One has dedicated her life to dance, the other wants to devote hers to it. Aurélie Dupont became a “little rat” of the Paris Opera in 1983, at the age of 10. Suzanne is 11, including seven in classical dance, and dreams of following in her footsteps. Aurélie Dupont was elevated to star rank one evening in December 1998, on the stage of the Opéra Garnier. In a Parisian studio at the Albin Michel publishing house, one October morning, Suzanne's eyes sparkle at meeting her.
Forty years separate them but the passion for this art of movement brings them together. Sitting opposite the woman she admires, Suzanne scrutinizes every detail. “She has a super rock look for a classical dancershe will appreciate afterwards. And have you seen the way he looks? » Aurélie is just as attentive, always amazed to see classical dance populating the dreams of the youngest: “I love seeing passionate children, I wrote my book (1) for little girls and boys like you. »
“It’s normal to doubt, not to depreciate yourself”
That day, it was Suzanne who led the dance of discussions. Student of 6e in a class with flexible hours dedicated to dance in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), she carefully prepared her questions. In her bag, she brought the object that symbolizes her dreams and sits in the wallpaper of her phone: her spikes. Aurélie Dupont hung up hers on the evening of May 18, 2015, to a twenty-five minute round of applause. Since then, she has stopped dancing, which tickles the curiosity of the budding artist.
“Why don’t you dance anymore? »asks the one who would trade a few math lessons for a little more tutu. Aurélie Dupont first slips in a word: “The pain. » His life companion, tamed, never tamed. In addition to his right knee, which almost ended his career on the cusp of his 25th birthday, his entire body is now battered by arthritis. “And then, it’s complicated for me to go to a dance class. Because I don’t go unnoticed and my level is no longer what it was…”
When you spend more than thirty years of your life dancing, to the rhythm of a timetable set like clockwork, there is also the temptation to let yourself be surprised: “I could offer dance classes by building on what I have been. But for now, I want to go where I don't know, while remaining in this desire to transmit. »
Pleasure above all
That's the whole point of Danse !encyclopedia of his tips and tricks. “When I was your age, there was no book like this. I wrote it to answer questions left unanswered. » Suzanne seizes the opportunity and asks for her first piece of advice. “Since dancing is hard, you have to have fun, even in the difficultysays Aurélie Dupont. You don't have to be a masochist, but if at any point something goes wrong, like a failed competition, you shouldn't forget the pleasure you get from dancing. Don't forget why you dance. » The star dancer made this last sentence the title of her autobiography (2), in which she tells how the solitary child she was found her place thanks to dance. And the Music too.
“To succeed in this profession, you have to remember that dancing is not just about movementsshe continues. In dance, music is the words you don't have. He's your first partner. » To illustrate this, Aurélie Dupont takes an example: ” In Don Quixotewhen you are in the third act, when you are exhausted and the thirty-two whippings arrive, it is the music which carries you, which…” She stops suddenly, leans forward, picks up something from the ground. “That’s funny!” » Between his fingers, a little golden paper star. A sign? You never know, it's better to keep it.
Music, first partner
The star dancer picks up the thread of her advice: “Music helps you memorize. If you put me on the music Swan LakeI will remember the whole choreography. » That's his mnemonic secret weapon. “You will find your thing”she promises Suzanne, who is dyslexic and doesn't really understand why some of her teachers teach learning through writing.
“Each teacher has his own technique. Some don't suit us, but we follow anyway and wait for the next year.”she tempers. On the other hand, she is more critical of the use of fabric or silicone tips in the tips: “It’s like putting on mittens to cut a vegetable. We need our fingers to cook, just like we need our toes to dance. »
She also addresses the lack of attention paid to foot care: “However, it is a necessity. Because there are pains that can be avoided”such as those caused by blisters, but also partridge’s eye. To avoid suffering from it, some dancers “put little pieces of cigarette paper between their toes to suck up the moisture”says Aurélie Dupont.
“Have you ever not believed in yourself? »
Aurélie Dupont learned to love her body and listen to it after having violated and depreciated it, helped by the reflections and bullying that accompanied her for years. In her diary at the time, she recorded them “so as not to forget”.
What you need to be aware of is that the exercises you are doing right now, I did the same ones until I was 42.
Aurélie Dupont, star dancer
At the age of 15, while she was at the Paris Opera school, Claude Bessy wrote in one of her evaluations: “You should never have passed, you suck, you're ugly and you'll be fired next year.” » Times have changed, assures the one who directed the ballet of the Paris National Opera from 2016 to 2022, but Suzanne has this question: “Have you ever not believed in yourself, told yourself that you are worthless, too fat…? » Aurélie Dupont responds without taking her eyes off the young dancer: “Yes, a lot and until late. It's okay to be demanding, it's okay to doubt, but not to belittle yourself. Even less so when you know that you gave everything, that you worked. »
In classical dance, it is impossible to do without rigor, without work and without patience: “What you need to be aware of is that the exercises you are doing right now, I did the same ones until I was 42 years. The grand plies, the releases, the rounds of the leg on the ground…”
The difference between dancers and artists
This repetition sometimes resembles meditation. Since she was little, Aurélie Dupont has appreciated the bubble that forms around her when she dances. A bubble where she doesn't need to speak to express herself. Where grace is born from a gesture, from a breath. Where the body has integrated technique to give way to emotions.
“That's where the difference is between good dancers and great artists, those who make you forget that their fifth [position] is not perfect »she summarizes before asking: “You, Suzanne, what role do you dream of dancing? » She hesitates but can't help but answer « La Sylphide »as Aurélie Dupont's interpretation in this ballet resurrected by Pierre Lacotte marked her.
While waiting to be able to play such roles, the young dancer takes with her the lessons of her elder. They have already arranged to meet, Saturday November 16, at the Tours Book Fair which is being held… at the opera!
(1) “Dance!” » by Aurélie Dupont, Albin Michel jeunesse, €19.90.
(2) “Don’t forget why you dance” by Aurélie Dupont, Albin Michel, €22.90.
