Meet Maggy van den Heuvel, the Dance Icon in the Making

Maggy van den Heuvel is a Dutch born and raised dancer who is currently living New York City. Maggy was introduced to the musical theatre industry at the age of eight years old as she got to play the role of Little Nala in Disney’s The Lion King and Pinocchio by Studio 100. 

Maggy studied at the Lucia Marthas Institute For Performing Arts in 2016 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education in 2018. While studying in Amsterdam Maggy has performed for several Dutch artist during The Ladies of Soul in Concert, Dinner Show Brooklyn Nights and Fedde Le Grand. She was also a swing in the Broadway Musical ”ON YOUR FEET!” in The Netherlands. 

In 2018 Maggy received the Young Talent Award from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds to move to The United States of America to study at The Ailey School where she was awarded The Joan Weill Spirit Award.

After successfully completing The Joan Weill Spirit Award Maggy took of with her career and started dancing for company Project-TAG, directed by Hussein Smoke and Amantina Jean. Maggy van den Heuvel had the privilege to be a principal dancer on Teyana Taylor’s ‘Lose Each Other’ music video and was recently seen on the music video ‘Nasty’  by Rich The Kid, Mullato, Flo Milli and Ruby Rose.

I had the opportunity to speak with Maggy about her dance career, inspirations and ultimate goals.

WA:When was the first moment you knew you wanted to be dancer? Who are your biggest inspirations?

MH: I have been dancing since I was four years old and growing up I enjoyed this artform as a hobby. It wasn’t until the age of 16 that I knew for sure that I wanted to make dance my profession. One of my biggest inspiration is Anthony Burrell who also mentored and guided me through this process. I really admire Anthony because of his background, his success and the way he shares his knowledge with the next generation of dancers.

WA: Most people are afraid to leave their hometown to go pursue their dreams in another city. You left the Netherlands to come to New York City to pursue your dancer career. 

What were your thoughts before and after leaving? Also, what advice would you have for someone that is nervous or afraid of leaving their hometown to pursue their dreams?

MH: I remember the day I went to the airport in Amsterdam to leave to New York City and I was extremely excited but also very nervous to leave everything behind. I knew that New York City was the place I needed to be in order to grow and challenge myself. After moving and finding my routine I felt my soul coming to life and promised myself to make the most out of this.

If you are afraid to leave your city I would tell you to feel the fear and do it anyway. Do your research first and be very specific about what you want to get from the city you are moving to. Trust your intuition and believe that your path will lead you exactly to where you need to be. With that being said you really have nothing to lose and everything to win. Pursuing your dream requires you to make bold decisions and bold decisions should scare you a little bit.

WA:How has The Ailey School impacted you as a person and your dance skills?

MH:Dancing and training at The Ailey School was a very special experience for me.

Training at The Ailey School allowed me to understand, love and appreciate my body even more. I used to believe that I was not able to do execute certain dance techniques because of the way my body was build, which doesn’t make any sense at all. Instead of working against myself the teachers at Ailey showed me how to work through and with my strength, this is something I am investigating to this day. Ailey’s training has definitely improved my dancing skills. Mr. Ailey’s legacy inspires me to continue sharing my artform in the most truthful and genuine way.

WA:The legendary iconic Janet Jackson shouted you out on her Instagram. She’s still touring and doing Vegas residency shows.

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A post shared by Janet Jackson (@janetjackson)

Have you reached out to her to see if you can be one of her dancers? Also, who are five other musicians you would like to work with?

MH:I believe that dancing for Janet Jackson requires a highly skilled auditioning process and on that note I have not reached out to her to see if I could be one of her dancers. I would be very honored if I could ever audition let alone dance for Janet Jackson. Some other musicians I would really like to work with are Beyoncé, Missy Elliot, Rihanna, Giveon and Ariana Grande.

WA: What’s one thing you would like to do or change in the dance world before it is all set and done?

MH:I come from a country where the majority of the people like to say: ‘Just be normal that is crazy enough’, and I want to change this opinion by showing you that it can be done. You can dream big and you are not crazy for going after them. I am hoping that my journey will open doors for those who come after me. Another goal that I eventually want to achieve is to teach and give back to the dance community in The Netherlands and Surinam, the country where my roots are. I have been lucky enough to experience some amazing events and it is only right for me to go back to where I came from and give back to the next generation of dance. I want them to look at my journey and say: ‘If she can do it, I can do it!’. As long as you make the commitment and invest all of your time, the world is really yours. 

For more of Maggy, follow her on Instagram here.

Listen to the full podcast episode HERE.