They have backgrounds in modern dance, hip-hop, popping, electro, and more. Lloydscompany and Danseateliers are guiding the new makers Dorrit Griffioen, Oumar Jalloh, Bo Jacobs, and Anna Raiola for seven weeks as they work on a new piece. It will premiere in Rotterdam on February 5th.

At One Night's Dance, the annual talent development program for emerging dance makers, Lloydscompany and Dansateliers always guide four makers through their research and creative process. They also learn from each other in joint feedback sessions on choreography, dramaturgy, music, creative production, and communication.

THE MAKERS

For Dorrit Griffioen, dance is a language everyone speaks, a way to connect, share stories, and communicate beyond words. In her work, she seeks authenticity, connection, and the power of intuitive movement. During her studies in Paris, Dorrit was introduced to various dance styles and found her home in hip-hop. She is delving into hip-hop freestyle and battles and exploring how to bring that raw energy into the theatre.

After her training at the Fontys School of the Arts (Contemporary Urban), Bo Jacobs developed a movement language that combines physical precision with emotional depth. She combines her movements with text, music, or scenography. She invites the audience to feel, question, and transform. She has danced with the Nuremberg Ballet (Germany), Wayne McGregor (La Biennale Danza Venezia, Italy), and IID Company (Netherlands), among others. She also creates choreographies such as LIMP (Amsterdam Fringe Festival 2024), The Great Forgetting (Hannover Ballet 2024), Unveiling Echoes (Dutch Dance Days 2025), and Huidschrift (Schrittmacher Festival 2025).

Oumar Jalloh started breakdancing at a young age. That's how he took his first steps as a professional artist in the Dutch hip-hop scene. He became acquainted with electro and contemporary dance and shifted his work more towards film and theatre. He further expands the art forms in his work by combining memes, fashion, and scenography into artistic and expressive scenes. To be authentic, freedom in creative expression is central to him. He goes beyond what some people consider normal or acceptable; he dares to show his strangeness.

Anna Raiola is a modern dancer, born in the United States to Italian and Mexican parents. At the age of 18, she moved to Rotterdam to study at Codarts University of the Arts, where she graduated in 2021. All these cultures sparked her interest in themes such as connection and identity. She explores the interplay between softness and strength, based on everyday gestures. Anna's work is characterised by theatricality. She works for various choreographers and is now developing her own artistic voice.

Photos:Michelle Urbiztondo