In my early 20s I discovered improvisational movement and dance as a way to feel and articulate.

Having been a horseback rider until then, I always used physical exercises as a way to calm my mind and to center myself. With horses I loved the fact that the communication happened only through the body. Having to develop that “third sense“ of communication expanded the way I sensed myself and my environment.

When I first entered a dance studio where improvisational dance was taught, I felt comfortable and at home moving my body through space. I enjoyed not following certain choreography but allowing my feeling body to be stimulated by music. A dialogue between feeling, sensing, and expressing was evoked.

My curiosity about improvisational art work with a base in somatic awareness, brought me to Amsterdam. Studying vocal dance, a somatic movement program that included voice work, I learned about the relationship between bodily systems, (bones, muscles, organs, fluids, glands), and the way we express ourselves. My hunger for even more knowledge was answered when I learned of Anna Halprin’s work. With her daughter Daria and others she developed a way to respond artistically to feelings and thoughts. Since then, using the arts to heal and to grow has been the most rewarding experience of my life.

Experiencing the arts while guided by these premises can change people's lives. I therefore strive as an instructor to create the container and to provide the appropriate stimulation and the tools so people can create the changes they long for.