IN COPENHAGEN DANCE SPACE
23 YEARS OLD
PROFESSIONAL DANCER
@DIDDEMIE_FROM
Trine: You are just insane Didde-Mie… I am so impressed by how good a dancer you are and how you can move your body… It’s just crazy what you can do. When did you start dancing?
Didde-Mie: When I was two and a half years old. I had so much energy and fireworks coming out of my arse that my mom thought dance would be good for me.
Trine: I think we can all agree she was right on that one. What type of dancing was that then?
Didde-Mie: It was both jazz ballet and children’s dance. I loved it.
Trine: When did you discover it as a path to take seriously and make your profession?
Didde-Mie: I remember how I always felt completely present when dancing. It wasn’t because I didn’t like school, but dance was just the end all be all for me. I felt like I could almost disappear into it and just feel totally immersed and that is probably what I always have loved about dancing.
Trine: And then came the day when you took the leap (of faith) and became professional.You were so young as well. How did you even dare make such a decision?
Didde-Mie: Dance was my whole life, and I was training all the time to become better and better. I was in every competition there was, and I could see how I kept winning them all…. So I could see that it was working and that I had a talent and I was good. Besides that, a lot of difficult things were happening in my family: illness, divorce, and other hard stuff, which probably resulted in me immersing myself even further in my training and elevating my craft.
Trine: So dance became an outlet for you, a place where you could “take a break” from all the difficult things happening?
Didde-Mie: Yes I definitely think so, and then I met Josefin, who became a kind of mentor for me and helped me enormously.She also became my manager and has always been a huge support for me, even though I was so young back then, I never felt alone.
Trine: You were only 16 when you first traveled to London and started dancing there… It’s very early to start your career all on your own in a completely foreign place…
Didde-Mie: Yes, it is. But I never felt that it was wrong or irresponsible. I was always in safe surroundings and was allowed to do what I wanted to do the most, which was dance. I was back and forth a lot between London and Copenhagen and didn’t live permanently in any place for many years… I actually don’t even really do that now - and that’s probably the only thing I can feel has started to become a bit of a problem for me.
Trine: Do you feel rootless?
Didde-Mie: Yes maybe, but I have never thought about it before now. I’ve just been so happy to have come so far in my dancing career and for having experienced so much because of it.
Trine: Yes, because it’s so crazy how much you have achieved. To think that you are only 23 years old and already have such a long career behind you, precisely because you started so early - it’s very impressive. Among these achievements is being part of Dua Lipa’s regular dance team for 7 years… That is insane and so well done. There must be so many in your field that would love to get there, but can only dream of it.
Didde-Mie: Yes… And I must remember to remind myself of that, so it doesn’t just become “bigger, better deal”. All that I have dreamed of is right in front of me and I need to enjoy that. I have achieved so much of what I dreamed of and can make a living from dancing… Which in and of itself is a dream come true. Now I even have a boyfriend, who I am so happy to have and who has supported me through a very recent tough time, so I feel very grateful.
Trine: Getting through this tough time and then, on top of that having found a boyfriend - has that changed your view on how you live… Meaning that you constantly are on the move and not anchored to a solid base?
Didde-Mie: Yes, I am maybe not as concerned with the dance-world as I previously have been… Or definitely in a different way.Taking a break from it all has actually given me a new hunger and motivation to try new things. It’s given me a reminder of why I started dancing in the first place. But I’ve also been very conscious of needing to be in a new way, one where I’m better at saying no to the things that don’t make sense, thereby taking better care of myself and my time.
Trine: It often becomes like that when you’ve gone through a crisis. It opens your eyes to new perspectives and pushes us to make different choices.
Didde-Mie: Yes, I can feel how I now have a big need to not be on the go all the time, headed to the next gig, but also wanting to spend some time on who I am as a person. Actually getting to know myself better and maybe even taking the time to be bored, without needing to be completely burned out by all the training and a crazy rigorous schedule first.
Trine: Yes, because there is a big difference between the breaks that you take intentionally, where you take time to focus and recharge, and then the ones where you are just paralyzed on the couch like an overcooked vegetable and you’re really just trying to recuperate before you’re back at it going 100 miles an hour.
Didde-Mie: Precisely… And that’s what very easily can tend to happen, meaning the breaks become pure survival and that’s not healthy in the long run.
Trine: No, and especially not when you also wish to spend your time exploring new and exciting things, but end up being too exhausted to do so. I know way too well from my own life because I’ve also always allowed my work to take up a lot of space, and it’s such a hard balance to get right when you’re also so happy doing what you do.
Didde-Mie: I too would prefer to always be doing something and preferably at a fast pace as well, and in reality that in and of itself is a way to avoid dealing with a lot of things.. And that also has to end now.
Trine: What are you dreaming about now?
Didde-Mie: I’m dreaming about; both dancing for big artists like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna and others… But also creating a proper home with my boyfriend, maybe in the countryside. Maybe we might even get a dog together…
Trine: Go for it!!! It sounds like a really great plan and a super nice mix… Thanks for your time dear Didde-Mie.
