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May 2019

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Meraki Performs at Hummingbird Youth Dance Festival (’17), Zhuhai
Meraki Performs at Hummingbird Youth Dance Festival (’17), Zhuhai 2880 1800 Meraki Dance Collective
Meraki performs at the Hummingbird Youth Dance Festival

It was a great honor and privilege for Liam and Loura to perform in two different pieces at the Hummingbird Youth Dance Festival in Zhuhai, China. Loura premiered her solo-choreography tilted ”Mayura” and Liam performed together with their close friend and talent local artist, Shifei, in ”30+/-”.

More about ”Mayura”: In Mayura, the dancer explores the abstract concept of poison. How does the body translate disturbance, yet remain calm and in control? Mayura, a translation of the word peacock refers to the vigilance of this being. For they thrive on the essence of poisonous plants, by eating poison the colors of their feathers become bright and their body healthy. With Mayura, the artist wants to display that suffering and pain can yield strength and beauty.

More about ”30+/-”: In this piece the dancers explore the transition of men passing over the border of becoming 30.

Interested in Meraki showcasing at your next event or dance festival? Get in touch with us asap and we’re sure to make it happen.

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. […] Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

Jalaluddin Rumi
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Wintercamp, where language and arts meet
Wintercamp, where language and arts meet 4032 3024 Meraki Dance Collective

As many of you might know, Liam and Loura are art-expats in the vibrant green city of Nanning. A semi-sized city located in Southern China. They have been living there since 2016 and have made great meaningful connections and collaborations with other artists, both locally and internationally.

Aside from the regular dance workshops and performances that Meraki provides, they also very much enjoy engaging in educational projects. You can read more about what Meraki can offer here.

Over the years Liam and Loura have grown very close to Scott, a Canadian native English Teacher with Vietnamese and Chinese roots, and HaHa, a Chinese local Montessori teacher. They recently opened their own language school in Nanning ”HomeSchool” which is a stone’s throw from Meraki’s very own private dance studio.

Besides their friendship, they share a lot of common thoughts and ideas on education and with that in mind, they decided to collaborate by designing an exclusive in-depth experience for children… A camp where both language and arts are targeted and where children in a playful and positive way are exposed to new ideas and thoughts.

The theme of this winter camp was ‘Chinese new year’. Over the course of five days, the four teachers took the students on a playful journey discovering different foods, arts and crafts, and of course, movement exploration in relation to new beginnings, new year festivities, and more.

Amongst the participants where both local and foreign children which made the experience of exchange between cultures even deeper and more meaningful.

Let’s have fun at Wintercamp! Like this little’s man jersey’ says: LO-VE!

The teachers noticed that by creating a healthy, safe and inspirational learning environment, the participants were able to bloom, help each other and learn new skills. Both their verbal communication (English) and their non-verbal communication (dance) improved gradually and the students were able to express themselves more clearly and honestly.

One of the highlights of the winter camp was the final presentation of the dragon dance they learned and choreographed together at the end of the week, whilst wearing their hand-made costumes. Truly a feast for all!

Are you interested in organizing a camp yourself and would you like Meraki to assist and/or join? Feel free to contact us with any questions and/or offers. Check out the images below to see the setting and feel the happy vibes of this unforgettable event!

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Loura Sita van Krimpen teaching ballet in Zhengzhou China
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Ballet Workshops For Adults & Children by Loura in Zhengzhou, China
Ballet Workshops For Adults & Children by Loura in Zhengzhou, China 5011 2820 Meraki Dance Collective

April 2019 Loura was once again invited to fly over to Zhengzhou from Nanning for dance workshops. Yet this time with a more classical and technical twist… ballet!

Read here more about her first trip to Zhengzhou

Even though Loura specializes in contemporary dance and dance improvisation, she has an immense love and respect for not only her roots but what is also regarded as the basis of many dance techniques, classical ballet.

