What is it like to start over in a completely new place, while your roots are somewhere else? What do you carry with you, and what do you leave behind?

This October, during the Month of History, eight Arnhem residents – most of them with little or no dance experience – will work together with eight dance students from an MBO program on the project Wortelen. Guided by Introdans, they will share their personal migration stories, from countries including Suriname, Syria and China, and bring them to life on stage in three unique dance performances.

The (private) premiere takes place on 17 October in Malburgen, followed by two public performances in the Eusebius Church and the Netherlands Open Air Museum.

Dance connects
With Wortelen, we want to show how dance can connect people in a time when society sometimes feels harsh and divided. By sharing personal stories and moving together, there is space for recognition and understanding. What does a migration story mean, many years or even generations later? Wortelen makes clear that behind every story is a real person, with memories and dreams.

Dmitry, who emigrated from Russia to the Netherlands 25 years ago, shares:
“For me, the matryoshka dolls symbolize the richness of a culture: layer by layer you discover something new. My own life feels the same, with Russian layers and Dutch layers that together shape my identity.”

Collaboration
Wortelen is an initiative of the Month of History, Introdans and the Netherlands Open Air Museum. Each performance includes a making-of video and a post-show conversation with the participants.