Under my Umbrella: Makers Track

Under My Umbrella is a platform that supports queer and trans artists of colour from the ballroom scene in developing their practice beyond ballroom. Makers Track is its development trajectory, in which four makers create their own solo work, learn to work as a collective, and get to know professional methods from theatre and dance.

‍

First edition: October 2026 to January 2027
The first Makers Track brings together four makers from the ballroom scene:

• Venla Keskinen, "Miila 007"
• James Parnell, "James 007"
• Bella Pattinasarany, "Bella Dolcé"
• Deion Simon, "Deion Balenciaga"

They are guided by movement coach Sarada Sarita Keilman and dramaturg Aukje Verhoog. The edition is produced by Ballroom Works, in partnership with Maaspodium and Theater Zuidplein.

‍

Research frame 

The makers work with three layers of ballroom:

• ballroom as philosophy: chosen family, freedom, resilience and competition
• ballroom as aesthetics and language: movement, fashion, expression and attitude
• ballroom as practice: voguing, performance formats, "each one teach one", categories and battles

Throughout the trajectory, they explore how these layers translate into theatre, and what new forms appear when they do.

‍

1. Workshops (October 2026, Theater Zuidplein) Miila, James, Bella and Deion start with four workshop weeks led by Aukje and Sarita at Theater Zuidplein. They are introduced to movement research, dramaturgy and choreography, and explore how the collective spirit, aesthetics and queer experience of ballroom can shape their choreographic work. By the end, each maker has formulated their first research questions.

‍

2. Showing (October 29th 2026, Theater Zuidplein) The makers share their first ideas with an audience in a small-scale presentation. It is a moment to test ideas, receive feedback and see how the work lands.

‍

3. Residency (November to early December 2026, Maaspodium) During a five-week residency at Maaspodium, the makers work individually and together, supported by Aukje and Sarita. They turn their research into a first version of their work, experimenting with movement, writing, music, space, light and dramaturgy.

‍

4. Final show (December 11th 2026, Maaspodium) The residency ends with a public evening of four solo works of 15 minutes each. The makers develop the format and dramaturgical structure of the evening together.

‍

5. Open Labs (January 2027, Rotterdam) Each maker hosts a Lab: an open workshop where they share their research with other creatives in Rotterdam.