Debbie Ruijter

Debbie Ruijter is a self-taught dancer from Amsterdam, shaped by the city’s underground hip-hop scene. Drawn to movement as a form of self-expression, she developed her practice through an expansive exploration of club styles, with a particular focus on Waacking.

Now transitioning from performer to choreographer, she explores how grief and personal loss take shape in the body. In developing her first choreographic works, she builds a personal dance language that transforms emotion into movement, holding memory and vulnerability while maintaining strength.

“M(i)e(n), Myself & I is a dance solo combining Waacking, hip-hop, contemporary dance, and mime, exploring the physicality of grief as it settles, shifts, and resurfaces. The work is rooted in the loss of my mother during my teenage years, an absence that continues to shape how I move, create, and relate to others.

In a culture where grief is often taboo, I turned inward, using movement to reflect. Making this piece has become a personal study of how sorrow lives in the body, how it transforms over time, and how expression can soften its weight.

At the International Art Talent Festival, I present an early iteration of this work, a first step toward a full evening-length performance and an invitation to share space for mourning, healing, and connection.”

Please note that late entry is not possible once the performance has begun.

Director: José Montoya
Movement coach: Junadry Leocaria