“Dance is not about the moves, dance is about what moves you”
TJARDA
Tjarda
About
Tjarda is a thoughtful and genuine dancer, coach, choreographer and instructor. She is a Licensed Body Oriented Therapist and a Certified Laban Movement Analyst (CMA) and uses this knowledge as a clear framework in her teachings and coaching, making her a welcome guest throughout Europe, Russia, USA and Asia. Tjarda is well-known for her innovative and meaningful choreographies and creative movement vocabulary. Both her teaching and her choreographies have inspired peers and audiences around the globe and her work triggers many in finding their own path. Tjarda regularly gives individual and group coaching sessions to help dancers develop growth.
Tjarda currently works as a body-oriented therapist, guiding people back to their true selves through the wisdom of the body. Alongside this, she continues to share her passion for dance and coaching, building on her extensive background in movement analysis, physical theatre, and personal growth through dance.
Tjarda is the inventive force behind the award-winning troupe The Uzumé Dance Company and The Amano Project, and she was an honorary member of the US-based troupe UNMATA for 5 years. Her work with The Uzumé Dance Company and The Amano Project, alongside collaborations with renowned artists, highlights her unique style and commitment to pushing creative boundaries.
She has organized acclaimed shows like Worlddance Con Fusion, Beyond Bellydance, and Infusion Rendezvous. Her many accolades include awards at the LiteSide Festival and LISFE Art Competition, a Performing Arts Fund NL grant, and co-creating Movement for Humanity for the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in Rwanda.
Her Vision
Dance is, for Tjarda, a deeply healing practice—a way to bring the inner world to the surface and express what moves a person. She believes that dance is not just about physical ability but about creating a profound connection with oneself. By providing dancers with the tools to explore and understand their movement, she aims to empower them to infuse their dance with greater meaning and depth. She guides dancers in accessing and expressing their inner worlds, helping them find deeper meaning and connection in their movement—not just through physical exploration but by unlocking and understanding the emotions and experiences stored in their bodies.
With a background in dance, Laban Movement Analysis, body psychotherapy, and physical theatre, she helps dancers access and transform their emotions, sensations, and experiences into embodied movement. In this process, dance becomes more than just an art form—it becomes a way to heal, to make sense of the world within, and to find freedom in its expression.