something new. The reverse is also true". It seems that the dancers in TIJ are a good example of the way in which this interaction influences both groups of dancers on different levels. To the question, what professional dancer Jesus de Vega Gomez had learned from his meeting with amateur dancers, he answered: It is nice to follow your first impulse of movement, thinking: does it feel right or not? You have to start simply. I tend to forget that sometimes. To start simply is not such a bad idea. (de Vega Gomez, 2006) Peter Berends, one of the amateur dancers, said about his participation in TIJ: The professional dancers move very expressively. Brilliant to watch. It made me aware of the importance of focus and intention. (Berends, 2006) In addition to the insights on the level of craftsmanship, two other reactions proved that collaboration between dancers from different backgrounds can lead to reflections on the dancers different frames of reference. This may be the aesthetic frame of reference of a certain dance form or dance style, but also of the habits and traditions that go with this form, style or a specific area of dance. Juul Sadee, a passionate amateur tango dancer, said:

More than a meeting between professionals and amateurs, to me this project is a meeting between several dance forms. The collaboration with professional dancers has brought me into contact with the essence of my dance language. Marc (professional dancer with a modern dance background) and I decided to take the tango as a starting point in our first improvisation together. We just stood there and nothing happened and then I said to Marc: "Yes, the man leads! You have to start! (Sade, 2006) Liat Waysbort, an experienced professional dancer, also changed her views on the dance profession as a result of TIJ: The amateur dancers totally dedicate themselves to dance. Their enthusiasm, although it may sound strange, has opened my eyes. For me, dance had become more of a job. This project brings back the spirit. (Waysbort, 2006) As turns out from Ernst and Wintjens' report of the production of TIJ, both makers share Liat's experience. In collaborating with amateur dancers, Ernst and Wintjens are also surprised again and again by the dancers' dedication and their involvement with the project. During the creation phase of TIJ, Ernst received e-mails from the amateur dancers in which they expressed their enthusiasm about the project and offered suggestions for the next rehearsals. The diversity of the audience that came to see TIJ was remarkable. Bringing together dancers with different backgrounds meant bringing together an audience with different backgrounds. Because of this, many audience members were brought in contact with dance styles they were not very familiar with such as tango, tap dance, flamenco, modern dance and body popping. But TIJ has also helped to open up the boundaries between the professional and amateur dance world in the Netherlands. Because, how regularly do professional dancers, choreographers and their audience visit an amateur dance performance? How often does the professional dance world carry out projects with amateur dancers? And how often do the field of amateur dance and their audience come to see a professional modern dance performance? It can be difficult for amateur dancers and their audience to understand the form and vocabulary of a modern dance performance. In our opinion the professional dance world sometimes has the tendency to stay too much within their world. It seems that there is a gap between these two worlds of dance. By bringing professional modern dancers and amateur dancers together on stage, the relationship between these different worlds of dance can increase. This gap remains a peculiar issue, after all, did not every professional start out as an amateur? Additionally, we believe that the form of

the performance used in TIJ has helped to build a bridge between the professional and amateur dance circle. Ernst and Wintjens subtly integrated the audience in the performance through which the relationship between dancers and audience was strengthened. This has helped to bring the world of professional dance closer to the field of amateur dance and vice versa. Another way in which TIJ might have influenced the audience is through the website www.tijdewebsite.nl. With reference to the production of TIJ, participants from the amateur dance world and the professional dance world thought about the way in which the insights and experiences gained in TIJ could be shared with the various target groups in the dance world. Ernst, Wintjens and the authors greatly value the exchange of acquired knowledge with dance colleagues, such as students of the fine and performing arts, dancers, choreographers, teachers from the amateur and professional dance circles and policy makers working in the dance world. In order to encourage this exchange of ideas, the created website is accessible and offers the option of online reactions and discussions on the project.

Furthermore, this production might have influenced the audience by a debate on the existing boundaries between the professional and amateur dance circles. During the Dutch Dance Festival and the Danswerk4daagse (a conference on the developments in amateur dance, organised by the Noord-Brabant Centre of Amateur Arts in April 2006), Ernst and Wintjens shared their experiences gained in producing TIJ with the audience in a round table discussion. The project served as an example of how a connection between amateur dance and professional dance could be established. Questions that cannot be left out of this discussion are the following: Should we still talk about the differences between amateur and professional dancers when we are carrying out projects in which the two groups share the stage as equal partners? When we are referring to a collaboration form such as this, would it not be better to talk about dancers as each having their own qualities? And is it not strange that the amateur and professional dancers do not get paid the same amount of money, even though they are treated as equal partners on the stage? We believe that if we really want to break the boundaries between the amateur and professional dance circles, we certainly have to take into account the questions raised above. This paper was partially translated from the Dutch by Conny van Bezu.

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