Street Dance and the Netherlands

With the UDO European Street Dance Championships 2019 heading to the Netherlands next month, we wanted to tell you a bit more about the dance scene in the host country! We spoke to UDO Netherlands partner Ron Welters on: how the street dance scene has developed in the Netherlands over time, popular street dance styles and the best part about being able to provide competitions for dancers in the Netherlands.  

Dancers in the Netherlands

Described as “incredibly inventive, super motivated and hard working”  street dancers in the Netherlands are without a doubt a passionate bunch. And with the 2018 Over 18 Advanced European Champions PROTOTYPE and Over 18 Advanced World Champions Unbreakable, both hailing from the Netherlands, we can see why.

Click here to view Unbreakable's World Champion performance and interview.

For PROTOTYPE's performance head here.

Development of the Street Dance Scene

Like other countries, the street dance scene in the Netherlands has changed over time. So what was the street dance scene like before? “20 years ago there wasn’t an organised competition or association for street dancers in the Netherlands,” says Ron. “There were two streams: underground and commercial dance. Underground dancers would dance in a collective of friends, usually in battles on the streets,  whereas commercial was dance shown predominantly on TV and commercials to the masses. There was a need to have a platform for all dancers to be able to showcase their skills and talents. Now the popularity of street dance has risen so much we have seen the emergence of large dance studios learning and developing on their love for street dance and specialising in street dance.

“When UDO Netherlands started 10 years ago the goal was to bring the two worlds (of underground and commercial dance) together for an organised competition  encompassing all elements of street dance.  We are now also the largest street dance organisation in the Netherlands!”

Which brings us on to .. UDO Netherlands Championships

Having run UDO competitions for 10 years in the Netherlands, Ron is an advocate for providing opportunities to dancers across the country. “The best part about hosting competitions is to be able to give opportunities to dancers to perform and showcase their skills. By doing this, you see dancers gain a lot of self confidence which is really rewarding. Furthermore, by giving this platform, we’re putting Netherlands on the map for street dance.”

 
Popular dance styles

So, what about the popular styles in the Netherlands? “Hip Hop is very popular in the Netherlands” claims Ron.

Are you part of the UDO Netherlands family and would like to share your story?

How are you getting prepared for the UDO European Championships 2019? Let us know on social!

Tickets are on sale here. 

#UNITED WE DANCE