In this episode we talk about the following topics and more:

- An insight into the dance world

- What does training to be a dancer look like

- How much of a commitment is it and how difficult is it

- Injury and the effects it can have

- What are the different careers within dance

- What skills and abilities do you gain from a career in dance will you be able to use in other fields

- Growing up in Holland

- What is Holland like - any underrated places for tourists

- 5 most useful words in Dutch

- Difference between a good dancer and a great one

- Highest and lowest points in her career

- How do you then become a choreographer and why?

- Creative process and self assessment

- Creating her own dance company

- Advice for anyone thinking about pursuing a career in dance and then choreography

- Advice for people currently training and how to get into a company

- Particular exercises to work on to help with dance - strength and flexibility

- Nutrition tips

- What does the future look like for Didy?

Bio: My guest today is Didy Veldman. Didy starting dancing from a young age in Holland, training in variety of dance styles. At 17, she joined a professional dance company, that focused more on classical ballet. After 3 years, Didy decided she needed a change and joined a more contemporary dance company in Geneva, where she danced for 5 years. Next, Didy was offered a job in London at the Rambert Dance Company as a professional dancer and a choreographer, a position she loved so much, over time her contract changed from an initial 9 months to 6 years. After that Didy received several offers from international companies to create works for them. This led Didy to the decision to take her career in a new direction as a freelance choreographer, travelling all around the world, creating works for 16 years. After deciding she wanted to spend less time travelling and more time at home with her family, she created her own contemporary dance company ‘Humanoove’ in 2016. Humanoove is a mashup of human, move, you and manoeuvre, words which centrally theme in the companies pieces. The company creates dance works that are engaging, physical, humorous, accessible and in 2019 funding was given to develop Humanoove’s latest work - @Home - a piece that explores the themes of home, belonging, identity and the effect of Globalisation. If you’d like to check out Humanoove, links will be left in the description to the website and instagram.

/Website and Instagram: http://www.didyveldman.com @humanoove /Photo credit: Chris Nash