A: The becoming of the Kim Catharina you see before you here today, definitely took flight during my two bilingual educations in high school and at University College Utrecht, where I finished my bachelors in Philosophy with a minor in Journalism and Social Geography. These two experiences have given me an international perspective on the world, a liberal and open minded attitude towards others, and taught me how to poise myself as a professional and entrepreneur.

The second key moment in my life was starting my dance team Attitude, which still exists to this day fully independently in Utrecht! It is one of my proudest achievements, because through Attitude I have been able to help non-professional dancers accelerate their careers because they became in touch with their bodies, increased their confidence and learned how to express themselves better. Also, this experience inspired me to pursue a career in dance and I graduated from Dance Academy four years later in 2023.

Dance academy has been a defining four years because I was able to identify what I do and do not want to take with me as I leave education behind and set off into the real world on my own. I am grateful for the discipline, work ethic and technique, and am excited to discover and explore a more natural, genuine relationship to myself and other dancers. I believe the dance community has so much potential for evolution, and I hope to be part of some of the revolutions that will take place as we strive to become a fairer, more connected community and business platform.

And with this sentence number nine (if you ask a philosopher to answer your question, better be ready for a lengthy answer) I'd love to highlight of course, all the mentors and family members who have given me inspiration when the well of passion ran dry. If no one had believed in that little 14 year old girl singing FAME at the top of her lungs, I would not be here today!

Q: Give a brief 5 to 10 sentence rundown of your life focusing on the key moments that got you to where you are today.

Meet Kim Catharina

A: I understand the direction of this question, but I prefer to give or receive advice in the present. I scarcely see the use in pondering on how time could have been spent differently, for the advice I have now has been made available to me through EXACTLY the choices I might have wanted to advice myself against taking. At that time, I simply could not have done anything different because my learning curve was where it was then, and has progressed since. Hypothetical meta advice to a past self is not of use.

However, I do believe in applying what I have learnt from the past in the here and now! And to my current self, with the knowledge and experience I have gathered, I’d like to say: “Trust in your abilities and skills, because they are of a high emotional and intellectual quality, and share them with people whom add value to your life and profession!”

And that is why I'm here today at Tag Me! I wholly support the interdisciplinary sharing of knowledge and expertise, and cross pollinating between vastly different branches! If we help, connect, communicate and learn together in a cooperative way, 5 years from now we can say “I couldn’t have done anything different… and I wouldn’t have wanted to!”

Q: If you could go back in time 5 years and give your past self one piece of life advice, what would it be?

Meet Kim Catharina

A: First of all I'd be PUMP-ING money into the arts industry so that dancers and artists might be paid fair wages for their endless, passion-driven hours spent earning minumum or no wages. If I were a billionaire, best believe the arts would be living its best Golden-Age-meets-Renaissance life.

For myself, I would have a steady home from where I could travel all around the world to do a wide variety of gigs. While being able to financially support the projects I'd choose to work on, I could spent my time tirelessly on dancing, acting, singing, creating productions and choreographies, and investing in new talent. If not found on the stage myself, I'd be rooting and teaching to the new generation of dancers.

Next, I would put a lot of work and money into establishing a certified, solidified work union for Dancers, so that we would never have to suffer humiliating wages or working conditions again.

To wrap it all up, at the end of my personal career, I would use the last of the money to start an new Dance Academy here in the Netherlands, where I would ensure that the youngest among us would be taught respectfully about dance, versatility, ownership, individuality, creativity and passion, so they may levae with a work ethic and business-savy that would keep the industry healthy, respectful and inspiring!

Q: If money wasn't an object, what would you be doing with your life right now?

Meet Kim Catharina

A: I have just returned from the U S of A after 6 months of working abroad as a singer and dancer. However, I have decided not to renew my contract but stay in the Netherlands and try on other roles as a performer here. My previous job was my first out of dance academy, so I am still at the beginning of my career and therefore have a lot of work to do before the projects come rolling in. But I am confident that putting my skill and attention in the right places will get the balls rolling sooner rather than later!

Q: What exciting project(s) are you working on at the moment?

Meet Kim Catharina