Director/Filmmaker Maarten Groen is based in the Netherlands, and he recently teamed up with model Cheroney Pelupessy for today’s exclusive NAKID feature editorial titled, ‘Katana‘.
Maarten is a self-taught director who excels in a visual flair described as visceral, honest and humane. A classic filmmaker at heart, Maarten prefers to shoot analogue whenever possible. Always pushing boundaries, he is currently creating an arthouse Virtual Reality experience based on a novel by Renate Dorrestein.
KATANA – A short dance film celebrating female empowerment, inspired by Asian culture Written, choreographed, and performed by Cheroney Pelupessy, the film Katana represents the reflection of her journey towards standing in her feminine power.
“Katana is a strong, sensual character I created for a show 3 years ago”, Cheroney says. “However, she appeared to be less of a character, and more of an addition of newfound strength to my own identity. The personal process was very much about embracing sensuality and femininity while remaining powerful. This also translated to my style of dance. In addition to my interpretation of Urban Contemporary, the introduction of Katana cultivated a new way of moving which includes floorwork on heels. I believe people are multidimensional, and I made it a point to display that through movement.
It is my wish to break the stigma around sensuality. It has come to my attention that this topic still is associated with weakness, but I believe it represents power. Katana displays a contrast between strong, explosive sequences, and soft, intricate sequences. These are all characteristics that are embodied in womanhood and can coexist. You should not have to choose between being powerful or sensual, you can be both. I knew that I did not want to do this by myself, but that I wanted to collaborate with other creatives. I feel incredibly lucky to work with talented dancers and artists such as director Maarten Groen and composer Guido Maat. I had full trust in them, and the film we were creating as a team. It was about following our instinct and creating art that feels true to us.
In the end, we aspire to create engaging, genuine art that inspires and stimulates others to embrace the polarity of humankind in order to be their authentic selves.”
If you love this visual story then show them some love, this is just a glimpse of the amazing stuff they have created – head over to their Instagram below to check out more from this awesome artist and support their creativity and your daily inspiration by following them!
Check out more of Maarten Groen and their work here: INSTAGRAM / WEBSITE
