Hayden Idrus

Geboren: 1996, Sydney (Australia)
Opleiding: National Ballet Academy, Amsterdam
Ervaring: Introdans (since August 2015)

Not everything is what it seems to be. Although… some omens are unmistakeable. Haydn Idrus grew up in a sleepy mining town south of Perth in Western Australia. His family had moved there after Haydn’s birth – in Sydney, four thousand kilometres away on the other side of the continent – because of his father’s job. Toff Idrus is a specialist for military mechanical engineering, and Perth is home to one of the two main bases of the Australian navy.

Signs of a dance career

Few signs of a dance career so far. But a closer look shows there were some, or even plenty. His mother Rosemary is a costume designer and seamstress. Her speciality: ballet clothing and leotards! His father Toff plays guitar as a hobby. He also likes philosophy and is very interested in the arts and intellectual pursuits. “Although our lives are completely different, I often hear that I resemble my father. We both like to take an independent view of people and situations. And neither of us can imagine a life without culture.” Haydn’s older brother Daniel is the second professional soldier in the family. But he too is interested in more than army green. It was thanks to Daniel’s tap-dancing lessons that Haydn, after going along with his brother a few times, then started taking ballet lessons at the age of thirteen.

Something new in my life

“I discovered that I just loved dancing! I was always pretty sporty and did lots of things. Australian football, all the stuff that boys do. I was also good at school, which my father thought was great. He would have liked to see me going to university. Dancing triggered something new in my life: the ‘consciousness’ of my body changed. I found that I enjoyed challenging my body and testing my suppleness. At around the age of seventeen or eighteen something else arose as well: I enjoyed expressing myself. By that time I was living in Amsterdam where I was taking the HBO (professional higher education) course of studies at the National Ballet Academy. It was during this time that I learned that ‘growing up and understanding more about the world’ helps you to dance better. Now this is what I enjoy most: as a dancer giving expression to a work with heart and soul. Connecting with it. In my view that’s the primary task of every dancer. And the Introdans repertoire gives plenty of opportunity to do this.”

Ambition

“My father – and my mother too, by the way – supports me one hundred percent in my ambition. He had to get used to the idea of me wanting to be a dancer, or in fact saying goodbye to the idea of me having an intellectual career. But when he realised how much I wanted to do this, he quickly let go of that idea. He thinks it’s important that I develop. And that I do things that make me and others happy.” His parents visited Haydn during his dance studies and since then Toff has seen his son on stage in Arnhem, too. “And seen me progress. My mother loved Amsterdam. Especially the one million or so bikes in the city. They reminded her of Australia. But here you have cycling paths as well!”

Aim for our dreams

The dancer talks about his parents with great warmth and affection. “It’s true. I have come to understand them better and better. My voyage of discovery into my own motivations has strengthened our bond. My brother and I were mostly raised by our mother, and she’s given us a lot. That we’re good the way we are, for example. And that we can and should always do what we wish. That has given us both a lot of self-confidence. To do and try out things, and also to aim for our dreams. That’s how I ended up in the Netherlands. I was attracted by Europe, with its long history and artistic culture. I wanted to try it out and I went.”

A complete person

“The most important thing I want to work on in the coming years is to grow up further and to improve myself. In modern dance. I don’t see myself as a classical dancer. There’s still so much to learn! The freedom I feel on stage gives me a wonderful chance to better integrate choreography and dance. I’ll always keep doing something expressive, even if I no longer dance. Maybe one day I’ll lead a dance company myself. I think that would be fantastic! I see Marco Laudani (a young Italian dander, dance teacher and choreographer, ed.) as an inspiring example. What he has achieved presents a real challenge. But who knows… I’m resolved to make myself a complete person.”