Dear Editor,
A group of dancers in San Francisco with much sorrow received the news that Cees (van Dolderen) died in Holland.
We had a bond with Cees because of Arlene Halley. Our sympathy goes out to his family, the Motiance Dance School and the dance world in St. Maarten. We have no doubt that Cees was a pioneer in dance on St. Maarten. Upon receiving the sad news, we went back down memory lane on this occasion and we will share some of it with you.
We met Cees in Holland in 1996; he was then recovering from his lung transplant. Arlene had returned to San Francisco in 1992. Cees and Arlene were always planning some dance event or exchange. We remember that she couldn't do The Nutcracker here in San Francisco because she had already promised Cees she would go back to St. Maarten in December to stage The Nutcracker again.
Arlene had told us about a very successful trip that Motiance had done to Aruba, just as she had done for us, Ballet Celeste International of San Francisco, 10 years before in 1982.
In that year, barely having arrived in San Francisco, she organized a dance tour for us to Venezuela and Aruba.
In Holland we had six performances in several cities put together by Cees. We remember Adrien Busby chauffeuring us around in a minibus, we also met Aisha Brandon, an ex-Motiance dancer. Once Cees returned to St. Maarten, together he and Arlene organized two more tours. We then performed in Maho and the Regina School. We smile because out of these tours we got three marriages amongst the San Francisco dancers, all still going strong!
We will be eternally grateful to Cees for introducing us to Holland, and to Arlene for introducing us to St. Maarten, Venezuela and Aruba. As we are remembering Cees, we realize how he and Arlene have been bound at the hip and shared common views of the dance world and dance education. Without hesitation she left the dance schools (Academy of Arts and Ballet, Pacific Dance Theater Inc) and companies (Theater Ballet of San Francisco and Ballet Celeste International) she directed in the US.
She returned home to her family and Cees/Motiance when he was again in need of a ballet teacher. It is of no surprise to us that he has entrusted Arlene the Motiance dance school. From where we sit here in SF, we realize that St. Maarten has lost a pioneer in dance but also that they still have in their midst another ambassador of dance and the Caribbean. For us, Cees and Arlene brought together the Caribbean, the United States and the Netherlands.
When you danced with Arlene in San Francisco, you felt like you belonged to the United Nations. We could all sit at her table, all schools, all disciplines, all dancers, all nations. Cees, we are proud to have known you, may you rest in peace. Arlene, much strength, we miss you too.
Dancers from: Ballet Celeste International, Theatre Ballet of San Francisco, Academy of Arts and Ballet
