Frequently asked questions
When we're on the road with Plankenkoorts we get many questions from teachers,
parents, volunteers and of course children.
For example:
1. Are you sisters?
2. Those lamps make a lot of noise! Won't that disturb the show?
3. Do you do this every day?
4. Does that décor fit in your van?
5. Are you really going to eat all of that?
6. How do you remember all those steps?
We'll try to satisfy your curiosity on this page regularly.
If you have a question of your own: mail us!
Question 1: Are you sisters?
Sorry to disappoint you, but no, we're not family. We have worked together for 8 years now and have become close friends over time. Being friends makes working together very pleasant. When we're on tour we spend whole days together: at breakfast early in the morning, together in the plankenkoorts van on the highway and stuck in traffic jams, setting up the décor in the theatre, dancing, taking the décor down again, showering in the dressing room, having dinner together and sleeping in a hotel. And again the next day!If you spend this much time together, perhaps you start to look alike??
| Answer by Caroline |
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Question 2: Those lamps make a lot of noise! Won't that disturb the show?
This question is always asked by the technicians in the theatre, long before the show starts, while Theo is setting
up our lamps. Especially for Risk! Plankenkoorts bought four very expensive lamps. These lamps can move and shine in
every colour you want. Before we had these lamps we always had problems hanging up the lights because of the huge
climbing frame decor. The frame was just being in the way!
But true enough, these lamps can make quite a lot of noise. But now that doesn't disturb the show. Because then
Theo just turns down the ventilators that are cooling the lamps, and are responsible for the noise! Sometimes the
solution is simple.
| Answer by Katjoesja |
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Question 3: Do you do this every day?
Yes and No.Yes, every day of the week we spend on dancing and on Plankenkoorts.
But no, we don't have performances every day. Mostly we perform two or three days a week. On days without performances we do all the other stuff that comes with running a dance company. Office work like answering emails, making phone calls, plan dates for upcoming performances, do the billing and bookkeeping etc. etc. But we also have to wash and repair costumes, rehearse, take our van to the garage, have meetings and do other practical things.
To keep in shape we also have to exercise. For this we take classes in classical ballet, but also acrobatics, power exercises, pilates and yoga.
And on top of all that all three of us also work at theatre company Close-Act Theatre!
| Answer by Katjoesja |
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Question 4: Does that décor fit in your van?
Risk! has a huuuuuge climbing frame as a décor, sometimes it barely fits on stage. And our van is much smaller than a stage... Luckily we can disassemble the entire décor into small pieces. When we arrive at each set we piece the whole frame together and fasten it with lots and lots of screws. That's a lot of work, but it's the only way. When designing the frame we even calculated the pieces to fit exactly into our van. Of course leaving just enough room for ourselves and our giant picknick basket.| Answer by Marja |
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Question 5: Are you really going to eat all of that?
Wherever we go we always take a huge picknick basket with us, filled up with tasty food for our lunch: bread, cookies, salads, cake, tea, jelly, cheese, fruit, yoghurt, chocolate sprinkles etc. So much food that people often look at it funny and surprised. But we usually have to get up very early in the morning and have worked long hours already before we have lunch. Therefore we get so hungry that it just so happens that we eat it all! Travelling, setting up décors, thinking and dancing makes you very hungry!!So even though we're little girls (we know!), we finish our whole basket!
| Answer by Marja |
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Question 6: How do you remember all those steps?
Actually everyone remembers the steps in their own way, a little different for each person. But what always helps for everybody is practising the steps, over and over again. In the beginning you have to think about the steps: did this start with my right or left foot, what's the tempo for this move, where should I finish, did my arm go up or down first? But at a certain point your left foot remembers to start all by itself, your body knows what to do, you always end up in the correct spot and your arm knows that it has to go up. So basically you body also has a kind of memory, not just your head. As a dancer you learn to use that memory of your body, you train it, so you can trust on it that every time you'll know which steps to dance.Answer by Marja
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