Nico Amenduni

I see every experience as a precious gift.

The other part of the iceberg

EHe has never had a real 'dream company'. "You can get hypnotised by all those beautiful films that companies post on the Internet, but they say nothing about the atmosphere in a company, the air you breathe, the opportunities to develop. The other, hidden part of the iceberg, so to speak.

Scapino has definitely exceeded his expectations in that respect. Right from his internship year, he was given the chance to dance in Ed Wubbe's Scala and felt "such trust from Ed, while I really did not have a backpack full of material to give him". About his colleagues, he says: "They have made me who I am today. They are my source of inspiration, the shoulder I can cry on."

Open and present

Besides Scala, Marcos Moreau's Cathedral is also an important highlight for him. "I found it a breathtaking experience to dive into his world. A rollercoaster, a dream in which I seemed to be detached from reality."

Whereas Nico often retreated into his own world as a quiet, dreamy child, he now consciously tries to be receptive and present, to open himself up to everything that comes his way. "I want to be humble towards every choreographer, repetitor or assistant; I see every experience as a precious gift. Developing as a dancer is a never-ending process."

Dance is not only about performing two thousand steps, it is also about the human side: how do you relate to your fellow dancers, the ballet masters, the people at the office.

Being quiet

That same attitude marks him out as a human being. "You can be on Instagram all day, but you can also be aware of what's going on in the world. Through that and in the confrontation with others, you can come to new insights. It is good when others give you reason to doubt. Sometimes that also means that you just have to shut up for a while, be quiet, in order to listen to others and understand them, and in that way form new thoughts."

Photography: Khalid Amakran | Interview: Astrid van Leeuwen