Before Christmas I spent five days in Amsterdam where I performed Twirling World as part of the Nordic Gold event.
I haven’t been to Holland since my graduation in 1997 (besides the Schiphol airport) so it was great to visit Amsterdam again. Walking down the canals and narrow streets of Amsterdam brought back so many memories and emotions that it was all a bit overwhelming. Amsterdam has such a special character and feeling and I must say that I’ve missed it!




Walking on Nine Streets, I came across this pop-up party:

And I swear I wasn’t looking for and didn’t even know where the Marlies Dekkers‘ shops are, but this came on my way:





In one of the vintage shops I saw the exact glittery top that I bought in the 1980’s from London and which has been stolen from the performance I don’t have anything to wear.

I had a wonderful Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market in Nordmarkt and the most delicious apple pie and coffee in Cafe Winkel. I bought tons of Dutch cheeses for Christmas – they are the best. I’m a very big fan of old gouda, especially the ones made of goat’s milk.

We performed Twirling World in Rabozaal, a new space between the city theatre and Melkweg. The space was great, a huge stage with a big seated audience. We just used the stage, cutting of the seating with a metallic wall.



The performance itself went ok, I think, but the day building up the show, trying to do a run through, warm-up, prepare and to get all the necessary stuff was very stressful. Two things I learned: Twirling World cannot be toured without my own technician and I need to have my own private accommodation.
This is the painting of the Amsterdam show:

I’m sorry I haven’t been a very active blogger recently. I’ve been extremely busy and therefor a bit too tired and stressed at times. But now I’m trying to relax and take it easy. A party with a group of girlfriends today – really looking forward to it!

Johanna