The cuts to arts have prompted many people to stress that art should be socially and politically relevant. For Samuel Wuersten, artistic director of the Holland Dance Festival, social and political relevance is a broad concept. It does not necessarily mean that art takes a stand on current issues. The way dance is rooted in society is much more important to Wuersten. This is reflected in Holland Dance Festival 2014.
The festival has to make do with 40% less subsidy. But for Wuersten, that is nothing more than a practical circumstance. Social commitment is separate from that.
,,Holland Dance wants to bring dance closer to the people. We do that with dance performances from all over the world and with an educational programme. We think it is important to give a picture of what is happening in dance. Dance has a strong position in society."
Our dance culture is young
,,The reason why we have booked many foreign performances is that in other countries, dance is often much more deeply rooted in culture than in the Netherlands. The dance culture here is young. Before World War II, the reformed culture had no place for exuberant dancing. Compare that to the Maori in New Zealand. There, dance rituals are an ancient part of the cultural heritage. That influences the modern dance people make there. In the Netherlands, we have a paradox. Despite its young dance tradition, the Netherlands has an international role model. When I am abroad and say that I work in Dutch dance, the reaction is: 'Oh, dance in the Netherlands: that's very special.' The crazy thing is that this is effortlessly recognised abroad, but most Dutch people themselves do not realise that they live in a leading dance country. Dance is more alive here than people think. One million Dutch people are actively involved in dance! There are hugely popular dance programmes on TV."
[Tweet " most Dutch people themselves do not realise they live in a leading dance country"]],,Who has always understood the specialness of Dutch dance is Princess Beatrix. We owe much of our international fame in dance to her. On state visits, she took dance groups with her. Have you ever seen any other head of state do such a thing?"
Bullying
How does Holland Dance focus on social interest? ,,We promote dance for children. Children who dance regularly learn to communicate better, by expressing themselves not only with words but also physically. That is important. Holland Dance participates in projects in schools. One of these is set up around the theme of bullying. Dance offers a good angle to tackle that problem."
[Tweet ""Dance offers a good angle to tackle bullying"]Wuersten sees another social significance of dance in the very diverse population of the Netherlands. ''Dance is cross-border. Dance is the means of expressing the cultural profile of the Netherlands."
Recently, there was discussion following an article by Melle Daamen, director of the Stadsschouwburg in Amsterdam and a member of the Council for Culture. This argued that too much theatre is made in the Netherlands and suggested, among other things, disbanding dance groups and schools in the Netherlands. Why couldn't we fly in companies from abroad? How does Wuersten view this?
"I think it is an unfortunate attempt to start the discussion. I prefer not to participate in it. I would rather talk about possibilities and opportunities for the future, not what is wrong. Daamen's claim that the halls are empty is not true. Thus, he creates a false image. This needs to be talked about in a much more nuanced way. In the discussion that followed Daamen's piece - I was surprised that it was given so much space - I do not see the beauty of what has been built up in the Netherlands. I say this also as a non-Dutchman by origin. If you have something like this in your country, you have to discuss what is possible, how the relevance of dance can be clarified, what we can use from what is there now, and: how can we make what we have even stronger?"
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