At OTB Movement in Rotterdam South, he often retreats to train and is currently preparing for the Paris Olympics qualifications. But young people and children from the neighborhood—including the very youngest, aged 4 to 6—have also been welcome at OTB Movement for years to learn this artistic sport from him.

Despite Menno's busy schedule, preparing for this summer of sports, he made time for us. We spoke with him at his dance school about how he motivates the next generation, the Games, and his future plans.

"If a young student performs a move incorrectly, I try to encourage them to make it their own. This gives children confidence, and you don't emphasize whether something was performed 'correctly' or 'incorrectly.'

Recently, I had a taller, more robust boy in my class. I encouraged him to do something with that. He then created some cool dance moves based on his own posture. It was truly his own thing.

If one of the students is unable to perform a movement in a certain way, I always try to translate this into something creative and positive.”

Do you already know what you want to do after this summer?

"There are still many things I want to do. For example, I dream of my own theater show with live musicians. With music, you can bring together even more art forms.

In the theater, you can take more time to show things. That's very different from the fast pace of the competitions. After the Games, I'd like to focus more on that."

OTB Movement is a provider of the Rotterdam Youth Fund for Sports & Culture. You can view the program on their website: https://www.otbmovement.nl.