BAD. What comes to mind when you hear this word? Unpleasant, horrible, naughty or maybe bad like hot or seductive which is pretty accurate in some cases. But the next time you hear the word “bad”, don’t think about these words. Think about a person, specifically a dancer. I want you to think about Bianca Adriana Dijkhoffz.
You may not know this name, but Bianca Dijkhoffz is one you should get accustomed to hearing. Known as @bb_bad on Instagram, Bianca D is a Caribbean dancer who is steadily making her mark within the dance industry. This 21-year-old Sint Maarten native is a living example that dreams can become a reality once you put in the work, make the right moves and dedicate yourself to your craft.
Where she began
At the age of five, Bianca started dancing in Sint Maarten (SXM) in genres such as Jazz, Ballet and Theatre under two teachers. Later in her teen years, she started exploring Hip Hop and Street which quickly became one of her favourite styles. Although she has been dancing for 16 years, Bianca only considered herself a professional dancer after moving to New York City three and a half years ago. There, she was exposed to many other styles that weren’t accessible in Sint Marteen. When Bianca first moved to New York, she was taking 12 classes a week in various styles of dance and training every day. Furthermore, she had to adapt to a whole new environment.
“Aside from dancing, I had to get used to living in a concrete jungle. It was also very hard getting used to not going to the beach and seeing the sunset, or even seeing stars at night and dealing with all the changes in the weather.” Bianca told Carib Voxx when asked about her challenges.
“Coming from a completely different culture, I also had to adjust to interacting with other people. It took me two years to really start liking New York and actually make friends. Now thankfully I’m super comfortable and I love New York!” She continued.
Support
Moving from a small island to a big city isn’t easy and leaving everything you know to pursue a dream isn’t always warranted. But having a strong support system and an unrelenting belief in yourself makes the journey a whole lot better.
“When I decided to pursue dance professionally my family, especially my mom was very supportive of the idea. I left my last year of high school and started high school online so I could travel to New York to take classes and train. My mom helped me move to New York and start my life out here for a few months before she went back to SXM,” said Bianca.
Her dance teachers from SXM were also a big part of her support system as they pushed her to do her best and instilled a lot of confidence in herself and skills.
“I see myself going very far in this industry and my dream itself keeps me pushing. I’m also my number one supporter. I never look for validation outside of myself unless it’s from people closest to me for a constructive opinion”
A Versatile Dancer
Though her passports may have a US & Dutch stamp, Bianca is a Caribbean woman and establishes this identity in her style of dance. She considers herself a versatile commercial dancer because she can do a bit of everything but describes her style as Caribbean Fusion. Her favourite music to dance to is Soca and Dancehall and this year she has been strongly focusing on Dancehall and a bit of Afrobeat dance styles. However, her strongest dance styles are Jazz and Street Jazz.
Along with being a skilled dancer, Bianca has been a choreographer for many years especially for competitions and shows in SXM. She has choreographed for different artists during Carnival season, international festivals like the Sint Maarten Heineken Regatta and for Dancehall artist Chi Ching Ching. When choreographing, Bianca incorporates a Caribbean flavour mixed with some Street Jazz which is her personal favourite.
One of Bianca’s main goal is to inspire others to pursue their dreams, so at the age of 19, she travelled to Suriname for the first time to teach dance internationally. And last month she held her first professional industry event for aspiring professional dancers in Suriname. While there, she also held an open class for adults and children.
“Every place I’ve travelled to is so different. The energy, the environment, the people are all so unique everywhere I go,”
When the dream becomes a reality
One of Bianca’s most memorable experiences was spending four months in Japan touring with a Japanese Pop band called JSB (J Soul Brothers).
“It was always my biggest dream to go on tour with an artist but I had never imagined travelling to the other side of the world. I got to perform for over 2 million people, travel and perform in different cities, and explore so many breathtaking monuments including Mount Fuji. Aside from the dancing, the food was so unique. I tried a lot of foods out there for the first time which have now become some of my favourite things to eat. Overall, it’s one of the best places I’ve travelled to thus far. I think the rest of the world can learn a lot from the ways of the Japanese people. I would definitely love to travel there every year,”
Performing at the 2018 BET Experience was another dream that became a reality for Bianca. She was a background dancer for Dancehall artist HoodCelebrityy and loved the fact that she got to represent with an upcoming Caribbean artist.
Promoting Caribbean culture and good vibes is part of Bianca’s goal and any Caribbean artist that shares that goal she would love to represent and dance with. Some artists she would be honoured to work with include Rihanna, Ozuna, Major Lazer, Burna Boy and Stefflon Don.
Along with HoodCelebrityy, this year Bianca got to dance for Tory Lanez for Hot 97 Summer Jam and got to work with Chi Ching Ching & Sean Paul on two music videos. And On February 14th 2019, she will be featured in a movie called “Isn’t it Romantic” with Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra and Adam Devine.
One driving force that helps to make this possible was Instagram. Every job that Bianca booked this year from HoodCelebrityy to Sean Paul was through her social media page. Casting directors and choreographers are now booking dancers based off of social media. So, Bianca stresses the importance for dancers to make sure they post quality content.
Inspirations
“Right now I’m really inspired by Wendell Bullen. His story of struggling to make his dreams come true, to working with some of the world’s greatest artists while representing for the Caribbean culture is really inspiring. He’s such an amazing mover, full of talent and genuine passion which sometimes you can lose while fighting and competing in our industry. This year he reminded me of the love I have for what I do through working with him and watching him dance.”
In a world where Step Up: Caribbean Edition could exist, Wendell would have a starring role with Bianca along with Dancehall dancers Ledgen & Cookie
It’s individuals like these and the competition surrounding Bianca that inspires her to work hard and to become better and stronger. You also have to stay positive and be kind to yourself.
“Pursuing the arts does come with a lot of uncertainty but you just have to find what’s unique about your work and become your own business. Aside from putting in the work you also have to have faith and trust that you can live your biggest dreams. We are the only ones who truly understand and know the plan that God has for our life so we should never let anyone convince us otherwise”