Before specializing in Modern Dance at Dance Academy Codarts in Rotterdam the Netherlands, Loura had an extensive ballet education at a high-quality ballet school in a small city in the Netherlands, named de Dansacker. Here is where her seed and love for dance was planted!

Furthermore, Loura has very fond memories of her experience dancing amongst talented and versatile ballet professionals at Dutch Dance Company, the Dutch Don’t Dance Division in repertoires such as the ‘Nutcracker’ and ‘Abdallah and the Gazelle of Basra’, both performed in the Hague.

However, teaching these workshops was more than a trip down memory lane… The workshops in Zhengzhou were structured as follows:

  • Adults (4 hours): content was a balance of technique class, experiencing the joy of dance/elegance of ballet, and repertoire. For repertoire, Loura worked on a specifically for this level and target group choreographed version of the Odette Act 2 variation of Swan Lake which the participants were able to perform at the end of the day.
  • Children (1 hour) creative dance with basic ballet exercises implemented.

Meraki Dance Collective is grateful for it’s relationships such as these with DX Dance Company in Zhengzhou. It’s always so special to get the opportunity to exchange and share dance. Dance is truly, universal!

Are you interested in inviting Meraki Dance Collective to perform, teach or choreograph at your next festival or intensive? Then get in touch with us today! We can’t wait!

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Meraki Masterclasses at STORM studio’s in Shenzhen, China
Meraki Masterclasses at STORM studio’s in Shenzhen, China 1868 1051 Meraki Dance Collective
Check out this snippet to feel the vibes!

During Meraki’s annual Community Arts project in Guangzhou with Codarts University of the Arts, Liam & Loura met two wonderful dancers and teachers: Eva and Su!

Eva and Su are residential teachers at the renowned dance studio ‘STORM’ in Shenzhen, China. After participating in Liam’s and Loura’s dance class in Guangzhou they were very excited to invite them both to come over to Shenzhen for a double masterclass.

Meraki is very grateful for their dedication, passion and hospitality and are looking forward to the next workshop!

Let us know what you think of the video in the comments below! Do you want to book a performance, workshop or choreography by Meraki? Then get in touch with us today!

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Magical Improvisation performance at 500 Year Old Ancestral Temple Foshan, China
Magical Improvisation performance at 500 Year Old Ancestral Temple Foshan, China 1984 1323 Meraki Dance Collective

April 2019 has been an overwhelming month for Meraki Dance Collective. Traveling from city to city, sharing their love for dance and arts has been soul-satisfying beyond words. But their last performance of the month is one to remember for many years to come.

Meraki was once again invited by Rebecca to perform at the ‘Dutch Days’ in Foshan. Six Dutch artists were flown over from the Netherlands to contribute to this magical exchange between the Netherlands and China.

Amongst these artists were famous Dutch musicians Henry Kelder, André Heuvelman & Wilmar de Visser who performed breathtaking compositions of both Western and Chinese origin with Chinese master Yu Zhanyou.

Si dolce è’l tormento – Monteverdi by André Heuvelman, Henry Kelder & Wilmar de Visser

Maartje Folkeringa (ceramic artist), Sander van Deurzen and Nathalie Mannaerts also attend the festival as artists. They exchanged with local artists and created artwork especially for the festival which will be exposed throughout the Dutch Days.

Meraki DC performed at both the exhibition site as well as at the breathtaking ancestral temple Zumiao in Foshan. It was truly an honor for Liam & Loura to perform amongst such talented artists in such an awe-inspiring environment. The temple stage is very rarely used for such occasions, ‘grateful’ doesn’t completely grasp their gratitude.

Liam with Dutch Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Marjo Crompvoets, after the show

The concert and performance were both very well received by the audience. A special thanks to Rebecca for her trust in MDC and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for supporting Dutch Artists like Meraki in China.

For some snippets of the magical venue, the performance and vibes feel free to scroll through the gallery below.

Want to book Meraki to perform, teach or choreograph at your next festival?

We can’t wait, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!

You can send an email to info (at) merakidancecollective.com.

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