by Steven Seedo
PARAMARIBO — The 25-year-old dancer Ciara Hiwat was awarded ‘De Jonge Zwaan’ on Friday for ‘most impressive youth dance performance 2026’. She was awarded for her role in ‘Kabiteni’, the dance and music production by Lloydscompany, in which hip-hop dance is connected with traditional Surinamese dance forms. “It doesn’t feel real“, Hiwat said on stage at the ceremony. She dedicated the award to her ancestors. “I thank them for putting me here on the ground to do this. This is blackexcellence.”
With the award, Hiwat receives extra recognition for her special combination of technique, musicality, hip hop and Surinamese dance. The prize not only underlines her development as a dancer, but also the power with which she is able to connect her cultural background with contemporary dance in her work.
“The Surinamese dance forms link me to my ancestors”
Ciara Hiwat
Mutual praise
‘De Jonge Zwaan’ is one of the important Dutch dance prizes. The jury described Hiwat as “a complete dancer” and praised her technical strength, musicality and stage presentation. “She breathes with the music and knows how to switch effortlessly between large, expressive movements and small details,” it was stated.
Choreographer Lloyd Marengo, winner of ‘De Gouden Zwaan’ in 2022, is also full of praise for Hiwat. “It is a very prestigious award and I am grateful that her work is being seen, especially in this performance as a performing dancer,” he told the True Time.
He further states that she deserved the prize because she knows how to communicate with her body and movement in a special way. “Ciara is herself; she is creative and knows how to touch people rhythmically and emotionally at the right moments. She deserves this prize because she is great through small use of dance.”
Hiwat expressed appreciation for Marengo during the ceremony. “He is always nice, but very serious during rehearsals.”
Surinamese interior
Hiwat has been dancing since she was a child. For her, dance is more than just movement. She sees it as a medium through which emotions can be touched, both in herself and in others. Her style is strongly rooted in hip hop, combined with various other dance forms.
The performance ‘Kabiteni’ is an ode to hip-hop dance and traditional Maroon dances, including awasa and banamba. Her Surinamese roots made the role extra meaningful for Hiwat. “The Surinamese dance forms link me to my ancestors,” she said.
‘Kabiteni’ takes the audience to Bendekonde, a village on the Upper Suriname River in the Sipaliwini district where Georgetina, the ‘kabiteni’ (captain), is at the helm. Her singing and stories, together with the energetic hip-hop and Surinamese dance of the other performers, form the heartbeat of the performance.
Music, spoken worddance and visuals bring the history and culture of the Surinamese interior together with contemporary dance. For Hiwat, the production was more than a dance performance. “With the other dancers it felt like a family traveling together to the interior of Suriname,” she says.
After a months-long tour in the Netherlands in 2025/2026, the performance was shown this year in the On Stage Theater in Paramaribo and in the Beatrix Theater in Moengo. This was a wish fulfilled for Marengo. “Yes, absolutely,” he said. Unfortunately he could not be there in Suriname.
