Countless skating stories were told, countless heroes were featured. On April 4, the final of ‘Schaatstheater Onderweg’, the mix of music and sports stories by Hoogeveen childhood friends Herbert Dijkstra and Jan Vayne, will follow in De Tamboer.
Dijkstra became a sports commentator, Vayne became a piano virtuoso. They never lost sight of each other since their time at Menso Altingh College. Dijkstra was inspired by Vayne to play the piano and they have been performing together in the ‘Schaatstheater’ for a year now.
Dijkstra tells and interviews, Vayne plays (and they do that together). Athletes drop by as guests; with Eleven Cities winner Evert van Benthem perhaps the greatest.
Olympics
On April 4, the two school friends will be assisted by violinist and former classmate Adriaan Stoet, the Haydn Youth String Orchestra and the choir of the Harens Lyceum. The choir consists of one hundred members from six classes; the orchestra creates an atmosphere that an athlete experiences during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
With the conclusion in De Tamboer the circle is complete. In Hoogeveen, Herbert Dijkstra’s adoration for Piet Kleine, the 1976 Olympic champion, began. When postman Kleine delivered the mail to the Dijkstra’s, little Herbert knew for sure: he would become a skater.
Inspiration
Two years after Kleine’s Olympic gold, Dijkstra and Vayne (then Veenje) met in class. Dijkstra had already made his choice for the sport, but was fascinated by the piano virtuoso that Vayne already was. In the years that Dijkstra broke through as an athlete – and also reached the Games himself – he continued to follow Vayne.
Vayne inspired Dijkstra to continue playing the piano; he still plays without sheet music, but with dedication.
Young talent
Everything comes together on April 4. Inspiration is always the theme in ‘Skating Theater Underway’. Where Vayne is a source of inspiration for the younger generation, Vayne is inspired by young talent.
The organization is in the hands of Jansen Event Sportmanagement from Sleen, together with the Tamboer theater. Tickets are available via the De Tamboer website.