Motive for Motion

Motive for Motion was founded in Hong Kong in 2011 during my Master of Fine Arts in Dance Education at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

The name originates from a chapter in Dutch dance educator Maria Speth’s book Spetters, which explores the idea of offering children themes, stimuli, and invitations rather than fixed instructions. The concept of finding a “motive for motion” resonated deeply with me: movement begins with curiosity, imagination, and a reason to explore.

What started as a small creative dance practice in my living room with my own children and their friends gradually developed into a broader artistic platform. Through classes, workshops, performances, and collaborative projects, Motive for Motion became a space where dance could be experienced not only as a technique, but as a way of thinking, creating, connecting, and understanding the world.

Over the years, the project evolved across different countries, communities, and cultural contexts. Today, Motive for Motion serves as an umbrella for artistic projects in dance, movement, storytelling, and cultural participation. Its work brings together children, families, artists, and communities through participatory experiences that encourage creativity, imagination, dialogue, and meaningful encounters.

At its core, Motive for Motion continues to be guided by the same question that inspired its beginning:

What moves us?

Whether through dance, storytelling, artistic collaboration, or community engagement, the aim is to create spaces where movement becomes a language for expression, connection, and shared cultural experience.