Korzo UP#2 with Anne Suurendonk

"You can really get emotionally constipated."

So says choreographer and dancer Anne Suurendonk. As a person and as an artist, she lets her emotions flow freely, even when others find that uncomfortable. Because that discomfort says more about our relationship to expressing emotions than it does about her. We dive into the heart of this remarkable choreographer, who is searching for the liberation of every feeling that exists within herself, her dancers, and her audience. 

Who is Anne?

Anne is someone who’s always on time. Full of energy, she shows up ten minutes early to our meeting. “I’m that kind of girl,” she says, laughing. She was born 37 years ago in Amsterdam’s Rivierenbuurt and grew up in a loving family that promoted equality between men and women. But, as in so many families, openly showing affection was less common. And although Anne already knew at age twelve that dance would be the common thread in her life, she discovered later on that another deep devotion would join it.

"We forget how to make space for feelings. "

“In general, we not only struggle with expressing emotions but also with dealing with other people’s emotions. There’s a lot of judgment around being emotional—and men are judged differently than women. But the fact that it’s generally seen as a weakness is really a thing. I see that as a problem—you can really get emotionally constipated, and that’s terrible for your mental health. I see the beauty and richness in the full spectrum of emotions. Feeling is living—and if dancers can stir something within themselves, they can stir something in the viewer too.”

How do you tap into those deep feelings within yourself?

“My mother passed away eleven years ago. I wouldn’t quickly make a performance literally about my dead mother. But what I’ve experienced around grief: such a great loss, how unpredictable it is, how long it lasts, how strange that process can be… All those experiences, all those feelings live in my body. I step onto the floor *she closes her eyes* and through a lot of practice and through movement, I know how to reach that feeling and how to shape it. Because that’s my quest as a choreographer. What fascinates me about dance is that it truly communicates something and that it’s about people.”

"Being moved connects us." 

How does that sense of emotion play a role in your new piece Emo?

“My womanhood… *sighs*. We live in a man’s world. And with Emo, I wanted to create something where two women are allowed to be emotionally free. Everything they feel is given space, without shame. The feeling that, as a woman, you’re too intense, too much, that you take up too much space, that’s a constant struggle within myself. Masculine and feminine qualities live in all of us. I find it important to portray women as grounded and strong, not fragile or delicate, but truly powerful. Because that’s who we are in our nature.”

How do you create so much space for feeling in your dancers?

“When I’m searching for movements *she laughs loudly*, I’m really looking for a form that does something to you. For that, I use a lot of Tension & Release. I myself need tension first before I can relax. With tension, I ‘activate’ something in order to release it: an energy, a quality, or a feeling. When we talk about something like anger, there needs to be tension first. And sadness has more of a sense of release, of letting go.”

And are there other ways?

“Music helps a lot, of course. I’m so happy when I’m in the room with Tom (Tom van Wee, the composer who always writes the music for her performances) and he starts to improvise. He made the piece Verlangen (‘Longing’) for my previous piece High, which was, in part, about missing my mother. He can translate my feelings so well, he often captures them in music even before I can put them into words.”

And then our time is up. Anne darts into one of the studios to immerse a new dancer in the rich emotional world she feels so deeply. And soon, hopefully, we’ll get to feel it too.

Emo will be performed on October 26 at 4:00 PM at Korzo, alongside Diep by dance collective SERIÓÓS.

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