Collective Betterment on stage

From searching to finding

Emma turned this premise into striking choreography. "I first showed each profession in isolation. One by one, they're searching, their movements aren't quite smooth, they don't feel comfortable in their own skin. Then, slowly, they come together. They start to follow each other, they look at each other, find each other, and eventually they even lift one another up. They discover they can lean on each other and support one another, literally. From that moment on, the movements become smoother and they get in sync. They know now: we can build something better together."

Feeling the connection

Emma recognises this principle from her own work. "I'm at my best when I feel I can trust the people around me. People who take responsibility, and with whom I feel both a creative and a personal connection. I compare working together to making a cake: milk, eggs, flour, the icing. Everyone adds something to what eventually becomes a cake."

Passion

In this production as well, everyone contributed something from their own expertise and strengths. "Timo is someone who gives people the freedom to work from their own expertise, and he doesn't get knocked off his own path easily," Emma says. "Beyond that, he's incredibly loyal, both to the work and to the people he works with. And Joshua, with his expertise, gave the film exactly the sound it needed."

Discovering new disciplines

Timo: "I love the road less travelled, and I find it brilliant to get the chance to work with new disciplines. I usually work with actors, but this time it was dancers. Dance says so much without words. It's about the language of movement and expression. It's more abstract, less tangible, more on an emotional level. I like to surround myself with people I can build on and trust. So we can lift each other to a higher level, just like in the dance. And that's exactly what happened on this production. It was a wonderful, organic collaboration. Emma has a really distinctive style, with which she connects artistic choreography to the kind of movement you need to tell an accessible story that everyone can understand. She brings huge energy to the set and knows how to bring people with her."

Leadership

Leadership: that was a word you heard a lot about Emma during the production, both from the dancers and the crew. Is Emma a born leader? She says: "I think it's important that the people I work with feel good. That they have a place where they can work well, and enough room to be creative. In my field, it's always about finding the right balance between your own work and working with others. Exactly what the film is about. I think a good leader is someone who lifts others up. Who makes sure others are strong enough. Not someone who sits on a throne and lets others do the work."

Tempo and timing

Timo had worked with composer Joshua before, and the two found each other in perfect sync again on the Make work move you film. Timo: "Joshua has a real feel for how to tell a story with sound, and he knows exactly what an image needs to come even more to life. His work is always of very high quality."

Joshua: "My team and I got to start during the concept phase. As a composer, you're often only involved at a later stage, but this time we were involved right away. We chose an elegant but raw sound, which fits perfectly with the bold imagery and the choreography that was then created to our music. Everything had to be right: tempo, timing, build-up. It’s wonderful to see it come to life. The collaboration with Timo and Emma was effortless, with real respect for one another."

Mental flexibility

It's a wrap, and the paths of Timo, Emma and Joshua part ways for now. But not before we talked about the campaign theme: 'Make work move you'. What moves these creatives in their own work?

Timo: "My work makes me happy. Although I don't act, dance or play music myself, it still feels like I've created something when a project is done. There's something really special about contributing to something you make as a team. Though it can also be hard to stay grounded when people around you have all sorts of opinions on what you make. It's important to stay flexible: not holding on to your own views at all costs, but letting other perspectives in. That's what I call mental flexibility."

In motion

Joshua: "Making music doesn't feel like work to me. When something clicks, it gives you so much motivation to keep going. Our field is under pressure from AI, and that means: keep moving. Embracing change, looking for alternatives, distinguishing yourself from what's going on around you. Not following the crowd, but searching for what's real and your own. Because of these changes, we're more motivated than ever to make more authentic content, content that's about something, content that moves people. Through that, I'm actually getting closer to myself, and that's a blessing."

Confidence put to the test

Emma: "My work connects me to the world around me. To grand and intimate spaces, stages and theatres of every kind. Through my work, I come into contact with artists, companies and clients I'd probably never have crossed paths with otherwise. That keeps me learning. In my field, your confidence is regularly put to the test. I won a Gouden Kalf, but that doesn't mean everything I do afterwards will automatically be a success. With every new project, I have to start over. Success is never guaranteed. Just think: even that breakout Netflix show was once a fragile idea from someone who wasn't sure it would land."

Make work move you

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