Steven Slagt
Deventer, Netherlands
Slagt left home at age 15 to attend his country’s top dance school in Amsterdam and spent a year before college in Japan, where he was certified in the traditional tea ceremony.
Ballet, modern, tap, hip-hop, jazz, or musical theater—dance has always been a way for Steven Slagt to truly express himself. Growing up in his hometown, though, he says people didn’t fully accept him for who he was. Being admitted to the Lucia Marthas Dance Academy, the top school of dance in the Netherlands, gave him the perfect escape.
Though his schedule in Amsterdam was arduous—he danced for four hours a day, five days a week, on top of attending all of his regular classes in high school—he says he feels "amazingly blessed to have had the opportunity to experience the world of entertainment by performing in shows, theaters, and on national television."
One of Slagt’s most memorable performances was with the female pop music group the Pussycat Dolls. In every city they play in while on tour, the group chooses one fan to come onstage and dance to a song with them. Slagt got picked for their Amsterdam date. “I’m a huge fan of their music,” says Slagt, who describes the experience as “surreal."
Slagt, who says the only thing he misses about the Netherlands is "real cheese," hopes to spend his life in the U.S., with a stint in Japan somewhere along the way. Before coming to Haverford, he spent a year in Japan, during which he was certified in the traditional tea ceremony in Kyoto. One of his goals for his time at Haverford is to become fluent in Japanese. "That way," he says, "I will be able to move back to Japan and become a star!"