Get moving, meet others and be inspired by the personal and energetic movement language of choreographer and dancer Kiran Bonnema. Especially for this edition of Good [old] Times, Holland Dance Festival presents a series of special dance workshops for people aged 55 and over. For years, this programme has shown that you are never too old to dance. Dance connects, moves us and tells stories — without words. Above all, it is about the joy of moving, dancing and being together.
During these workshops, you will explore Kiran Bonnema’s movement language, inspired by their production Feels Good to be Gold, which was presented as part of Good [old] Times at the previous festival.
Feels Good to be Gold is an ode to life and to the wealth of experience that dancers carry with them. With humour, lightness and tenderness, the work celebrates the beauty of growing older: the memories, relationships, dreams and everything life brings along the way.
These workshops focus on the present moment. Who are you today? And how can your body, in all its forms and possibilities, continue to express itself? Through movement, music and play, you will discover that the body never stops telling its story — and that the spirit never stops dancing.
About the workshops
1. Awakening the Body
A dynamic and playful workshop combining dance technique and improvisation. Through structured exercises and guided exploration, we awaken and explore the different layers of body, mind and heart. You are invited to tune into your body, move with curiosity and discover its possibilities.
2. Creating Together
A composition workshop in which movement becomes the material for creation. Through creative tasks, movement sequences and playful challenges, participants explore how to arrange, transform and connect movement. Step by step, these elements come together to create a short dance composition of their own.
About Kiran Bonnema
Kiran Bonnema (1998) was born in Wageningen, the Netherlands, and moved to Brazil at a young age, where they began dancing. At sixteen, Bonnema graduated from the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil. They went on to continue their training at l’École Atelier Rudra Béjart in Lausanne, Switzerland, and had the opportunity to perform with Béjart Ballet Lausanne.
In 2017, Bonnema returned to the Netherlands and joined De Dutch Don’t Dance Division (DeDDDD), followed by an apprenticeship with NDT 2. There, they worked on creations by, among others, Yoann Bourgeois and Johan Inger, and performed work by Ohad Naharin, Marco Goecke, Paul Lightfoot, Sol León and Crystal Pite. From 2021 to 2024, Bonnema was a member of Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden, Germany. They now work as a freelance artist across disciplines, as a dancer, choreographer, artistic assistant and teacher.
Bonnema previously appeared in Good [old] Times and is also known to many audiences from their work with DeDDDD.
Be inspired, get moving and discover that the spirit never stops dancing.
Sign up soon — places are limited!
