Watch, listen, connect and enable.
That is the core from which Martine likes to work. From a passion for dance and the drive to bring dance close to people, she has been active in the (inter)national field of work for many years and feels at home there.

From dance teacher to dance producer and from advisor to business director. Over the years, Martine fulfilled many roles at various organizations, including Danswerkplaats Amsterdam, The Place in London and the CaDance festival. She subsequently worked for the Holland Dance Festival for many years, the last period of which in the position of business director & program director for cultural education and participation.

Since January 2019 she has been using her business and substantive knowledge and expertise for the Nederlandse Dansdagen. As a business director, she is responsible for strategy, policy, finance and personnel. With her passion for education, participation and inclusion, she pays particular attention to opening up dance to everyone at the Nederlandse Dansdagen.

Since 2013, Martine has built solidly on the development of dance opportunities for people with disabilities, both nationally and in a European context. For example, she was the initiator and artistic director of DanceAble, a continuous program and festival for dancers with and without disabilities, and she took the initiative for the Agenda Inclusive Performing Arts.

In addition to her work for the Nederlandse Dansdagen, she and Sonja Parmentier founded the PodiumINC Foundation in 2022 with the aim of making the performing arts more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities.

Claudia (1984) started dancing at a young age. To this day dance has never let her go. She herself has danced professionally for more than 10 years at, among others, the International Dance Theater. After retraining, she gained experience in marketing in various sectors. After working at Nederlands Dans Theater for more than 6 years and living in Amsterdam for 16 years, the decision was made to return to her roots in the south.
In addition to her work at the Dansdagen, she has founded a cultural consultancy (CASC) together with two former NDT colleagues, Lobke Nabuurs and Janine Dijkmeijer.

She has two children, Cezar and Mila, and is married to (also a former dancer) Brano. As a true Limburger, she loves good food and drinks, but also loves traveling and visiting the theatre.

What does dance mean to you?
"Dance is my life. I see it everywhere. In the past as a dancer, in the now, but I'm sure it will be part of my future too. It is a special art form that touches body and mind. As a dancer, but also as a viewer. Although I sometimes still find it difficult that I no longer dance myself… That is why I am very happy that I remain so closely involved in the dance sector through my work at the Dansdagen.'

Axelle (1994), born in Kortrijk (BE), started her dance career at the young age of three in the local ballet school. At seventeen, Axelle discovers that dancing can and should be more. A year later she was accepted at Codarts, University of the Arts in Rotterdam, and graduated in 2015. After having worked at Introdans for a year, Axelle decided to follow the one-year Dance in Education course at Fontys, University of the Arts in Tilburg. Here she graduated in 2016.

Sitting still is not an option for Axelle. A working week of hers is therefore very diverse. She works for SALLY Dance Company Maastricht and CIOS Dans, among others. She also gets to work every week with young dance talents who aspire to a future in dance by teaching at different schools.

Axelle lives with Wouter in Maastricht with whom she will welcome her first child in 2022. In her spare time she enjoys good food and travelling.

What does dance mean to you? “Wonder and discover where words stop.”

Femke (1996) graduated from KU Leuven in early 2020 with a Master's degree in Communication Sciences. During her last year she did an internship at Theater aan het Vrijthof, where her love for culture was confirmed and she continued to develop in the field of (online) marketing. She has been working at the Nederlandse Dansdagen since April 2020 and is involved in, among other things, online marketing and communication. From website to social media.

In addition to her work, she can expend her energy in sports. She enjoys running, but also often tries out new sports. Her latest sports passion: spinning. You can also regularly find her at concerts, at a festival or in the cinema.


What does dance mean to you? ‘The great thing about dance is the many gradations it has. From going wild in your living room to sophisticated art form and everything in between. Dance touches us all, even if we are not aware of it. That is what makes dance so unique and powerful.”

Ilona (1963) works as coordinator of all prizes awarded during the Nederlandse Dansdagen and as general production manager. She also works for a number of cultural institutions as a production and business leader (including Bureau Europa and Viewmaster Projects) and is a teacher at the Maastricht Institute of Interdisciplinary Arts.
After her studies in Dutch and International Law in Amsterdam, and having worked in this field for 15 years, she followed her passion and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts (Autonomous) in Maastricht. Since then, she has worked as a visual artist in various media, including video, photography and ceramics. In her work she plays with the fact that people look at the same things in different ways and that everyone has their own image of this.
She mostly spends her free time in the mountains and on the water to do sports and relax. She lives and works in Maastricht and Amsterdam.

What does dance mean to you?
Dance is beautiful to watch, to be inspired by and to be swept up in all the emotions. Being able to work in this sector also offers these aspects twofold.'

Roel (1987) is assistant business director at the Nederlandse Dansdagen and also works as director-administrator of Delft Fringe Festival. He was educated at the Fontys Dance Academy and the Utrecht School of the Arts. He worked for some time as a marketing manager, among others at Paradiso Melkweg Production House, Holland Dance Festival and Korzo. A central theme in his career is dance and talent development for new makers in the performing arts. In addition, Roel is a director and supervisor of political and cultural organisations.

What does dance mean to you?
Dance is close to my heart. I once started at a local dance and music school and then I followed the dance training in Tilburg, after which I have been working 'backstage' in the dance sector for a number of years. Within the entire scope of the performing arts, dance is at the top. Every time I can be entranced when I see dance performances. And dance is certainly an outlet, but on the dance floor in a crowded club😉.'

Gemma; The office management at the office of the Nederlandse Dansdagen has her attention all year round. Specifically during the festival she is chief hospitality. Together with our hospitality partners, she prepares a warm welcome for all guests and dance companies of the festival months in advance. In addition, she offers production support where necessary. She can fall back on her many years of experience in an independent company. Arranging and structuring, that's what she likes to do. With her love for dance she has found her place at the Nederlandse Dansdagen.

What does dance mean to you? “Enjoying an art form that allows me to be in the moment. Watching with respect dancers tell stories with their bodies, dancing alone or interacting with each other. In a decor with beautiful lighting and styling. All in all a great night out at the theatre!'

How much complexity can we tolerate? And vice versa: how much simplification do we need to survive? These are questions without answers that run like a red thread through my life.'

During his studies in social psychology, Stacz realized that science needs art, and vice versa. In the following years in underground culture, the realization grew that underground needs mainstream, and vice versa. He feels at home in the gray border area between worlds. Where certainties are lost.
Stacz came into contact with dance as an art form of embodiment and movement in 1994. She never let him go.

What does dance mean to you?
Gerard Lemaître once said 'dance is a secret' and just the way he said it made it true. Dance is the key to not-knowing for me. To the realization that reality is too rich and changeable to comprehend, but that through dance we can experience - and embrace it as such. That is the wisdom I see in every dancer who first dances and then thinks. With every choreographer who gives meaning with his dance and at the same time destroys meaning. And with every spectator who cannot find words to express her emotion. Or to quote Peggy Lee: 'if that's all there is, my friends, then lets keep dancing'.