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DANZ QUARTERLY Issue 20 - July, August, September 2010
A Tribute to
Boukje van Zon,
Dance Pioneer
1921 – 2010
by Raewyn Thorburn
“Creative dancing is the free and individual response to the rhythm of music, expressing
the feeling and ideas of being. I want dancing to be not only beautiful, but alive. Part of a
person and not just a fairytale.”
“Do not attempt to make a dancer; you have failed before you even start.
Dancers make themselves!”
Boukje van Zon (de Witt) was one of New Zealand’s dance pioneers;
she passed away in March this year. For those who were lucky enough
to experience her teaching she opened a kinaesthetic and artistic world.
Through her classes she introduced European modern dance techniques
and ideals as well as choreographic methods. She was gifted in offering
ways for people to develop in all aspects of themselves through dance.
Students grew physically, artistically and as people.
For those of you who may not know of her, I would like to give some
of her history and place her as a key figure in the development of
contemporary dance in this country.
She grew up in Sneek, The Netherlands, and as a child was an all-round
gifted athlete. She began her dancing life as a junior member of the
“Thusnelda Club”, learning rhythmical movement and dance, and winning
many medals in rhythmic gymnastics. The competition consisted of solos
utilising a club, a hoop and a ball and a dance sequence. Her movements
were described by judges as, “loose, supple, elegant and forceful, and
executed in such a confident, fluid manner”.
As early as her teen years she was asked to teach and began to form her own philosophy and methods.
“The word ‘creativity’ was not commonly used in the early thirties but I definitely taught techniques and
explored movement skills using creativity and with personal growth foremost in mind. I have always
been slightly different than other people because I saw the possibility for the enhancement of the
person. I could see myself developing and I realised others could do the same.”
She moved to Surabaya, Indonesia, after World War II where she taught creative dance and
choreographed, among other things, for the Indonesian Independence Day. While there she met and
married Maurice van Zon. In 1951 they moved to New Zealand and she started teaching classes in
West Auckland, first in Te Atatu and then in Titirangi in 1959. As a mother of three daughters Carla,
Michele and Yvonne, she juggled being a mother with her passion for dance. An era of creative dance
began when she started classes at the Kaurilands Hall, with the depth of her philosophy apparent in the
following quote:
“Life will push you up and by natural gravity we will fall down. This we should do in action rather than
with the inertness of non-participation. This is the root of life.”
Through the late 50s and into the 60s her Creative Dance and Rhythmical Movement classes spread
across Auckland from the North Shore to South Auckland, Meadowbank and of course Titirangi. The
dance school offered adult and children’s classes and gave demonstrations and performances. As the
school grew it became necessary for her to train her own teachers to meet the demand for classes.
From the late 60s, the renamed Van Zon School of Creative Dancing kept growing and classes led to
performances organised for the family and friends of the students. These were sometimes marathon
events and backstage had to be run with almost military precision.
Adult students also took part in these concerts but performed
choreography developed from their own artistic drive; all overseen
by Boukje’s experienced artistic eye. Some of these works were
collaborations with other artists with, on occasions, specially
commissioned music. As the school became well known, Boukje was
increasingly asked to offer demonstrations or performances at venues
such as schools, shopping malls, and festivals.
Boukje and her teachers also worked with IHC, The School of the
Deaf, The School of the Blind, as well as using movement as a therapy
for people with mental health problems. She also contributed to the
education sector, teaching dance in education in schools; most of this
work was voluntary.
Boukje undertook many trips to Europe, the UK and the USA to further
her education, for example studying at the Laban Art of Movement
Centre, Goldsmith’s College, in England.
