Coproduction of SNDO- School for New Dance Development and Cinedans FEST
Eye Filmmuseum
24 March 2024 at 13.00

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In 2025 SNDO is reaching an important jubilee. To celebrate half a century of SNDO as a laboratory for dance and performance, from January 2024 we are proudly unfolding a trajectory of public events. These events are meant to shed the light on SNDO past, present, and future but also to serve as ongoing platforms for the research, explorations and knowledges to keep on developing and disseminating in and thorough these encounters.

All events are collaborations with different institutes and partners who support and share SNDO concerns, pedagogical inquiries and our love for being in this world in lively and life-affirming ways.

The second event in the 50-year SNDO trajectory is a documentary film about Ria Higler, produced in collaboration and presented within the framework of the Cinedans FEST at the Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam on 24th March.

Ria Higler can be considered a 'mother-spirit' of SNDO. A graduate of the first student cohort of Moderne Dans Opleiding, as SNDO was called back in 1976, she transitioned into teaching in 1980. From 1989 to 1998, she served as the co-director of the school alongside Trude Cone, continuing as a core team member, mentor, and teacher until April 2023, when she passed away.

Throughout her life, Ria Higler was a dedicated educator, influencing hundreds of students and alumni with whom she worked. In addition to teaching, Ria enjoyed collaborating with other artists and developing her own choreographic work.

Drawing from materials in her personal archive, including footage from her travels in India and Indonesia, performances, and interviews with individuals who worked and studied with her, we present a documentary film aimed at activating Ria's archive and ensuring that her teachings, spirit, and legacy remain visible and accessible for future generations.

The film serves as a visual ode celebrating the life and work of one of SNDO's most impactful educators.

Credits:
Producer: Andreas Hannes
Editor: Kristina Daurova
Participants: Keerthi Basavarajaiah, YuJing Liu, Noha Ramadan, Joy Mariama Smith, Gabriel Smeets, Jeroen Fabius, Robert Steijn, Ibrahim Quraishi, Florentina Holzinger, Maria Mavridou, Diego Oliveira and Bojana Mladenović
Production: SNDO  - School for New Dance Development in co-production with and Cinedans FEST 2024
SNDO PR: Evelien van de Sanden
Ria Higler legacy curator: Bojana Mladenović