Bianca de Jong has been teaching folk dance since 1977. In 1981 she qualified as a folk dance teacher, officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture in the Netherlands.
BIANCA DE JONG
Bianca de Jong has been teaching folk dance since 1977. In 1981 she qualified as a folk dance teacher, officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture in the Netherlands.
In 1987 the Ministry graduated her on the level of the Dance Academy in the Netherlands with the so-called "Benoembaarheidsverklaring." The same year, Bianca passed the examination for the degree of Doctorandus in the Sciences of Education, mastering in Orthopedagogy at the University of Amsterdam. After that she qualified post-doctorate as a health care psychologist. At present she works in the field of youth care as an advisor, researcher and developer of youth care programs and interventions.
From 1978 on Bianca studies Bulgarian folklore and travels to Bulgaria. She visits amateur and professional ensembles, researchers, and (village) dancers.
From 1983-1990, she visited Turkey regularly to study folklore.
From 1981-1995, Bianca has organized folklore tours to Bulgaria and once to Turkey.
Bianca is active in several aspects of teaching folk dance. Besides Bulgarian folk dance, she teaches folk dances from different countries on all levels and various occasions in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, England as well as she did in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Hongkong, Israel, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United States. She has taught at the dance academy in Tilburg (Holland) and Koupio (Finland) and is still a guest teacher for folklore dance techniques at the professional "Het Internationaal Danstheater" in Amsterdam.
Bianca is actively involved in training folk dance teachers. Teaching folk dance is a great passion of hers and she considers the teaching as an art and craft in itself that brings a lot of fun! Her basic philosophy in teaching is that it should be done in such a way that you can describe it as “learning by dancing”.
She has been head of the teaching staff of a two year part-time education in Holland. After that time she was involved as a guest teacher for Bulgarian and Turkish folk dance and the subject of group-dynamics as well as she was a member of the examination committee. Invited by Tineke van Geel , Bianca taught several times folkdance teaching techniques to Japanese folk dance teachers during study trips in the Netherlands. In collaboration with her colleague Jan Knoppers, she developed and executed a one-year training for recreational folk dance teachers in Switzerland.
She is member of the teaching staff of a three year education for teachers of Sacred Dance on the subjects of folkdance and it’s teaching techniques. Bianca leads several workshops for folk dance teachers in Holland as well as abroad.
In 1979-1985, she performed with the Dutch group Praznik, specializing in Bulgarian dance, and in 1987-1991, she performed in the Turkish group Tozak. She was the co-founder of both groups.
Bianca has published articles on Bulgarian folklore and teaching techniques in The Netherlands and abroad. She has choreographed for amateur performing groups in Australia, Holland, and Hongkong as well as for “Het Internationaal Danstheater”. She has been member of several juries at folk dance festivals.
In 1994 she produced a compact disc: "Movements in Bulgarian Folk Music".
Recently Bianca choreographed some dances based upon her experience in Balkan dancing. The most well known are: Telefonski Čoček, Čumajle and Ashun Daje Mori.
Dances Bianca has taught include: Koičowata, Veselinovo Horo, Danec, Džinovsko, Pustonu Ludo I Mlado, Mama na Stojan dumaše.