Isabelle Nelson in her own words…

Dance is for everyone. It has the power to change one’s life in a single instant. It can come and does come from people regardless of their class, economic, cultural, race, age, sex or ethnic background. And it is thrilling.

My mission? To research and develop cross-disciplinary creative methods anchored in unrestrained freedom of expression that elevates the common connection between ourselves and others.

Each moment of our lives offers incredible possibilities, even when and especially when we’re faced with problems and must summon forth our inner strength and resolve to win. Even as we challenge our doubts or fears, we can forge ahead, with courage, confidence, hope, and joy.

….

Isabelle Nelson in NPAFE’s words…

Nelson performing in her “Mana Ōrite”, Poland, 2020

From New Zealand. Resident in Amsterdam. A leader with partner / filmmaker Fynn Roovers in producing, choreographing and performing original dance works commissioned time and again by Amsterdam’s Council for the Arts. Invited to choreograph and perform all over Europe. A creative magnet attracting the best innovators in dance and dance filmmaking not only in the European Union but from as far away as Japan. 

This is Isabelle Nelson, and that’s just for starters.  

Nelson rehearsing in Danstheater AYA’s “Matties”

With an entrepreneurial mindset equal to the best in the business world, Nelson arrived in Amsterdam from her home town of Wellington, New Zealand in 2014, determined to make a mark as an outside-the-box creator of dance productions both live and on film.  

The challenge facing Nelson as a a non-stop dance industry business builder, no less as a recognized performer only in her home country some 18,500 kilometers away (that’s 11,500 miles!), was building a strong professional network to anchor her professional career and standing in Europe.  

In two short years, by 2016, she had done it. And with what pizzazz!  

From Nelson’s 2021 production of “KERN”

Today, from around the world, dancers, producers, funders, filmmakers and all the rest of the talent for achieving greatness in live and film dance performance all recognize Nelson for her leadership, her imagination, and her canny know-how to pull it all off. It is a rare treat, a privileged one, to see her as we have, when she is collaborating with Roovers, himself wielding his own powerful vision, his camerawork dance, and his mastery of the blizzard of dials, buttons and cabling that weaves in advanced technology to Nelson’s dance works.  

Kanoko Takeuchi in the 2022 FLIGHT MODE Amsterdam premiere

Last but hardly least? Impressive to us and to all who are lucky enough to be a part of her world, Nelson is one of that rare group of creative performing artists who gives real meaning to social justice, inclusion of native peoples in the mainstream of daily life, and lending a helping hand to support others in advancing their own careers.  

L to R: Gijs Hanegraaf, Kanoko Takeuchi, Jochem Eerdekens, Laura Mouracosta (dancers), and FLIGHT MODE Co-Creators Isabelle Nelson and Fynn Roovers

NPAFE’s AAlchemy project is pleased to be supporting Nelson and her INDC, the Isabelle Nelson Dance Company, where her collaboration with imagineer filmmaker Roovers has given rise to internationally-acclaimed productions including Mana Orite, KERN, and the June 2022 premiere of FLIGHT MODE, each you can taste in the videos below. 

Best of all: Nelson is planning more productions for the coming months and years tht will be impressing audiences not only in Europe but in the United States as well. Stay tuned!