Breathing is a platform for and by the New Dutch (artists) and community.
It’s primary objective is promoting the integration within the cultural sector, arts and entertainment industry. One of the goals is: to present the new Dutch (artists) as rightful shareholder of the common multicultural heritage.

Breathing provides a platform from a multicultural perspective giving artists, musicians, poets, dancers and filmmakers a space for their creativity to develop uninhibited by genre, cultural background or economical circumstance. With this platform we try to bridge the creative industry, corporate business and the public sector together. Breathing is an ambitious young organization with it’s roots firmly in Amsterdam South-east as the epicentre from which we’re stirring momentum in the authentic image of our multicultural society and the creative industries which truly reflect who the New Dutch are.

Breathing Mission
Our mission is to promote an exciting and diverse cultural life and their preservation for present and future generations in our society.

We strive to fulfil this mission by:

-  Creating better opportunities for promising young artists from Amsterdam and the Netherlands;
- Executing cultural programming that appeals to different ethnic groups;
- Presenting remarkable forms of art and culture in the broadest sense;
- Provide young artists access to a business network;
- Promote a positive image for the Amsterdam South-east area in the Netherlands and throughout Europe;

Activities to achieve our mission are:
1. Breathing Bijlmer festival, genre free stage for performers and artists with open mic.
2. Dansi festival, cross-cultural open air dance festival, where dancers and vocalists complement eachother in a musical dance spectacle supported by Dansi Big Band
3. Breathing Jazz, the jazz event in Amsterdam

To reach our goals we’ve developed strong collaborations with: Suriprofs, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Krater Theater, Torentijd, Roots & Routes, ZO! Culture, Young, Gifted & Black, Bill Carney and Sunshiptree.

Roadmap
Breathing is the foundation for creating an environment where talent can develop.
Artistically we provide a stage such as the Bijlmer Breathing festival. An accessible open stage partly programmed and partly open to vocalists, poets, comedians, presenters and other performing artists.

The New Dutch
We see Breathing Bijlmer as one of the first steps of young talent, given a stage to present themselves to the press, talent scouts and other people from the world of performing arts and music industries. This unique platform in the Amsterdam area has grown to be an established entity.
Breathing tries to stimulate audience participation with an open stage, but also by offering volunteers from the region an opportunity to learn first hand about the elements of event organisation, artist management and performance. Providing training opportunities where relevant. In the next stage of development we invite talents to contribute to larger projects Breathing produces. Our artistic concepts offer the possibility to work at venues outside Amsterdam and even abroad and thus also improve the image of Southeast as a community that creates. There is more coming from the region than people often think. When talents prove to have great dedication and drive to develop themselves we offer opportunities to go deeper in the process of becoming a pro. The artist is motivated to take regular action, rehearsels with musicians alike in order to move on to bigger stages and/or to be provided with apt management, a record label or a theaterpromotor.

The Breathing production team consists of a core of professionals supporting a number of volunteers, who then can learn about organizing cultural events. So here is wehere we also provide fertile ground for talent to develop themselves and become very succesfull in their field both on or off stage.

Concepts
Breathing uses her expertise to devise and implement thematic concepts. After a period of musical performance events and our proven strength as coproducers the next logical step is the Breathing TV concept on which talents from the Greater Amsterdam region and far beyond can show themselves to the world. In a docu-show we follow the lives of (upcoming) artists and tell the tale of passion which drives them to the stage. Each episode portraits 2 vocalists / artists writing and recording 1 song. In about 8 episodes we work up to a climax when all portraits come together in 1 final concert in the Bijlmer Park theater. To remain genre-breaking because we opt for matching different styles of music in this project.

Our vision
By working mostly with people from southeast we cultivate a sense of pride where current and future generations take matters into their own hands and dare to grow SouthEast into a cultural center where innovation (cultural) projects and the identity of the new Dutch is strong and visible as an example of how it can work in the multicultural society. We do not claim to be revolutionary, but a small contribution can have a huge impact. That is the power of Breathing. Like a small pebble dropped in a pond can generate have a ripple effect that stretches beyond the initial  energy. So the concepts and productions of Breathing eventually grow to the size of a tsunami that transcends cultural boundaries, and national borders. Throughout Europe art projects, genre and cultural cross-media actions and events. The new Dutch are just the beginning of the New Tribes of Europe.

Breathe the same air
Born in Amsterdam Southeast Breathing has a solid foundation in the community. We know the people and the people know us. Together we build the identity of the New Dutch as part of the cultural heritage of future generations.
Example projects include the many co-productions with other organizations. Our features in the tv program AT5 Nieuw Amsterdam Praat with Clark Akkord and Anouscha Nzume. Production in the Bimhuis by the IJ and the New Years Concert in collaboration with the Dutch Wind Ensemble on 1 January 2009 was performed at the prestigious Concertgebouw Amsterdam and broadcast on national television by the Vara broadcaster. All examples of opportunities Breathing has created for New Dutch talents to present themselves.

Furthermore, we have five years experience providing services to other organizations:

Foundation Roots and Routes, Sail Amsterdam, Joop van den Ende Productions, Music Mayday and Suriprofs!. Breathing is planning to stay on top of it’s game in the coming years expanding into larger venues with more exposure and a wider reach.

Breathing projects are supported by:

Stichting Doen
Amsterdams Foundation for Arts (AFK)
Stadsdeel Zuidoost
VSB Fonds