Prominent Utrechters talking about their favourite spot in the city. This month: actor, theatre-maker and combat athlete, Jaike Belfor tells us about the Ongewoon Sterk gym on Eendrachtlaan. So… the Ongewoon Sterk gym? ‘Ongewoon Sterk isn’t your average gym, but a safe place where power training is used to make people feel mentally strong and boost their confidence. I do power lifting there to make me even stronger and fitter as a combat athlete. I also teach FightFit twice a week to a diverse group that includes people who are neurodivergent or from the queer community. I find this very rewarding. The people taking part in my classes force me to reflect and recognise certain aspects (such as fear) in myself. This is incredibly helpful in my work as an actor, as it adds to my personal baggage.’ Biggest irritation? ‘In certain, more well-off, neighbourhoods in Utrecht, people seem to think that they own the place. They pop a note under your windscreen wipers if you park in front of their house, for example, or let you know that it’s ‘their’ parking space. Sometimes they even barricade the street with plant containers and trampolines so that their kids can play there. They’re totally self-centred. In Suriname, where I lived until I was 14 and recently went on holiday, there’s a greater realisation that your life will be good if everyone else’s lives are good. Luckily, we also have this attitude in the Lombok neighbourhood, where I live.’ Best memory? ‘Standing on Ganzenmarkt in 2002 and getting a phone call from my older sister to tell me she was expecting twins. I cried with joy. I’m a sort of surrogate mother to my two nephews, who are now 1.90m tall. I spent some time living in my sister’s attic in Lunetten, when my nephews were teenagers and my sister needed a hand bringing them up. She still hopes that I’ll move back to Lunetten. So ask me what’s the best thing about Utrecht and I’ll always reply: my sister, particularly her skills in the kitchen!’ Recently discovered? ‘Since my relationship with the dancer Naïma Souhaïr, I’ve been going to dance shows and it’s opened up a whole new world to me. Whereas I still go to the theatre with my professional hat on, I’m able to sit back and enjoy dance performances. And I’m really pleased that the Utrecht Stadsschouwburg and Theater Kikker regularly programme dance shows produced by well-known choreographers like Crystal Pite and Botis Seva. I’ve even added dance to some of my own productions. It appeals to a different part of the brain. Like Autsj, a show for children by Het Filiaal theatre makers, which is about coping with stimuli. It was so such a success that it’s coming to other theatres next year. And the premiere of Samson en een beetje Delilah by the Aluin theatre company is scheduled for the end of this year. It’s about a toxic relationship that ends in femicide.’ When did you last cry? ‘After I read the book De bewaring by the Utrecht writer Yael van der Wouden. It’s a great book that’s really well developed and very deep. What really moved me was the way that people can make things so complicated by imposing certain ideas and restrictions on themselves. Funnily enough, I met the author at the end of last year. It was after Twelfth Night, a Shakespearian romantic comedy performed by the Aluin theatre company, in which I played Duke Orsino. Someone came up to me to say how much they’d enjoyed the play. I recognised Yael from the photo in her book and could return the compliment.’ Beste restaurant? ‘ I‘m mad about ice-cream, and there are a lot of great salons in Utrecht. My advice: on a nice summer’s day, go for a cycle ride past all the ice-cream salons and try one scoop in each. Don’t forget Roberto Gelato on Poortstraat, Het Blauwe Huis close to Daphne Schippersbrug in Oog en Al, and Venezia on Oudegracht. You should seriously consider moving to Utrecht just for their lemon-basil ice-cream!’