Karin Bloemen performs in Australia and New Zealand

In 2009 “Diva” Karin Bloemen visited New Zealand and performed her “best of show” at the Bruce Mason Centre on Auckland’s north shore. She went on to holiday and was completely won over by New Zealand as well as by the people she met. One thing was clear when she left New Zealand and that was that she would return.

The show “an evening with Karin” is like her 2009 “the best off” show and Karin has taken material from all her different shows she performed over the last 28 years.

The show is in Dutch, her sketches are often based around the various Dutch accents and she has that rare ability to point out social and personal shortcomings that could be sharp and harsh but also human and gives the audience the ability to see the funny side of life.

In 2009 in Auckland moments in the show brought out the deep emotions of the audience when Karin sang “het Dorp” instantly everybody was taken back to the traditional Dutch shows of Holland’s much loved Cabaret artists like Toon Hermans and Wim Zonneveld.
It was one of those moments that make Karin Bloemen’s performances so special. But even she commented on that moment when she came off stage, “did you feel that” she said backstage.

Karin is known for her outrageous characters she portrays. “It’s all a matter of getting things right. Humour is a funny thing. As a comedian you’re always treading the fine line of what’s acceptable. You need to stomp around in that sensitive twilight zone where people are happy to laugh.”
It’s a rare ability Karin has, she can read moments so well and take something so simple and “everyday” that you and I would not think off, she will use this and turn it into the funniest thing you have ever seen.

Over the last few years Karin has been extremely busy, so much so that she had to postpone her new show “de witte nar”.She still performs her show “Diva’s” with Cor Bakker on piano. Her collaboration with Cor Bakker goes back to de kleinkunst academy and of course the very successful show “De Diva en de Divan”.

The four performances in New Zealand will be unique. It’s a rare opportunity for the Dutch community to experience the best Holland has to offer on their very own doorstep. Like in 2009 we are sure tickets will sell fast so don’t miss out.

All shows are available on DVD.

Karin's Australian performances will be in:
MELBOURNE on Friday 12 July at Memorial Hall, Melbourne High School,
SYDNEY on Saturday 13 July at North's (RSL) Auditorium.

In New Zealand, Karin will be performing in:
AUCKLAND on Saturday 20 July at Waipuna Lodge,
HAMILTON on Tuesday 23 July at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts,
FOXTON on Wednesday 24 July at the War Memorial Hall,
CHRISTCHURCH on Saturday 27 July at the Grange Theatre.

Tickets on sale now:
AUSTRALIA:
$75 for holland focus subscribers (two tickets per subscription). $89 for General Public
Shows start at 8pm
iet fuijkschot, holland focus, (t) 03 9751 2795 (m) 0419 465 516 (e) editor@hollandfocus.com
NEW ZEALAND:
Willem van de Velde (t) 09 418 1390 (m) 021519094 (e) willemvdvelde@slingshot.co.nz
Joop Boumeester, (t) 09 415 8805 (m) 021 53 93 83 (e) joopboumeester@me.com

NCCA Orange Business Breakfast

Tuesday 30 April 2013 will be a date to remember in the Netherlands. Queen Beatrix will officially abdicate the throne in favour of her eldest son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima.

To celebrate this historic day the NCCA will put on an Orange Business Breakfast at the Hilton on the Park from 7.30am till 9am. You will be able to enjoy a typical Dutch breakfast (hagelslag included) and hear from our guest speaker, Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Hans Nieuwland, about the inauguration of the new King and the meaning of this very special day for the Dutch and their international relations.

Visit Trybooking to book your ticket.
For more information, contact Victoire Blom on Mobile: 0413 581 362 or Email: info@ncca.com.au

Het officiële Koningslied

Dinsdag 30 april belooft een bijzondere dag te worden. De muzikale apotheose van deze dag van de troonswisseling is het klinken in Ahoy van Het Officiële Koninglied, vertolkt door een keur aan Nederlandse artiesten, het Metropole Orkest en het hele publiek.
De nieuwe Koning en Koningin kijken in Amsterdam, voorafgaand aan hun rondvaart op het IJ, via een groot scherm bij EYE live mee met het zingen van het Koningslied. Voorafgaand aan dit muzikale cadeau aan het Koningspaar is het in Ahoy vanaf 17.30 uur een groot feest waarbij iedereen kan meezingen met Nederlandse artiesten en hun grote en bekende hits.
Het Officiële Koningslied is geschreven met inbreng van vele Nederlanders.
Het hele concert, inclusief de vertolking van het Koningslied rond 19.30 uur, wordt integraal uitgezonden op Radio 2.

