A little about us…
We live in Zeist, which is a medium sized city in The Netherlands, almost in the middle of the country. Zeist is about 45 minutes South/South-East of Amsterdam. Gert-Jan was born in The Netherlands; Susie was born in the U.S.A. but has been living in The Netherlands since 1985.
Gert-Jan is retired from an applied science institute where he worked as a chemical analyst and then as a safety supervisor. Susie has also stopped working as the webmaster for the county government. Since our retirement, we have been able to spend more time in the States, dancing, being with family and seeing a lot of the sights the States has to offer. We have also more time now to enjoy the sights in Europe.
Our main hobby is Square and Round Dancing. We started round dancing in 1984 and cueing/teaching round dancing in 1986. We teach all levels from phase I to phase VI and have a Carousels Club in Zeist, NL. We also teach and cue at festivals throughout Europe and the States. We have taught in England, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, The Czech Republic, Austria and Belgium as well as in the States, both at a National Convention and at ICBDA (formerly URDC). We enjoy choreography and have written more than 60 dances. We are pleased that a number of our dances have been selected as a Roundalab Round of the Quarter, and our very first choreography, “Calendar Girl” is now a Roundalab Golden Classic.
From 1991-1994 and from 2000-2006 we were the European Round Dance Coordinators for the European Callers and Teachers Association (ECTA). While in this board position, we helped to establish the present European criteria for testing cuers and teachers. We also put together a booklet for new cuers and wrote many teacher training tips. At the request of the cuers from the British Association we helped establish the same type of system in England. We have given a number of Teacher Education Seminars throughout Europe and feel that the best way to better dancers is through better teachers. We also wrote many articles for the European Association of American Square Dancers (EAASDC) in their monthly bulletin and monthly notes for cuers during our time as RD Coordinators. As well as being members of our European organization, we feel it is important to support other dance organizations.
We are members of ROUNDALAB, CALLERLAB, ICBDA (International Choreographed Ballroom Dance Association, Dixie Round Dance Council (DRDC), and of course our local Dutch organization, the NVSD.
Gert-Jan is a former amateur ballroom champion and has taken part in various competitions including the Open British Championships in Blackpool. His knowledge of figures, foot placement, body actions and technique have helped immensely in our round dance teaching.
We have 2 daughters, who both live in the States with their families, and we have 5 grandchildren, and at the moment also 2 great-grandchildren. Gert-Jan’s immediate family lives in The Netherlands, and Susie’s immediate family lives in the States. We are very happy and blessed with our families.