1 — What is your mother tongue? What is the most beautiful word in your mother tongue and what does it mean (to you)?

My mother tongue is English. I feel drawn to the word ‘ephemeral’, because it reminds me of a live performance and how fleeting a moment can be, both for the performer and the audience. Live art is one of those rare occasions where we actively experience memories – where past, present and future converge in a single moment. For me, the word ephemeral encapsulates that experience. It seems to be becoming increasingly rare in the fast-paced, complex world we live in.

2 — What did the landscape of your youth look like?

I was born in Traverse City in 1997 and I am the eldest of three girls. I had a beautiful, playful childhood spent mostly outdoors. I was lucky enough to grow up on Lake Michigan, near the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. My sisters, cousins, neighbours and friends spent hours exploring the dunes. We made up stories about pirates, fairies and anything else we could imagine. The sand felt like it went on forever. Since it was before the time of mobile phones, our parents gave us walkie-talkies so we could stay in touch during our adventures. When they did, we always found a way to incorporate their voices into our stories, as if they were characters too. I remember feeling free and deeply immersed in my imagination.

3 — What do you associate with the words 'Á la flamande'?

It reminds me of a French restaurant in Traverse City called Amical, where they served an asparagus dish in the winter called ‘Á la flamande’. It reminds me of the family dinners there when I was a child.

4 — Where do you feel at home?

I feel most at home when my body is connected to a space or a person. I feel at home when I walk into the Opera Ballet Vlaanderen studios in 't Eilandje for a day’s work, when I travel by train to Amsterdam or Cologne to visit dear friends, or when I’m having coffee with my mother in the Traverse City library (Michigan) overlooking Lake Michigan.

5 — What is your favourite dish?

My favourite recipe is ‘Uncle Dan’s homemade pasta’, but it has to be prepared by my little sister Chloe. In this dish, the sauce is just an accent to bring out the flavour of the homemade pasta, not to overpower it.