“To keep an aircraft stable during major movements, you have to make constant small corrections, just like in ballet.”
Meet Maud Beenders. She dances at Studio Simoncini. After attending Summerschool Den Haag for several years, she joined the regular ballet classes last year.
“In just one year I’ve become much stronger in my ballet technique because you receive so much personal attention here.”
“When I first walked into Studio Simoncini, it immediately felt like one big family with a wonderful group of girls.”
“We work hard, we laugh a lot, and at the same time we’re all determined to improve our ballet technique. I think that’s something special because you don’t often find this kind of team spirit.”
Besides ballet, Maud’s other great passion is flying. After a demanding selection process, she was accepted into a sixteen-month pilot training programme in Switzerland. To Maud, flying an aircraft and dancing ballet have far more in common than most people would expect.
“Before I was accepted into the pilot school, I had to complete a coordination test. The level of control you need to use your eyes, hands and feet simultaneously is exactly the same as in ballet.”
“In ballet class you hear the music, watch a combination, memorise it and translate it into movement with your hands and feet. During the pilot assessment I had coloured signals in front of me, sounds in my headset, and at the same time I had to perform different tasks with my hands and feet. It felt surprisingly similar.”
Maud also remembers one of the funniest moments at the ballet school.
“During our Sinterklaas celebration, Nina suddenly appeared in the middle of class dressed as Sinterklaas. We laughed so hard. If you watch the video, you can see the surprise on our faces.”
Although she is excited about her new adventure, leaving ballet is not easy.
“I’m really going to miss ballet, but I’ll definitely be back.”
Maud pauses for a moment before adding with a smile:
“But for now… my pilot’s uniform is waiting for me.”
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