Dagmar Slagmolen: Cultural Trailblazer & Architect of Change
Dagmar Slagmolen is a creative visionary who pushes boundaries and designs new possibilities at the intersection of art and society. As an artistic director, director, and choreographer, she is a strategic storyteller who crafts profound human connections and innovative perspectives. Her work navigates the crossroads of art and social change, translating complex themes into inspiring experiences through her forward-thinking approach.
Known as a catalyst for creative impact, Dagmar designs artistic projects that not only tell stories but also foster empathy and stimulate meaningful dialogue. She is an explorer of new perspectives and an architect of emotional spaces where art and science merge to build bridges between people, ideas, and disciplines.
With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of human emotions, Dagmar guides her audiences and collaborators toward new ways of thinking and communicating. She sees art as a powerful tool to break down barriers, tackle complex issues, and embrace transformation.
Through innovative collaborations with scientists, artists, and social partners, Dagmar creates formats that challenge conventions and open new dialogues. She is a contextual storyteller, creating impactful projects where the growth of empathy and human connection is at the core. Her work is a continuous journey of exploring new possibilities, aiming to inspire understanding, connection, and positive change.
Dagmar is not just a director or choreographer; she is a cultural pioneer and designer of transformative experiences, constantly reshaping the world around her and beside being a freelance director/ choreographer, she is the artistic director of music theatre company Via Berlin & the Via Berlin Academy.
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Via Berlin
What happens when you use classical music as your main ingredient to convey a self-written storyline about a hot social topic, within a theatrical setting? And how can musicians use their bodies more with walking choreography’s and playing by heart to extra support the storyline, while still producing excellent live music?
It might be hard to imagine, but that is what she does as a Director/Choreographer with soloists, quartets, large ensembles and even with big orchestra’s; such as the Norwegian Chambre Orchestra, Calefax Wind Quintet, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residence Orchestra, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Dutch Chamber Choir, Cello Octet Amsterdam, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Philharmonie Zuid Nederland, Ragazze Quartet.
Via Berlin is a Dutch music theatre group founded in 2008. Since then, we’ve reached over 70.000 people and have grown to be a strong well known independent company.
To Via Berlin text and music, as well as the actor and the musician, are two completely equal means to convey a storyline. A continuous (classical) musical line exists throughout our pieces, and often the music even gets the leading part. The text merely gives the outlines of the story, location and characters; the images and music fill in the rest.
All of the performers on stage are both actors as musicians. This way of working creates a tight unity and an organic fusion between the two disciplines, bearing in mind that the individual qualities of the performers are preserved. Making music theatre about a topical subject using classical music as the main storyteller in combination with self-written text, is unique in the Netherlands and abroad.
With hot social topics like war, illegal immigrants, human trafficking, the consumption society, dictatorship and domestic violence as the underlying theme, the shows of Via Berlin are about intimate, personal stories, which symbolize universal happenings. And we create our shows as a starting point for a bigger conversation. Thats why we work closely with two universities and their scientists and students in our Via Berlin Academy, to research our topics together with Arts-Based Research and create a strong context program surrounding our shows, when presenting them to an audience.
For more information about Via Berlin, view my special post about Via Berlin or go to: www.viaberlin.nl
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In addition to developing music theatre productions with Via Berlin,
which have been performed in countries such as the Netherlands, England, Brazil, China, Norway, Poland, Russia, and South Africa,
Dagmar has also directed numerous other music ensembles
including Calefax, Cello Octet Amsterdam, Ragazze Quartet, Wishful Singing, NBE Young, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orkest, and the Norwegian String Orchestra.
Furthermore,
she gives masterclasses, workshops, and develops teaching programs at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, ArtEZ University of the Arts, University of Amsterdam, Radboud University, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam University College, and Hull University, England.
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Awards & Nominations
- Nomination for the International YAM-award: Best Small Ensemble 2021 for DRAGENFELE. A multi disciplinary music theatre solo for Andreas Ljones.
- 2 International YAM-award for SHADOW MUSIC: Best Large Ensemble & Production of the year 2018! A Choreography for the 25 musicians of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra on the music of Schönbegrs Verklärte Nacht.
- Nomination Naledi Theatre Awards 2015 (ZA) category best “cutting edge” production for MASOTE’S DREAM: Orkater/ Via Berlin/ Tambo theatre productions
- Nomination YEAH award 2015 for CELLOSTORM with Cello Octet Amsterdam, toured through
The NetherlandsGermanyBelgiumLichtensteinLuxembourgItalyPoland
- Charlotte Köhlerprice 2014 for the WAR-TRIPTICH from my own music theatre group Via Berlin
- Nomination 2013 for CELLOSTORM WITH Cello Octet Amsterdam