On Friday, October 4th, during the 22nd edition of the Dutch Dance Days Festival, choreographer, theater maker and performer Cecilia Moisio received the Dutch Dance Days Young Audience Award 2019. She hereby becomes the first choreographer to have won this prize in two categories.

From the jury rapport: “Cecilia Moisio keeps on pushing her limits, takes risks in form and content and keeps questioning her working methods. Her performances are gripping and activistic. The Jury is intrigued by this maker and hopes that this winner can make a difference in the dance landscape for a young audience!”

Cecilia’s winning concept is a political and activistic piece for 14 and up which will premiere in season 2020/2021. A performance on how to stay critical and not to conform to the masses. On how to make your voice heard as a young person, on collective lies and social influence – based loosely around the fairytale ‘The Emperors New Clothes’. Through workshops and social experiments Cecilia will research the societal and psychological influences of these themes on young people. 

This year is the third edition of the Prize of the Dutch Dance Days for Young Audience. The prize has a value of € 10,000 with the aim of contributing to the innovation of dance for an audience between 4 and 18 years in the Netherlands. The jury consists of Lisa Reinheimer (critic and program maker / teacher of Dramaturgy, Arts & Culture FHK), Diana Herz (programmer Theater aan het Vrijthof) and Wendy Lubberding (journalist and reviewer at Theatermaker, writer and translator at Wendy Translates). The jury is happy to be able to contribute to this specific part of the field and has read the detailed plans of nominees with great pleasure. The jury is looking forward to the development of these makers and hopes the prize will give an impulse to the further development of dance for young audiences.

Cecilia Moisio (1978, Finland) is a choreographer, theater maker and performer. Cecilia won the Dutch Dance Days Prize in 2014. In 2007 and 2008 she was nominated for a “Swan” for best dancer of the year. Cecilia danced for many years with Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel and  WArd/waRD – Ann Van den Broek becoming one of the most eclectic dancers of the Dutch dance scene. Cecilia’s inspiration comes from the psychology of humans and the unconscious behavioural patterns that arise from social norms and expectations imposed upon us. She calls herself a ‘Psychological Activist’and is always looking for the truth behind our motives, emotions and behaviour. Her work is multidisciplinary; in between theatre, dance and performance art.Typical for Cecilia’s performances is the dynamic character, filled with raw emotion on the one hand, and a clean, controlled choreography on the other.Her over 27 works have been performed more than 15 countries worldwide. Since 2016 she produces her work under her own foundation Stichting Cecilia Moisio. In 2018 she made her first full-length youth performance Victoryon invitation by Maas Theater en Dans.

For more information you can contact Cecilia at: info@ceciliamoisio.com

The winners at The Dutch Dance Days 2019 (Left to right): Arno Schuitemaker (Best dance production 2019), Connor Schumacher (Prize of the Dutch Dance Days 2019), Ingrid van Engelshoven (Dutch Cultural Minister), Conny Janssen (Lifetime Achievement Award), Cecilia Moisio and Redouan Ait Chitt (Dancer of the year 2019) 
Photo: Sjoerd Derine