On Thursday 30 June, a large number of Erasmus University Rotterdam and Rotterdam School of Management alumni gathered in the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam. They had all registered online for an Alumni+ event, a series of events that are organised to give exclusive access to cultural events and experiences for EUR alumni.
Today, the Alumni+ event was all about dance! Our alumni were invited for the latest show of the Rotterdam based dance company Conny Janssen Danst, called SO HERE WE ARE NOW. This on-site performance, an initiative of the dance company that takes place more often, was delayed and adjusted multiple times due to the pandemic. Last week the show finally premiered, and now our alumni already got to enjoy the virtuosity of the Conny Janssen Danst dancers.
Before the doors opened, our alumni were invited to join a three course dinner in the Coffee Factory, one of the inspiring spaces in the iconic Van Nelle Factory. After the diner, we had arranged a special perk for our alumni: an exclusive interview and Q&A with Conny Janssen, the founder and creative director of the dance company. She extensively elaborated on her sources of inspiration, the challenges she and her dancers faced the last two years and being a cultural entrepreneur. Additionally, she told more about the positive societal impact she creates with her dance studios on Katendrecht in Rotterdam-South.
After the interview it was finally time to see the show. Our guest formed a long queue in the direction of the hall where the performance would take place. Not a 'normal' stage; the concrete floors, rows of steel pillars and metal scaffolding instantly created a mood of creativity. With live music performed by Carlo Balemans and Marjolein Peters, our alumni enjoyed one and a half hours of a true spectacle of dance. The young and talented dancers of Conny Janssen performed a wide variety of stories and emotions through the art of dance, in a very skilful way.
With an overwhelming applause for the dancers and musicians, our guests turned back to the Coffee Factory, where they had dinner before, to raise the glass with other alumni from all over the wereld and with different academic backgrounds. During the networking drinks, the mother of the dance company joined us again - to answer some questions of interested alumni that stuck around to meet her.
We look back on a fun, inspiring and moving night. Do you want to join one of the next Alumni+ events and get exclusive access to cultural events like this? Keep an eye on your e-mail, the EUR website and our social channels and stay up to date about the programme.