Living the Dance

Living the Dance is the final installment in a trilogy of dance films in which filmmaker Marijke Jongbloed traces the lives of five dancers. The film shows what happened to Reinbert Martijn, Digna van Boetzelaer, Lydia Harmsen, Belle Bonarius, and Ilja Louwen. When they were young, they aspired to a career in dance. Who have they become, what twists and turns did their lives take, and what has become of their dreams and ambitions? The two previous films now serve as archive material. The scenes from Step by Step (1980) show how as children, they gave their lives to dance naively and without holding back, seeing this as their freedom. In The Next Step (1992) they had grown into thoughtful adults encountering their first setbacks but struggling on regardless. In 2010, these older dancers are confronted with the consequences of the choices they made and are now raising a new generation. The five protagonists share their emotions about the finality of their dance careers and the ways in which they differ from "regular people." Their passion for dance can still be felt - they are dancers for life. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)