Jolanda
For as long as I can remember, dance and movement have been at the heart of my life. As a child, dancing was what I loved most. Whenever music played, I wanted to move.
At the age of six, I started ballet at Ballet Studio Kennemerland. It was there that my love for posture, musicality, body awareness and the ballet barre began. Under the inspiring guidance of, among others, Marina Koster and later Nicole van Balen, I received a foundation that has stayed with me ever since. When Nicole started her own Dance and Ballet Company, I joined her. There, I taught my first classes and took part in performances.
Later, I made dance my profession. I studied at the Rotterdam Dance Academy, now Codarts, and at Utrecht University, where I studied Theatre, Film and Television Studies with a specialisation in dance and dramaturgy.
That combination of movement, teaching and research has always remained important to me. I am interested in the technique of movement, but also in its origins, meaning and experience. Where does a dance form come from? What does movement do for your body? And how can you teach technique in such a way that someone feels freer, stronger and more themselves?
Photography: Hüsne Afsar
In Search of the Essence
As a dancer, I worked in productions, arthouse films, and show ballets. I moved in the worlds of art and theater as well as entertainment and live performances. It is precisely that combination that has always appealed to me: the refinement of dance as an art form and the immediate joy of dance as an experience.
From 1998 to 2003, I also wrote as a journalist for the arts section of the Haarlems Dagblad. I conducted interviews, wrote reviews, and provided previews of theatre, dance, and visual arts. That period deepened my perspective on dance: watching, listening, analyzing, and giving words to what movement can convey.
In addition, I delved into dance pioneers such as Loïe Fuller and Mary Wigman, and into Japanese dance, among others. I also reconstructed the original dances of Mata Hari, which I performed and taught in workshops.
This search for the source is characteristic of the way I work. I like to understand how a movement form was originally intended, so that I can stay close to its essence and pass it on in a clear, living and accessible way.
A Dance Studio of My Own Since 2003
In 2003, I opened Dansstudio Raniya. What started as a place for Belly Dance grew into a warm studio where, over the years, many people have danced, learned, laughed, practiced, performed, and had fun.
For me, teaching has never been just about passing on steps or exercises. It is also about atmosphere, attention, trust, and creating a place where you can move at your own level and be who you are.
From 2013 through 2019, I was also the owner of De Kinderdansschool. There, too, the joy of movement was central: giving children space to dance, to fantasize, to play, and to feel free in their bodies.
Pilates
Pilates first crossed my path when I was studying at the dance academy. Years later, I began to specialize further in it. The original method of Joseph Pilates, in particular, has touched me. The clarity, precision, and structure of his work align beautifully with everything I have been working with for years: posture, breathing, control, strength, flexibility, and body awareness.
I obtained my Pilates Teacher Training certificate and further deepened my knowledge of the classical method with inspiring teachers from the international Pilates world, including Lolita San Miguel, who was personally certified by Joseph Pilates. This direct connection to the origins of Pilates inspires me to pass on the method clearly, carefully and with respect for its original intention.
What appeals to me about Pilates is that the body is approached as a whole. You train not only muscles, but also coordination, concentration, breathing, and a strong sense of inner strength.
In my Pilates classes, you work carefully and step by step. Beginners and experienced movers can benefit from the classes side by side, each at their own level. You don't need to be strong, flexible, or experienced to start. It is precisely by moving with attention that you discover how much strength, space, and intelligence is already present in your body.
Barre
Barre brought me back to where it all began: as a little girl at the ballet barre. At the same time, Barre is not a classical ballet class, but an energetic and accessible form of movement in which posture, control, rhythm, muscle strength, and fun come together.
I bring my background in ballet, dance, and Pilates into my Barre classes. The classes are precise and active, but also light, musical, and lively. You work on strength, balance, flexibility, and posture, without needing any dance experience.
What I love about Barre is that it connects elegance and training. It gives you the feeling that your body is waking up: stronger, taller, more alert, and more energetic.
Belly Dance
As a child, I saw belly dancer Yonina on television and knew immediately: that is how I want to dance too. There were no belly dance classes in the area at the time, but the seed had been planted. From my teenage years onwards, Belly Dance crossed my path again, and I began to delve deeper into this rich and expressive dance form.
I took my first classes in the Netherlands. Later, I traveled the world to train with leading teachers, dancers, and choreographers in the field. My journey took me to Cairo, Istanbul, and Paris, among other places. In Egypt, I took classes with big names in the international Belly Dance world, including Nagwa Fouad, Mahmoud Reda, and Soheir Zaki.
In Istanbul, I found a special mentor and source of inspiration in Sema Yildiz. Since our first meeting in 2005, she has remained an important presence in my dance life, as a companion and dance mother. I have brought her to the Netherlands several times for performances and workshops, and I also went to Istanbul several times myself to learn from her and perform there.
Under the stage name Raniya, I had a successful career as a belly dancer for many years, with performances at home and abroad. I worked with live musicians and performed in theaters, at festivals, at cultural events, and at parties.
During one of these performances, Yonina, the dancer I had seen on television as a child, was sitting in the audience. Afterwards, she came up to me. We kept in touch and later even danced together on stage in Cairo. Sometimes a dance journey comes full circle in an almost fairytale-like way.
Over the years, I have had the pleasure of creating many performances and full-length programs with students from my dance studio. Those joint projects were always special to me. Not only because of the performance itself, but especially because of the bond that developed along the way. Working towards something together, seeing each other grow, and ultimately standing on stage together remains one of the most beautiful aspects of dance.
What continues to move me in Belly Dance is the combination of technique, musicality, expression, and feeling. The dance can be powerful and refined, earthy and elegant, personal and celebratory all at once. In my classes, I love passing on that richness in a way that is accessible, respectful, and rooted in the present.
Body Joy Studio
At Body Joy Studio, my long journey in dance and movement comes together. Pilates, Barre and Belly Dance may seem like three different forms, but to me they complement one another beautifully.
Pilates gives you a strong and conscious foundation. Barre brings energy, elegance and focus. Belly Dance invites expression, rhythm and freedom. Together, they offer a varied way to get to know your body better and to move in it with more joy.
Everything I have learned, explored and experienced over the years, I bring into my classes. What I want to offer you is more than a workout. I want to help you become stronger, more flexible and more energetic, but also to feel at home in your body as it is right now.
You are welcome exactly as you are. I look forward to meeting you in the studio.