Didy Veldman

Didy Veldman recalls her years as a Rambert dancer and choreographer.

Born in Holland, Didy started dance classes as a child when her family moved to the Caribbean. Later she studied at the Dutch National Ballet Academy and then joined the Scapino Ballet. It was here that her passion for contemporary dance developed. Didy later set up her own company whilst living in Switzerland, where she met and worked with Christopher Bruce. When he became Artistic Director of Rambert Dance Company in 1994, Bruce invited Didy to join the Company as a dancer.

She soon began to choreograph for the Company and here recalls the creative process behind some of her works including ‘Kol Simcha’ (1995), ‘Grey Matter’ (1997) and ‘The 3 Dancers’ (2015). In this interview, Didy talks about touring with the Company, working closely with Christopher Bruce and discusses her role as the Victim in Bruce’s ‘Swansong’ (1987/1995).

00:09:06 Christopher Bruce
00:16:02 ‘Grey Matter’ (Veldman, 1997)
00:26:11 ‘7DS’ (Veldman, 2000)
00:30:51 ‘Swansong’ (Bruce, 1987/1995)
00:35:06 ‘The 3 Dancers’ (Veldman, 2015)

Interview recorded on 29 March 2017 in London.
Interviewer: Claire Izzard; Filmmaker: Paul Izzard

The Rambert Voices oral history project is part of Rambert at 90, a project marking the company’s 90th anniversary, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.