Meet Alix Kuijpers

What was one of the main life-lessons you learnt through your full-time studies?

The key to being a phenomenal dance artist is being a human first. Dance and art are informed by our lived experience, by our knowledge of the world around us. You must remain open to that. The major life events, the minor details of the world around you, or the days where you do nothing at all are all a part of the process to enrich your experience in dance. When this idea came into my cohort’s world it was incredible to see the transformation of our work ethics, our abilities and our ideas. Dance really isn’t cyclical where it’s just give and take; I think of it as an infinity, where life and dance sit on either end and in the intersection is that essence that can’t be described about what we do.

Did your original career aim change from when you started your studies to when you graduated?

I came into study hell-bent on being a company dancer, and while that has yet to come to fruition, what unfurled from reimagining that was an intense passion for choreography. The industry is a complex one to navigate at times and requires a level of self-preservation, but with choreography I feel incredibly guided by my intuition and my faith in the artform.

It’s through choreography that I have built my practice and obtained incredible scope to my career in such a short period of time. My practice in sound design, my knowledge of videography and photography, my skills in leadership and community: they’re all thanks to choreography. It’s something that helps me stay present and has built my artistry to a level that makes me so incredibly excited for the unexpected, and that is an energy that I believe rubs off onto my peers and the people who engage with me.

See him in his own 'Grim Grinning Ghosts', which will be held at Melbourne's Dancehouse from October 10 to 19. See preview video @_dance_australia

@alix_gaga_krueger