Ciara Hiwat won the VandenEnde Foundation scholarship from Summer Dance Forever on November 30th. This after she participated in a weekend of auditions with 23 other candidates, which included various workshops. Here she won one of three scholarships worth EUR 5,000 and a personal coaching program.

Ciara danced in our production POWER and now in KABITENI. The latter music and dance performance blends Surinamese with hip-hop dance and can be seen on December 5th at the Maaspodium and on February 11th at Theatre Rotterdam. Hiwat is 24 years old, comes from Rotterdam, and has been dancing hip-hop since she could walk. She sees this scholarship as an opportunity to deepen her mental and spiritual development, thereby gaining a lot of inspiration for the future. Lloyd Marengo from Rotterdam, the initiator of Lloydscompany and also involved as a coach with the VandenEnde Foundation, is proud. "I think it's great that she won, I really believe in her. I think she's made great strides in recent years. First POWER, then KABITENI, and now this scholarship; that's just awesome.

This is the fourth year the scholarships have been awarded. The jury consisted of Drosha Grekhov, Marco Gerris, and Nedda Sou. Gerris and Sou, along with Lloyd Marengo, also form the three coaches with whom the winners will embark on their coaching journey.

The trajectory of Summer Dance Forever and the VandenEnde Foundation

Within the annual scholarship program, Summer Dance Forever and the VandenEnde Foundation search for young Dutch talent. The goal is to also target talent that can't find their way to the stage through the usual paths, such as dance academies. In 2022, the first edition of the scholarship program took place.

Summer Dance Forever is a major international hip-hop dance festival. Dancers from all over the world gather in Amsterdam every August. The festival is organised at various locations throughout the city and offers a wide variety of dance performances, battles, and workshops.

Ciara Hiwat in POWER and KABITENI

KABITENI

Let yourself be transported to Bendekonde, a Surinamese village, where Georgetina, the 'kabiteni' (captain), is at the helm. Her singing and stories, combined with the energetic hip-hop and Surinamese Awasa dance of the four other outspoken performers, form the heartbeat of KABITENI. They take you into the story of the village against a backdrop of visuals filmed in the interior of Suriname. The performance is surrounded by eclectic, warm, and rousing compositions, inspired by hip-hop, Awasa rhythms, and life by the river.

This way, you'll feel like a real 'kabiteni' and experience the challenges that the tough Georgetina faces. She has to balance between tradition and innovation, between how things always were and now. With this, she is safeguarding the future of her community, which once resisted slavery. The performance translates this resistance and strength into today's vibrant hip-hop culture.

KABITENI energetically brings together a unique history, culture, and innovation in a rich mix of music, spoken word, dance, and visuals.

Play period: November 2025 to February 2026

POWER – 'I am my ancestors' wildest dreams'

Through the eyes of choreographer Sheree Lenting, you'll witness the wildest dreams of her foremothers. In the performance, she takes you into their as-yet-untold stories from the past, present, and future.

She questions, explores, and cherishes her female lineage. The dancers are the embodiment of the stories. Cicely Wijnaldum and Ciara Hiwat will take you on a journey through womanhood. With the POWER, wisdom, and love of their female ancestors as their legacy, they confidently face their future.