From 4 February to 28 April 2013 the travelling exhibition ‘Anne Frank, A history for today’, is on display at the Jewish Holocaust Museum and Research Centre in Elsternwick, Melbourne.
It is a message to the young people of today, written by a 15 year old Jewish girl that has become a worldwide symbol for the millions of Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

After April 28 the exhibition travels to the Gold Museum in Ballarat and will be on display from 6 May to 11 August 2013. It then travels around major cities and regional towns throughout Australia in this and the coming years.

The story
To prevent that the family will be taken captive by the Nazis, Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in an inconspicuous canal house on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, on 6 July 1942. Their hiding place, of which the entrance is hidden behind a bookcase, is known worldwide as ‘The Secret Annex’. On her thirteenth birthday Anne Frank receives a diary, in which she meticulously writes what is happening around her and what she and her family have to endure. In August 1944 the hiding place of the Frank family and their friends was betrayed by an unknown person. They were separated from each other and sent to different concentration camps. Anne dies, aged 15 years, in Bergen-Belsen. Only her father survives the war. He decides that his daughter’s diary should be shared with the rest of the world.
The exhibition
Quotations from Anne Frank’s diary and photos of her family form a thread throughout the exhibition. To emphasise the chronological order of events, almost every panel contains a time line. Below the time line is the personal story of Anne Frank and above the time line the visitor is confronted with the ‘big historical events’ of that time.
Message
The worldwide tour is coordinated by the Anne Frank House and is directed at young people from 11 to 18 years old. “The diary of Anne Frank is a book with a strong message which is still relevant for all young people throughout the world: ‘learn to live together with other communities and respect each other’s culture and habits.’ And that is what we want to explain in this exhibition,” according to Ronald Leopold, general director of the Anne Frank Foundation. “We want to pass on the message to the younger generation. Therefore supplementary material such as a catalogue, a DVD and instructions for guides and schools will be part of the exhibition.” The Anne Frank Exhibition travelled through New Zealand from 2010 till 2012 and was a huge success. The expectations for Australia are very high too.

For more information and Travelling dates / Places, go to the Anna Frank website

Our big Dutch family is growing. This autumn, LEKKER welcomes a sister to compliment its first-born.
Two years ago LEKKER Bikes brought you the LEKKER Classic Double Dutch. Now we want to introduce you to Double Dutch’s sister. Meet the LEKKER Jordaan, or “Little Jordy” as we like to call her
Here’s her history:
De Jordaan is a district of Amsterdam, originally a working-class neighbourhood. De Jordaan is home to modern art galleries, niche bars and funky markets. It’s a hub of Dutch culture where Rembrandt spent his last years, giving rise to the counter-culture of “De Jordaan”.
Little Jordy is as special as her namesake! Made from 90% percent aluminium, the LEKKER Jordaan is one of the lightest upright riding commuter bikes on the market. You’ll ride like a princess for years on her super-soft cushion-springed seat and enjoy her deluxe "rookworst tyres," named after the famous, fat Dutch sausage.

Come and meet our new pride and joy, and share the LEKKER love!
Go to lekkerbikes.com.au or visit the new warehouse shop on 392 Queensberry Street in North Melbourne.

Little Jordy wants to meet you!

The LEKKER Jordaan’s Custom Features:
Handlebars: Easily adjustable handlebars to support the Dutch upright riding position.
Seat: Custom-designed super-soft springed-seat, for maximum bum comfort.
Frame: 100% aluminum, super lite but with no substitute for strength. 46 cm, for riders between 5.1ft & 6.4ft.
Gears: 5 speed internal hub gear system, ready to tackle any suburban terrain. Customized with back pedal brakes, for freedom of movement while riding (no rusting gears system).
Wheels: 28inch double wall aluminium wheels with stainless steel spooks to transport your mates (80kg) easily.
Tyres: Fat rookworst tyres in a customized design. These give you a super smooth ride and anti-puncture protection (Mum said you always need protection!)
Lights: Super bright LED lights will aid your vision and keep you out of the emergency room.
Colours: Black frame (like 75% of all bikes in Amsterdam) or pastel green frame (like the oceans in Australia). Cream tires, grips and saddle creates a new fresh look.
Parts: Mudguard rear rack, chain guard, paddles and crank all high quality extra strong aluminium, extra lite and will not rust.

