Alkmaar – Hair set firm with hairspray, swirling dresses, high heels. This Saturday there was no football at the AZ stadium; instead, dance couples swept across the parquet floor of the Kees Kist Lounge. Rumba and the Viennese waltz, all day long.
It is the first edition of the Grand Prix van Alkmaar, organised by Sina Sawall and Joost Findhammer, a professional dance couple who represent the Netherlands at European and world level. This year the couple are promoting dancesport in Alkmaar. “Dance lessons used to be part of growing up. Now it has a bit of a dusty image,” says Sawall. “But it’s so much fun, and that’s what we want to show.” They teach lessons at schools and give demonstrations in Alkmaar care homes.
At the Grand Prix van Alkmaar, dancers can earn points for their ranking. Some two hundred couples from the Netherlands and abroad take part. Judges assess their choreography, suppleness and presence.
That dancing is hard work becomes clear when the couples come off the floor, sweat beading on their faces. Edwin and Zaynah from Hoorn have just finished and are waiting for the judges’ results. They are not nervous. “It’s our first time competing, it’s mainly to gain experience,” says Zaynah, who looks stunning with braided hair and a silver-grey dress with plenty of bling. Her appearance took two hours of work. “An hour on my hair and an hour on my make-up.”
Sina Sawall is delighted with the turnout. “This is completely new for Alkmaar, dance competitions are never held here. Of course we hoped it would catch on. And it has. We’re very happy.”
This article by Connie Vertegaal was published in the Noordhollands Dagblad on 1 November 2026 (translated from Dutch).
