Conny Janssen Danst presents DANSLOKAAL | Sons of the Soil (Sheree Lenting)
What does the future hold for Dutch dance? This is what you discover in DANSLOKAAL: Conny Janssen Danst’s annual talent hub, where talented makers are invited to develop new work with the dancers of the Rotterdam company. For the thirteenth edition of DANSLOKAAL, creative partner Dansateliers contributed Sheree Lenting: with two dancers she created Sons of the Soil.
Sons of the Soil
A poetic meeting of strength and softness: choreographer Sheree Lenting explores brotherhood, vulnerability and resilience set against the echoes of colonial history. She weaves movement, music and text into a landscape of rituals, memories and unspoken connections. In Sons of the Soil two young men take us on a journey into adulthood.
Rather than explaining masculinity from within, the work invites us to witness its complexity, beauty and layered nature.
‘Sheree is a storyteller pur sang. She captures personal stories with strength and gives a voice to the people. With a strong vision, she highlights histories that, ever so often, remain underexposed; she, effortlessly, connects past, present and future. In doing so, she grants her audience, her team and herself more extensive perspec tives on history, traditions and the future.’
– Lisa Reinheimer (Director Dansateliers)
Skatepark
Sons of the Soil is part of the Skatepark weekend on July 11 and 12. During this weekend, the stage of our main hall will be transformed into a skatepark. In this performance, skaters and dancers defy gravity with dizzying tricks and jumps. The performers push the boundaries of what is possible and search for the flow: individually, but especially as a community. Around this performance, we dive deeper into skateboard culture through films, workshops, music, and more.
Sheree Lenting
Sheree Lenting is a Rotterdam-based dance artist, with Surinamese roots, at the Intersection of Art and Social Change. Her work seamlessly blends movement, film and storytelling, drawing on her experiences as a black woman. Sheree creates art that is both thought-provoking and socially relevant, providing a powerful mirror of our times. Her mission? To uplift, empower and inspire people to change.
With a BA in Dance & Education from the Amsterdam University of Arts, Sheree has refined her craft through international collaborations and intensive training at the Ecole des Sables in Senegal, under the guidance of renowned teachers. She has developed workshops and programmes for young people and various communities for and with organisations such as Move Forward Foundation and the HipHopHouse. Her dedication to social justice even took her to South Africa, where she choreographed for various projects and festivals.
Sheree’s innovative approach to dance has been awarded multiple grants and prizes. Her short film, SHE – The Black Female Body, garnered critical acclaim at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In May 2024, she received the prestigious BNG Bank Dance Award for her interdisciplinary work ‘I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dream’. Since September 2023, Sheree also works as Dance and Community programmer at Theatre Rotterdam.
Credits:
Choreography: Sheree Lenting i.s.m. de dansers
Dancers: Gaspar Ribeiro, Yashasvi Shrotriya
Spoken word: Jermaine Berkhoudt i.c.w. Sheree Lenting
Music (edit): Jermaine Berkhoudt
Special thanks to: Jermaine Berkhoudt and team Dansateliers
Length: 21 minuten
General credits DANSLOKAAL 13
Landelijke première: za 4 okt 2025, Maastricht
Rotterdamse première: di 30 sep 2025, Rotterdam
Naar een idee van: Conny Janssen
Techniek: Alfred van der Meulen & wisselend: Gijs Coolen, Jorn Kortooms, Guido Nieuwdorp, Koen te Poele, Remko van Wely
Repetitor: Erik Spruijt
Fotografie: Pien Düthmann, Martijn Kappers
Video: Davide Bellotta, Marlies Media, Mattia Trematerra
Repetitor: Erik Spruijt
Creatieve partners: Conny Janssen Danst, Dansateliers en Korzo