ERASMUS FOUNDATION

Presents a "Dutch Film Day" on Sunday 21 April 2013
(Dutch language - English subtitles) at ACMI Cinemas, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square, Melbourne

Film 1: The Lie, starts at 3:30pm, followed by
Film 2: The Heineken Kidknapping, starts at 5:45pm

Admission: Single session $17, concession $14
Double Session Pass: $30, concession $25
Bookings: Phone (03) 8663 2583 (10am - 6pm), or in person at the ACMI box office, or online www.acmi.net.au/film. (web and phone bookings incur a small booking fee).

A New Business Investment is Under Way

When Jim and Sarah Harper first heard about the plans for a Museum and Cultural Centre for and about the Dutch in New Zealand, right next to windmill De Molen in Foxton, their thoughts immediately turned to ‘De Lieve Stem’. Jim and his wife Sarah own a range of mechanical music machines from the 18th and 19th century, and the biggest and loudest of them all is ‘The Sweet Voice’, a Draaiorgel (street organ) that entertained the crowds in Amsterdam on a daily basis for many years. It was built in 1880 and owned by the Perlee Company until 1962.
The couple restored the organ working on it for two years and made it operational again in 2002, De Lieve Stem has sung its popular Dutch and classical tunes at many regional events – including the official opening of De Molen, Te Papa’s 10th birthday, and a number of Dutch Queen’s Day celebrations.
In 2010, the Harpers offered the Dutch Connection museum the use of De Lieve Stem once it opens in Foxton. “It will be absolutely fabulous to have the traditional sounds from home, to welcome visitors into ‘Onze Plek’ or ‘Our Place’ once we are in business,” says Arjan van der Boon, Chairperson of The Dutch Connection museum trust.
Jim and Sarah are now in the process of setting up business in Foxton, and as a key part of this process, bringing De Lieve Stem closer to the place where it will spend its future days. The Wellington couple bought the 90 year old Foxton Racing Club building in 2012, after they fell in love with it during a random visit.
“I imagine that at the official opening of the Te Awahou-Nieuwe Stroom community and tourism project, we will hear Maori karakia welcoming people, and we will also hear the organ play the Dutch historical songs from our childhood that we know so well,” says Arjan. “It will be an emotional moment for our Dutch guests. And Jim and Sarah want De Lieve Stem to play for visitors on a regular basis. That will prove to be a great promotion and an attraction for young and old alike. Te Awahou–Nieuwe Stroom will have its own recognisable sound vignette. An exciting Maori and Dutch mix!”
“We’ve basically now attracted the first business investment from outside. More will follow, as we bring together the local library and community centre with a Maori art and crafts gallery, plus a national Dutch museum centre that tells the story of one of our country’s major immigrant groups. By combining all that with the stories of a historic flax and river town – the birthplace of the Manawatu – we are creating a major tourist attraction that will include the Flax Stripper Museum and a raft of river activities."

Young and old put their Sydney lives on show

The City of Sydney is seeking young, old, amateur and professional photographers to submit their best snaps of Sydney for this year’s Sydney Life and Little Sydney Lives competitions.
Art & About Sydney's annual photography competitions will showcase finalist images blown up to bed-sheet size along Hyde Park’s tree-lined walkways for four weeks in September and October.
Entries are now open for both competitions, which last year attracted more than 800 entrants and an audience of tens of thousands of viewers.
Photographers of all levels of experience are invited to explore what Sydney means to them in Sydney Life, with 22 works to be selected by a judging panel and displayed along Hyde Park North’s grand central walkway. The winner, who receives a $10,000 prize, will be announced at Art & About Sydney’s opening night in September.
Little Sydney Lives is calling for entrants in two age categories – three to seven and eight to 11. Twenty finalist works will be chosen for display in Hyde Park’s Sandringham Gardens.
Entries for Sydney Life closes on 28 June, while Little Sydney Lives closes on 12 July. For more information, visit: artandabout.com.au
Art & About Sydney will run from 20 September to 20 October 2013.

Share your ideas for a more cultural and creative city

Lord Mayor Clover Moore is calling on people who live, work and visit Sydney to share their ideas for improving the city’s cultural life.

The City of Sydney’s first cultural policy is being developed to ensure its assets are being put to best use, enough of the right activities are offered, and to help local cultural and creative communities to flourish.

Council recently endorsed the Creative City Cultural Policy Discussion Paper and now wants Sydneysiders to play an active role by sharing their ideas.

The consultation period for the Creative City Cultural Policy Discussion Paper ends on 31 May. To share your ideas, visit: sydneyyoursay.com.au