The winner of the BNG Dance Award is filmmaker, dancer and choreographer Sheree Lenting. This was announced on Saturday 11th May at the Korzo Theatre. Sheree impressed the jury with her work I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams and, by winning the BNG Dance Award, will be able to tour 10 theatres with this performance under the DansClick format, a tour representing a sum of €50,000.
Sheree Lenting is a multidisciplinary creator and storyteller with Surinamese roots, who draws inspiration from the African diaspora and tries to capture the spirit of the times in her work. ‘The jury sees Sheree Lenting as a curious, critical creator who carefully searches for a beautiful, poetic and rich (dance) language for sharing stories big and small,’ according to the jury report. ‘And even though these may seem difficult and complicated, she knows how to make them accessible. The jury believes that this creator has much more potential to offer. Sheree has many more stories to tell, in all kinds of ways. We are curious to see what these will be. The jury hopes that the BNG Dance Award 2024 will give her career the boost it deserves.’
'The jury hopes that the BNG Dance Award 2024 will give her career the boost it deserves.’Jury BNG Dance Award 2024
Regarding Sheree's work I am my ancestors wildest dream, the jury report states: 'In her duet I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams, Sheree explores the connection through the female line in her family via her own biography. (...) She gently intertwines painful memories with a gentle gaze to create a contagious rebellion. She generously shares this personal perspective in powerful, poetic images: in slumbering songs, vital dance, magical video images, powerful music, and mesmerising spoken word. Her audience feels invited in multiple ways to join in, to feel, to move along with her.
‘In I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams, all these disciplines swirl poetically around each other, like a vibrant interweaving of past, present and future. (…) It reflects on how we are connected to family lines and that our identity is richer than just the individual in the here and now.’ Read the full jury report here.
Sheree Lenting was born and raised in Rotterdam and has Surinamese roots. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Dance & Education at the Amsterdam University of the Arts and then found inspiration in the African diaspora to deepen her hip-hop-rooted work. As a storyteller at heart, she draws on black experiences to create art that reflects our times. Through her work, she aims to change, uplift, and empower the world around her.
Through Sheree's eyes, I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams takes you on a journey through the wildest dreams of her female ancestors. In this performance, Sheree takes you on a journey through their untold stories from the past, present, and future. She questions, explores and cherishes her female lineage. The dancers embody these stories. Cicely Wijnaldum and Ciara Hiwat take you on a journey into womanhood. With the power, wisdom and love of their female ancestors as their legacy, they look to the future with confidence.
Having won the BNG Dance Award, Sheree will be able to present I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams in 10 theatres in the Netherlands under the banner of DansClick. As a producer of DansClick, Korzo is sending a resident artist on tour with the winner. This year, that artist is Korzo resident Tú Hoàng with his work False Memories, which he previously presented during Korzo's anniversary celebrations.
DansClick is a unique touring model that brings a new generation of choreographers into contact with potential dance audiences and programmers from various theatres in the Netherlands. An evening of Dansclick is framed by video portraits, and after the performance, the audience has the opportunity to chat with the creators/dancers over a drink during the Après Danse. The Après Danse is an essential part of DansClick, bringing creators and audiences together to discuss dance.
The BNG Dance Award is awarded annually by the BNG Culture Fund with the aim of encouraging young Dutch talent to realise their productions and offering talented choreographers with national and even international potential an important step forward in their careers. The fund does this in collaboration with Korzo, the house for movement in The Hague and producer of DansClick.
The prize is awarded by an independent jury chaired by dance and theatre journalist Annette Embrechts. The other jury members are Marc Maris (dance programmer at Korzo Theatre), Lisa Reinheimer (director of Dansateliers), Janneke Schmeitz (dance programmer at Parkstad Limburg Theatres and programmer and festival coordinator at the schrit_tmacher festival) and Susanne Visser (Head of Programming and Communication at Cultuurhuis De Klinker).