My name is Elaisa van der Kust, and I was born and raised in Amsterdam.
At the age of 16, I was first introduced to academic dance forms such as classical ballet, jazz, modern, and modern jazz at the Art & Entertainment College Amsterdam. I was a latecomer, but I blossomed quickly.
In my second year of dance school, I discovered the “Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.” I was deeply inspired and began to learn more about this company and Alvin Ailey’s legacy. The dancers inspired me so much that I set a goal for myself: “One day, I want to get to where these dancers are now!”
In my second year of school, I auditioned for a culture-focused dance and theater company called “Untold Empowerment.” I danced with this company for four years and toured both domestically and internationally, including Suriname and England. My experience with this company brought me closer to myself and my roots, and it strengthened my vision as a dancer through the power of my history and the art I possess.
Because of my connection to Afro-inspired dance styles, in 2014 I sought to create a platform for young people who wanted to express themselves through Afro dance. With this in mind, I organized the first Afro Dance Battle in Amsterdam (Southeast, No Limit), and the second edition took place in December of that year at the Bijlmer Parktheater.
After successfully completing my four-year dance program at the Art & Entertainment College Amsterdam, I continued my dance studies at the “Institut de Formation Professionnelle Rick Odums” in Paris. This program focuses primarily on jazz dance, classical ballet, and the Graham and Horton techniques. While practicing these styles, I discovered a passion for shaping the body using the Horton technique. The Horton technique is a well-known modern dance technique that is primarily used by one of the largest modern dance companies in the United States (New York), “The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.”
In the summer of 2015, I was accepted into my dream school, “The Ailey School”—the official school of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—after auditioning in Paris. Before long, I was in New York, enrolled in the “Independent Study Program” at The Ailey School. A year later, I auditioned again—this time for the Scholarship Program—and was awarded a full tuition Level 2 scholarship.
I graduated from The Ailey in 2018 and am currently working in New York as a professional dancer. I am a company member of “Urban Bush Women” and “Oyu Oro Afro Cuban Experimental Dance Ensemble,” and I work as an apprentice for Ronald K. Brown’s “Evidence A Dance Company.”
I’m working hard to pursue my dreams as a dancer and performer in New York, but I’ll never forget where I’m from and what brought me here to New York. That’s why I continue to focus on the African Diaspora and the Afro-related dance techniques associated with it. I do this by consistently taking classes in these techniques and studying the history of these Afro-related dance techniques.
