Dancers Raquel Tijsterman and Manu Kumar about GRIMM

The co-productions by the Junior Company and ISH Dance Collective bring together not only different dance worlds, but also dancers from different worlds. Like ISH dancer Raquel Tijsterman and Manu Kumar from Dutch National Ballet. In 2018, they were both in the original cast of the ballet-meets-hiphop production GRIMM.  

Text: Rosalie Overing
 

Raquel Tijsterman  

Raquel Tijsterman started her dancing career as an aspirant with Dutch National Ballet, but when her contract was not renewed she decided to explore the dance world outside ballet, which is how she came into contact with ISH Dance Collective. Despite her limited experience with hiphop, she felt at home immediately. “The freedom I felt there released something in me that really let me shine. I was accepted for ISH and learned everything there from my colleagues. At the same time, I could also teach them things they couldn’t do yet. My technical skill set became my strength.”  

Trip down memory lane  

For Tijsterman, the first collaborations between ISH and Dutch National Ballet’s Junior Company – Narnia (2015) and GRIMM (2018) – were an interesting trip down memory lane. “At the start, it was quite scary to be back, but it was also great to be able to show that I was still around.” Furthermore, Tijsterman’s background proved a big asset during rehearsals. “I soon felt like a bridge between ISH and the Junior Company, as I know and understand both worlds. That meant I could explain certain things and refute prejudices on both sides.”  

Tough, salsa-dancing girl   

In shaping her role in GRIMM – that of Cinderella – she did, however, steer clear of classicism. “Initially, I was given ballet music to work with, but I didn’t think that was a good idea, as we could draw on the Junior Company for the classical skills. And anyway I think Cinderella is more spirited: a tough, salsa-dancing girl. So we changed that.” In the coming season, Tijsterman is putting on the glitter sneakers of this salsa princess once again. “It’ll be a new version of GRIMM, with a new group, so I’m really looking forward to it.”  

Manu Kumar  

Former Junior Company dancer Manu Kumar (now a corps de ballet dancer with Dutch National Ballet) danced one of the seven dwarves in the first performance series of GRIMM. During the collaboration with ISH, he explored an earlier personal interest. “As a kid, I did breakdance and freerunning, With back flips and that sort of stuff. So this area already appealed to me.”  

Ballet and breakdance 

He therefore threw himself into GRIMM with enthusiasm. “Combining ballet with street dance, breakdance, and popping and locking created interesting new images and a special chemistry. You really step into another world for a while. In our company, everything’s normally very disciplined and serious, whereas the ISH dancers are more relaxed and immediately show more of themselves in the creative process. That really interested us, and in the end it made us open up more as well. Another funny thing was that in the breaks they’d often chuck a speaker down somewhere and do a bit of competitive freestyle together. When you see them improvising like that, you think: wow, cool!” 

Go with the flow 

So his advice to the new Junior Company crop taking on GRIMM next season is, “Go with the flow! It’s great fun working with a new group. So enjoy it, go crazy and just be yourself, because everyone’s sure to accept you.”