Two weeks with feet in the sand @Oerol Festival

Experience is unnecessary and there is no upper age limit. At Sharon Fridman, professional dancers and amateurs dance together to create a performance on the beach. Daily guests can also learn about the dance routine.

Bare feet, windswept faces and a tired sigh here and there. The twenty dancers of Caída Libre are having an after-performance in the tent on the beach. These are not only the five professional dancers of Compania Sharon Fridman, but also 15 'guests' as they are called by choreographer Fridman. They are participants who took a two-week holiday to have workshops every day and participate in the performance; dancing is not their profession. So is Brigitte van Rossum, a 55-year-old Belgian. "Dance is my passion, I go to many performances. But I have never been on stage myself. And surely that is a dream for a woman in her 50s." She keeps repeating that it is so "magnifique" to participate, even though it is physically demanding. Running and rolling through the sand is not something she does every day as a French teacher.

The setting sun is the backdrop when the performance plays on the beach around nine o'clock. Fridman has incorporated the choreography of his performance into workshops every day; thus, his performance for the guests gradually grows. It is choreographer Fridman's intention to literally connect his creations with society. Therefore, he also continues to give daily workshops to interested parties who want a one-off dance experience (sign up at info@ankiethuis.nl). "I would like to dialogue with society. I need these people for my performance, they use my knowledge and experience."

Merel Mekking (18) has already signed up for the two-week dance. She is from Utrecht but attends nautical college here. In between her exams, she rushes to the rehearsal room or beach to practise walking and working together in the sand. She especially had to get used to the physical contact: "At nautical college, a hug is already weird, here, during exercises, a stranger quickly rolls over you."

Caída Libre is still playing until 22 June at Oerol Festival