Vincent Veenbrink from Meppel and the Danish Kristina Møller are living their dream. They found each other in a miraculous way. First on the dance floor and then in everyday life. And as icing on the cake, they are crowned Dutch ballroom dance champions in their first year with the professionals.
They float across the dance floor in beautiful costumes. Each pass is executed to perfection with visible pleasure and the greatest ease. Behind this radiant and utterly romantic picture hides a hectic and above all disciplined life. ,,To be able to dance at the highest level, we have to do a lot and leave even more, but we feel very comfortable with that.”
Kristina (34) is Danish. She works for a Dutch company in Germany and lives in Osnabrück. She can also regularly be found at the head office in Amsterdam. She is in Meppel from Friday to Tuesday evening. To train with Vincent in the dance school of Henk Hulzebos, his uncle. ,,My boss doesn’t complain,” she laughs.
“Exercise five times a week and go to the gym daily”
Vincent (30) has his own company in digital literacy for primary and secondary schools, basicly in Groningen. Can do a lot online remotely, but must also be regularly where the company needs him. In addition, he can be found daily in his uncle’s dance school on Stationsweg. To dance, teach and work on choreographies.
And then there are the competitions and training sessions at home and abroad, especially in Germany and England, cradle of ballroom dancing. As if that wasn’t busy enough, they are in the gym every day (due to the different agendas often independent of each other) to maintain their condition. Kristina: ,,I usually do that in the morning at seven o’clock.” A good start to the day, as it turns out. “I’m often the first one at work.”
The couple has just returned from a multi-day training camp in Poland: 7.5 hours in the car and 7.5 hours back. Drive at night, because then it is nice and quiet and you also have something to do during the day. Kristina: ,,You can also go on holiday, but that’s our choice.” Vincent: ,,We want to get the most out of ourselves and so we grab every opportunity to train with good international trainers with both hands.”
‘Found each other on meat inspection on Facebook’
Vincent and Kristina have been dancing together for three years. In fact, both have known for a long time that they want to perform at the highest level. Finding a dance partner who not only clicks, but who also competes in the same way, is difficult. They find each other in a way that is as special as it is distant.
Kristina laughs: ,,There are many groups on Facebook in which dancers who are looking for a partner offer themselves. A kind of meat inspection. You tell us something about yourself, your height, ambitions and whether you are willing to move, for example. Often there is a clip in which the person in question can be seen dancing.”
The market is also closely monitored by trainers, who look for the right match for their pupil. And so it happens that the Drenthe Vincent and the Danish Kristina at one point face each other. ,,Actually very strange,” says Vincent. ,,You are facing a complete stranger, turn on the music and then you try each other.” And then what both have dreamed of for years happens: ,,Yes, it clicked. And it only got better the second and third time.”
‘Dressage riding or dancing?’
At that point, Kristina has already given up hope a bit and is about to move on with her other partner, a horse. ,,I was actually good at two things: dancing and riding dressage. In Denmark it is even more difficult to find the right dance partner. Fewer people live there, so there are also fewer dancers. And in the school where I danced, 14 or 15 year old boys didn’t always enjoy dancing with a woman in her twenties. I focused more and more on dressage, and that went very well until I met that crazy Dutchman.”
Follow conversations. A good click and having fun together on the dance floor is one thing, but reaching the top together is another story. Vincent: ,,We had to be clear about how much time, energy and especially money we were willing to invest in our sport. Fortunately, we still thought and think the same. We live small and live frugally to be able to spend as much time and money as possible on dancing.”
And that requires sacrifices, but they are happy to pay them. ,,Dancing is a way of life ”, says Kristina. ,,Vincent: ,,If we have time to go to a party on Saturday evening, then it is a soft drink or a juice and go home at 9 pm, at the latest at 9.30 pm. On Sunday morning we have to be in top shape for the match or training.” Kristina: ,,During the period prior to the Dutch Championships, I didn’t see my family in Denmark for five months. It does demand something from you and your environment. That’s what I mean by way of life .”
‘I knew: once I put on dancing shoes, there is no going back’
As a nine-year-old boy, Vincent is not at all concerned with dancing. It is football that strikes the clock. He wants to be ‘Van der Sar’, goalkeeper. Apparently Henk Hulzebos sees something in the movements of his nephew under the bar. ,,I said to him: just come and have a look at the dance school. If you don’t like it, it’s fine, but at least you’ve seen it.”
And Vincent comes to watch. And he continues to do so. So watch. From the balcony with a great view of the dance floor. ,,I liked to see it, but refused to dance myself.” In the end he agrees, but not ‘completely’. ,,I entered the dance floor in socks, refused to put on dancing shoes. Why? Somehow I knew I would be sold, that once I put those shoes on there would be no turning back.” But he puts them on so as not to take them off again.
From the age of eleven he starts dancing more and more seriously, discovers the competitive sport. Also wins matches and likes it more and more. He dances towards the amateur top with various partners. “People stop because dancing takes too much time and dedication. I don’t blame them at all, because very understandable. I am very grateful to my dance partners. They contributed to my growth. I couldn’t have reached this level without them. Moniek, my first dance partner, is still my best friend.”
‘Few couples have a relationship outside the dance floor’
By fate, if you can call Facebook that, Vincent and Kristina are suddenly a couple. And more than that, because the spark spreads even further and they fall in love.
And then? Then corona comes and the world is locked. “People got sick and died, really horrible, but for us as a dance couple the lockdown was a blessing. We could focus completely on each other and on the dancing. There may be more talented dancers than us, but there is also a lot of passion involved. The different dances have been standardized all over the world. Everyone starts working with the same information. And so it’s about the interpretation, the execution and the passion. Of course we strive for perfection, but that also includes imperfection. We are not machines, dancing is an art form. And that’s what the jury wants to see.”
And that’s what the jury will see. Kristina and Vincent dance to the Dutch ballroom amateur top with the English waltz, tango, slowfox, quickstep and Viennese waltz. They decide to raise the bar even higher: become a professional dancer and move on to the Champions League . In dancing, the prof says everything about the level and not about the income of the dancers. Vincent: ,,You can make a living if you also teach in your own dance studio in addition to competitive sport. I have already registered for the training to become a dance teacher.”
‘Dancing to live music by a large orchestra. Really very special’
In less than half a year, the new-fangled professionals have to prepare for the Dutch National Championships. ,,We worked very hard and also went to the Grand Slam in Blackpool. The British Open Championships are held there every year, even more prestigious than the world championships. We managed to make it to the third round.” Kristina: ,,From round three, we dance to live music by a large orchestra. That is really special to experience.”
The result in Blackpool is no guarantee, but it does give a very good feeling for the Dutch National Championships in Assen. Kristina: ,,In England we had our test and in Assen it turned out that we passed. I am proud that we succeeded.” Vincent: ,,That trophy does mean something to me. That we eventually managed to reach this level together via different routes. It doesn’t get much nicer.” Eh, what about the World Cup? “We can go there and we certainly will. But first in November the Dutch Open in the Bonte Wever in Assen.”