Merel Mekenkamp
Who are you as a performer/artist?
As an artist, I value pleasure and fun above anything else. I believe anything can be fun, as long as you’re completely taken away by it. One could say my fun translates into passion. As a performer, I like to go to my max; as a maker, I enjoy finding all different possibilities; and as an artist, I tend to put too much on my plate. Life is like art to me, and I prefer it full and rich.
What are your ambitions?
My ambitions are broad. I want to keep exploring as much as I can, keep the curiosity and fiery spirit within me, and eventually share what I find along the way.
Dance is still a big part of that, both as a performer and as a maker, but I’m interested in much more than one specific place or company. I want to teach, make, perform, work across different art forms and keep finding new ways of expressing myself. My ambitions aren’t necessarily specific, but they’re great; if I go for it, I go.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find my inspiration in many different things. Music and humour are probably the biggest ones. I started dancing because of music, and I will always prefer to dance from the music.
Humour, to me, translates the unexpectedness of life. I find interest in illogical logical responses, in asking questions like: “what’s the best worst thing to do right now?”
Besides that, I just love movement. I’m inspired by physicality and by the possibility of using the body to express something. I’m also interested in film, visual art, fashion and music, and in how all these things can influence the way I look at performance.
I like to think, but I try to keep things simple. When I dance, I enjoy living. I’m a walking paradox.
What did you do at your internship & what did you learn?
I did my internship at Scapino Ballet. My perspective on dance, and on what dance can be, is the biggest thing I learned there.
It’s comical to me when I think back on what I said about myself while I was still at ArtEZ, assuming I was already completely free in my artistic mind. That I was already doing all the things I wanted to do.
Being in a company forced me to explore more sides of myself: the ones I hated and the ones I loved. Leaving my class felt like being ripped away from my family. This rip was painful, but necessary. The moment you’re in that type of comfort, it’s time to go. I didn’t want to, but it was what I needed.
It was one of the hardest experiences I’ve been through, yet I’m here to tell the tale. And I will talk fondly about it. I’m a stronger person than I was before.
This page was last updated on May 8, 2024
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