Since my childhood I have always been intrigued by art, creativity and different cultures.

From the moment I became involved in ballet by going to performances and taking classes, I have been mesmerized by the beauty of the wide variety of dance styles and dancers, all unique in their own way.

Dance became an even bigger part of my life when both of my  children developed a passion for dance from a very young age as well;  in their own way and  with their own individual qualities and expression,  like their differences in personalities and capabilities.

When our youngest one “decided”, at the age of nine , that he wanted to become a professional ballet dancer - after having been dancing since the age of four- - our world included ballet every single day and to this day it still does.

Over the years it became more and more apparent  to me that it was not just about having the perfect body, having a feeling for rhythm and music  or about being creative, but there was so much more. It was so much more about the expression of each individual’s emotions and passion in their own unique way, without words.

As many people that pursue a career in arts, ballet dancers generally do not like to express themselves through words, but are masters in communicating through movement in the own specific style that is built up from their own personalities, cultural backgrounds and capacities. I see them as passionate perfectionists, in their own authentic ways. Letting their vulnerable selves  be seen to the world  either alone or as part of a colorful group of individuals, bringing together their individual profiles to create a beautiful piece to share,

I am a firm believer that perfectionism should not be the main aspiration when expressing oneself in any form of art, or in day to day life for that matter. Rather than that, it should be about showing up in the most raw, real version of yourself and owning it.

Beauty is so subjective and  though it might sound cliché, every human has their own definition of beauty and their own individual message to bring across to the world.  

At BalletBags&More, my mission is the same. I would like to express my beliefs and hopes for the universe to be unique, vulnerable and artistic through my unique designs composed with  fabrics, beads and other elements from all over the  globe.

My intention for BalletBags & More is to create long-lasting unique designs using vintage, recycled and conscious fabrics to minimalize our environmental footprint. Each design is one-of-a-kind and handmade combining different ethnical patterns and colors creating diversity. As we don’t produce on a large scale and make everything ourselves by hand, small flaws are a part of the deal, we believe they create character. We hope to make the world a little more colorful in the broadest sense of the word.

Let’s look at the big picture and interweave cultures and not focus on the differences but focus on how beautiful, colorful and artsy our world can be when we combine our differences, different personalities, cultures and beliefs and respect and value these differences.

 Jolanda