Neele dances through life - Artist with Down syndrome follows her own path | DW Documentary

Neele Buchholz is an actress and dancer. She has Down syndrome and regularly encounters barriers in the entertainment industry. Even so, she is determined to work as an independent artist.

Neele Buchholz has found success in her career. She has appeared in numerous television productions, feature films, and stage performances. At an early age, she decided not to work in one of Germany's sheltered workshops for people with disabilities — the path often expected of people with Down syndrome. "I said, 'No, I don’t want that because it’s boring,'" Neele recalls. Her parents strongly supported her decision to pursue a career in dance and acting. After nine years in a permanent position with a dance theater company in Bremen, she landed a role in a successful TV series. She then took the step into freelance work. However, she does face certain challenges at castings or when learning scripts. "I need time, but they always want things done quickly, quickly, quickly," Neele says.

The pressure to secure steady work and earn enough money is high. At the same time, the acting industry still lacks sufficient opportunities and support for people with disabilities. But Neele’s has an even bigger goal. She plans to start her own company so that she can pay her assistants better and have dedicated space for rehearsals and team meetings. Yet these plans are being complicated by an illness, which is putting Neele’s independence to the test.

The documentary portrays a woman determined to shape her own future and shows that it is possible to pursue an independent path, even under difficult circumstances.

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