Bio
"The Uzumé is the future, the past and the present.
With elements of ancient, ties to reality and glimpses of the future,
you'll never know exactly where you are
but you won't want to leave."
" Tjarda aside from being an inspiring choreographer and beautiful dancer, she has this amazing way of making everyone around her feel special. She is funny, kind and down to earth."
TJARDA / THE UZUMÉ / UNMATA
Tjarda is an accomplished dancer and a well sought after teacher with a broad-minded curiosity towards bellydance. She has studied many genres of dance including Middle Eastern, modern dance, flamenco and tango as well as dance therapy and improvised movement. Fusing all of the above with her natural creativity, Tjarda delivers progressive choreograhy resonating within the world wide culture of movement.
Tjarda is the Artistic Director and choreographer of The Uzumé Dance Company since 2005 and was nominated in 2008 for Most Promising Upcoming Choreographer with Exquisite Skills. The innovative and charismatic Uzumé has won several awards, including one for Best Dance Company. Next to organizing events twice a year, one of The Uzumé's successful projects has been their theatre show "Worlddance Con Fusion" of late 2007 with dancers from the School for International Dance/Worlddance.
Tjarda got asked by the Hollywood Music Centre to perform on their DVD Tales of Desire II with performances by today's most influential tribal-fusion bellydance artists, which has been released in October 2009. On a grant from NFPK she studied for six months in the USA with Amy Sigil, Suhaila & Jamilia Salimpour (both level 1 certified), Mira Betz and Heather Stants. Tjarda still studies intensively at UNMATA’s Hot Pot Studios under the direction of Amy Sigil and is now the first to teach this fusion improvisation style in Holland.
Tjarda performs solo, with The Uzumé or as an honorary member in UNMATA throughout Europe and the USA. Blurring lines and drawing inspiration from even the most unlikely sources, Tjarda is a choreographic force in today's Tribal Fusion Scene.
Tjarda has been performing and teaching at significant festivals and events such as Sziget, Spirit of the Tribes 10 (USA),Tribal Fest 9 & 10 (USA), Tribalondon (UK), Raqs Britannia (UK), Orientalhane 10 (D), Raqs Congress (B), Unmata's Bloodmoon Regale 8 (USA), BellyFusions (F), Sirocco (UK), Tribal UMRAH (F), World of Orient (D), Robodock, Paradiso, Sugar Factory, Melkweg, Supperclub, Mysteryland, Jazz in Duketown, De Parade, Nataraj, All is One, Project Mayhem, Tivoli De Helling, and many more.
"The lovely ladies of The Uzumé have a dramatic power and presence. They were the first company that I saw in Europe to step outside of the tribal box and explore a more fusion style. Their choreographies are complex and innovative and always entertaining."
"Grace personified, The Uzumé flow seamlessly from one fluid moment to the next, completely symphonic with each other and their music. Their innovative choreography and captivating stage presence transcends their audience to a world of beauty and synchronicity."
© 2010, Tjarda.nu