Meet the performers: Deion Simon

Deion Simon (Amsterdam, 1995) is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and stylist. He studied at the Amsterdam University of the Arts (AHK) and did an internship at SALLY Dansgezelschap Maastricht. Just prior to House of Strength he had been dancing in the performance Primisi by choreographer Alida Dors. “A very nice and intense experience.”

As a stylist he works for magazines such as Linda, Numéro and Complex. Deion: “I always try to discover and strengthen someone’s personal style. I also try to stay as close to the concept as possible when styling for performances.”

Strength

“For me, strength equals self-knowledge. For that, it is important to discover who you are, what you like and where you stand in your life. I experience the most strength when I am alone, doing things I want to do. Or when I throw myself into the deep end and do things I didn’t dare to do at first.”

Rituals

“I don’t really have rituals in my life, but dance has the same value for me. It gives so much spiritual power and is so much more than just movements. Dancing is therapeutic, it gives you a different feeling. This can also have this effect on the audience. Everyone has their own interpretation of a performance – which is in part connected to personal experiences – but I think that’s the beauty of it. ”

Inclusion

“For me, inclusion is being together. It makes people feel that they are allowed to belong, that they are not being locked out. I think people often feel that things are not meant for them. You don’t always have to participate in something, but you do have to feel like you can be a part of it. When watching a performance, you don’t have to be on stage, but you also shouldn’t feel that it’s so closed that it’s not really meant for you as a viewer.

At House of Strength I hope for a very varied audience. In addition, I hope that many people from Iran will visit, as the show is inspired by their culture. I look forward to seeing how they experience seeing this on stage.”

Curious about …

“I really like the way Roshanak works. She has a clear vision and I feel that she is working towards an end result in which everything comes together. I am very curious how everything on stage will fit together in the end.”