Chlea Giguère | A Quebecer joins the Dutch company NDT

Chlea Giguère dreamed of dancing for Nederlands in Theater. It’s now done. At 19, the young woman is one of the few Canadian dancers to evolve in this contemporary dance company renowned worldwide.

Posted at 8:00 a.m.

The press had met the young Chlea in November 2019 at the School of the Ballet du Québec. First because she had just obtained the role of Clara – in the ballet Nutcracker- For the second year in a row. But also because she had shown herself brilliantly in the shows Revolution et France has an incredible talent.

During this interview, Chlea Giguère, who was then barely 14 years old, told us that he wanted to lead a career as a professional dancer. The girl with clear ideas had gone further. She had targeted three companies that made her dream: the great Canadian ballets, the New York City Ballet and the Nederlands in Theater (NDT).Read our report on Chlea Giguère

It is finally with the latter that she will take her first professional steps – from next August. But what did the young dancer do in the past five or six years to achieve her ends?

The press A joined Chlea Giguère in The Hague, in the Netherlands, where she finished a two-year program at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. A school of dance and music that is in the same building as the… NDT!

Her training there was extremely beneficial to him, she told us. “I approach the ballet in a less technical way. I do more research on what I can do with my technical skills. Which means that I have more freedom in my movements. I also have a greater awareness of my body, what it is capable of doing. »»

This new approach helped her during the hearing process that led to him. Especially since she did a two -week internship last summer at the NDT. Another advantage she had on other candidates.

“They want to know who you are as no one and as an artist, so the process is long. You have to submit your file, send videos … Afterwards, there are auditions, interviews. They assess our versatility, our ability to work in a team, to improvise, our work ethics. It is a process of about four months. »»

When she obtained her response from the NDT, she literally “fallen on the ground”, she said, laughing.

The first time she saw a NDT show, Chlea was 12 years old. She was in New York with her parents. “I had been seduced by the more human, more abstract approach also, of the company. I felt that there was great freedom among dancers. I said to myself: I want to dance with them. »»

Learning freedom

Following our first meeting, Chlea continued her training at the Quebec Ballet Higher School for two years before flying to Switzerland, where she studied a year at the Theatertanz Ballettschule, in Basel. A first experience of life abroad where she discovered “new teachers and new repertoires”.

Then arrived the pandemic, during which she danced a lot in her living room and on her terrace. “I feel like I have grown up a lot of personal and even artistic level during this period, because I had to be more creative with what I could do as training. I also created several choreographies during this period. »»

In short, from Quebec to the Netherlands, via Switzerland, it is the learning of freedom that Chlea Giguère made through her classical training.

The rest of its story remains to be written. The young dancer will start to work with the second company of the NDT (that of the under 23s) next August.

“I live my dream,” said Chlea again. For so long, that’s what I wanted, and I worked hard to go there, so I really can’t wait to start and perfect my style, find my voice as an artist. I know that it is an evolutionary process, that this is only the beginning, but it is so exciting! »»