Her influence extended deeply into the developments of modern
dance in the 70s and 80s with student dancers from all the major
companies. Many became highly influential in setting up and
subsequently teaching in tertiary dance institutions. Others became
major players in the performing arts world. These include: her
daughter Carla van Zon, long-time director of the New Zealand Festival
of the Arts; Chris Jannides, co-founder of Limbs and later Head of
Dance at UNITEC's Performing and Screen Arts programme; Debra
McCulloch, Movement Theatre and Limbs Dance Company, Douglas
Wright and dancers; Wendy Preston, Limbs Dance Company; Julie
Eaddy, Jordan and Present Company, Sean Curham’s company, the Limbs retrospective,
Rozanne Worthington, Te Kani Kani o te Rangitahi, and Taiau; and
Raewyn Thorburn f in Movement Theatre and founding member of what became the UNITEC
Performing and Screen Arts dance programme.
Boukje from my personal perspective:
“From the first afternoon I walked into the Kaurilands Hall at 18 years
of age I felt I had found what I was looking for. Boukje was like a real
live blueprint, a female artist whose art medium was the body and
human movement. As a youngster I had attended ballet classes
for a few years but the approach didn’t suit me, I was looking for
something else.
I had been a keen athlete, then, while at Teachers’ College, a friend
and I went searching for other classes and heard about Boukje’s
Creative Dance classes. From the very first class I was in my element,
I was hooked. I loved the physical nature of moving in this way and the
improvisational tasks set off an out-pouring."
"Boukje ran an extended class on Saturday afternoons for teenagers
and adults who were interested in making dances. It was a friendly
group of very dedicated creative dance enthusiasts, I didn’t know it
then but this was going to be life-changing. The learning environment
was open and accommodating to all and sundry, irrespective of age
and ability, and it was clear this was an international philosophical
outlook whose source was Boukje Van Zon herself."
"A number of men attended the classes, which was unusual for that
time. Her approach was egalitarian and gave each of us a sense
that we could create and choreograph our own dance. In weekly
sessions, we explored and shared our creative impulses with the
rest of the class. Extending our movement vocabulary and learning
about composition, use of space, staging a work, and dynamics from
a practical ‘do and observe what works’ point of view. Boukje was
always offering encouragement and gave license to be original, to
have a personal creative voice. It was understood that everyone had
something to offer."
"After a few months I was performing and was then asked if I was
interested in teaching for the school. I leapt at the chance and after
training with Boukje, observing classes and taking notes, took over the
North Shore classes. I travelled overseas and at Dartington College of
the Arts, Great Britain, was introduced to modern dance by university
tutors from USA. "
"When I returned to New Zealand, I again picked up teaching with
the van Zon School and gave up school teaching as a profession
to see if I could make a living out of dance. Little did I know
the ordeals, struggles, politics, highs and lows, expectations,
challenges, pains, and adventures a career in dance would
bring? People have said, “Oh you’re so lucky to be doing what
you want”. But in a certain way I didn’t have a choice, I HAD to
dance. I went on to attend other forms of dance classes and
then became a founding member and later director of Movement
Theatre. The rest as we say is history."
"When I think of the
underpinning of my work to this day, I find Boukje’s philosophies
present and also her humanity. She understood:
- People and the art of movement;
- That some people perceive primarily through kinaesthetic and sensory processes;
- The fundamental value of movement as life giving;
- That physical training and the artistic impulse of dance are inseparable;
- That dancers have individual discipline but that dance is a collective endeavour; and
- That any idea can be expressed in dance.
These understandings and many more remain core values in my life and work."
As for Boukje herself, she was a warm-spirited and generous woman who exuded an
atmosphere of care and commitment; she was an experienced teacher and mentor
who possessed an inspiring personality, depth of knowledge, and a firm conviction
for the pedagogical ethos of her school. Boukje retired from teaching in 1983 but still
helped organise the school. Her daughters and other teachers continued
to teach and perform. In recent years she and Maurice moved to
Omokaroa, near Tauranga, where after a slow decline from Alzheimer’s
disease she passed away on Sunday 20 March 2010.
Her legacy is still felt in the dance practices and aesthetic of dance
professionals and students who simply say, “She changed my life.”
The Biography of Boukje van Zon by Raewyn Thorburn, Dagmar Simon and Francesca Horsley is nearing completion.
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