[0:00] - I've never had a boring life.

[0:02] (zipper zips)

I love costumes, you know,

[0:04] it's a big part of it.

[0:05] So my name is Riet

Velthuisen Van Der Blij,

[0:07] and I'm the Founder and Director

[0:10] of the Continental Ballet

Company, for 35 years.

[0:13] (orchestral music)

[0:15] I was born in Rijswijk, in Holland.

[0:17] One of my friends took me to a studio.

[0:20] Right away, I knew I was

going to do that, I loved it.

[0:23] I was going to take classes.

[0:24] My dad was not happy,

[0:26] because he thought it was

going to cost my education,

[0:29] but I did it anyway.

[0:30] I went to Paris for some time

for training by Madame Nora,

[0:34] and it was scary. (laughs)

[0:35] It was special, Paris,

[0:37] and all those beautiful

dancers and me, wow.

[0:40] That is me when I did audition.

[0:42] You had to have an audition picture.

[0:43] My friend, Jeanne,

[0:45] we decide to audition for Ballet Holland,

[0:49] and we both got accepted,

so it was exciting.

[0:52] It was hard, because you

don't have much money,

[0:55] and the hardest part

has to be on the bike,

[0:57] because, you know, we didn't have a car,

[0:59] and it's just something far away.

[1:01] But you know, if you want

to do something, you do it.

[1:04] No, it was not romantic. (laughs)

[1:06] My mom and sisters loved it,

[1:08] especially later when I start performing.

[1:11] And even my dad, when I performed,

[1:13] he was very excited and proud.

[1:16] I met my husband,

[1:18] and he was a big director of a hotel.

[1:22] And then the Holiday Inn,

[1:24] from here, from the United States,

[1:26] wanted him to open a

Holiday Inn in Holland.

[1:29] Then, they asked him to

come to United States,

[1:33] and we thought, "Oh, that's for a year."

[1:35] and we went to Memphis.

[1:36] Memphis Ballet, they invite

me to be a ballet mistress,

[1:40] and it was a fun job.

[1:41] And now from Memphis out,

[1:43] they sent him all over the world,

[1:44] and I went with him, and

I loved it, of course.

[1:47] Then my son was born, so

we moved to Minnesota.

[1:50] People are so helpful here,

[1:52] and that's what I found

out with the company.

[1:55] Like, if there's a lot

of snow, neighbors help.

[1:57] And I think that's what I love

[1:59] from Minnesota and Bloomington

[2:01] is that people are nice and helpful,

[2:04] and I didn't experience

that in other countries.

[2:07] When I was dancing,

[2:09] I didn't like really to go

in soloist or the principal.

[2:14] My interest was more in dancing,

[2:16] and later on, I felt like making ballets.

[2:20] When I hear music, I felt the

steps and I felt the thing.

[2:23] So that's why I learned

to do the choreography.

[2:26] For Cinderella, I got an award

[2:28] because I made completely by myself,

[2:31] and I got the music together from Rossini

[2:34] instead of just taking

the Prokofiev music,

[2:38] and I got an award from Kennedy Center.

[2:40] So that is pretty good.

[2:42] Andre, my husband, decide

[2:43] we open a studio on Nesbitt Avenue,

[2:46] a big studio on Nesbitt.

[2:47] I got so many dancers

[2:50] because they loved the style,

the way I was teaching.

[2:52] So slowly, I started the company there,

[2:55] and that was the

beginning of this company.

[2:59] - She was my teacher

[3:00] from the very early stages of my training,

[3:03] all the way until when I was 18.

[3:05] - I have one director, she was very mean,

[3:08] and so I learned, oh my

gosh, never want to be mean,

[3:11] because it scares you

[3:13] and it doesn't help you with dancing

[3:15] because it makes you more nervous.

[3:17] - As her student, I

always felt loved by her

[3:19] and felt like she believed in me,

[3:21] but I was motivated to work hard

[3:24] because I cared about what she thought.

[3:26] - Susan Anderson was the director

[3:28] of all the art groups here,

[3:30] and with her together we did

fundraising for this building.

[3:34] It was amazing because the

architects didn't believe

[3:37] why I have to have the ceiling high.

[3:39] So I have to explain,

[3:41] when there's a lift,

you have to get it high.

[3:44] We got it all worked out.

[3:45] There is not a classic company

[3:48] who brings all the classic pieces

[3:50] like Swan Lake, the Sleeping Beauty.

[3:52] Bloomington is so lucky

to have the company,

[3:54] not about me, but about the company.

[3:56] We have professional, beautiful dancers,

[3:59] and we do fantastic ballets.

[4:02] - I think the fact that Bloomington has

[4:04] such a high quality company and school

[4:07] is a great sign of health

[4:09] for the city of Bloomington

and its residents,

[4:11] but also for the surrounding areas.

[4:12] - I'm lucky, because, like,

my husband have support me,

[4:16] my son still support me,

[4:18] so I'm a lucky person that I

could do what I want to do.

[4:21] It was not so long ago he

died, so I miss him still.

[4:24] He loved the company,

and he loved the dances,

[4:26] and he loved what I did.

[4:28] Yeah, I'm going to retire.

[4:30] I don't know when, I just have to see.

[4:31] I think this is something

what I have to do in long run,

[4:34] but not right now,

[4:35] 'cause I'm still excited

[4:36] about the new "Nutcracker." (laughs)

[4:38] (orchestral music)