Ahead of the creation of a Biodanza course at the start of the school year in Thiers, Louise Dupraz is offering a discovery session on May 25.
No show, no mirror. We let go of appearances to appreciate the pleasure of dancing. A Biodanza class, or “dance of life” will start in Thiers at the start of the school year in September. A discovery session of this practice created in the 1960s will be given on Saturday May 25.
It is Louise Dupraz, 32 years old, who is at the initiative of this future group. Originally from Paris, she then left Lyon to settle in Trézioux last summer. In parallel with her professional life oriented towards integration and training, she encountered Biodanza several years ago.
Demeter Dance
“I had just spent a year traveling in Mexico, I was exploring spirituality and nature. And I discovered Biodanza on vacation at a campsite called “L’espace des possibilities”, in Charente-Maritime, one of the top places for personal development in France. The teacher gave courses in Paris, I followed them and in 2015, I started my training.
Louise Dupraz in turn became a Biodanza teacher in 2018 (tenured in 2020), and she created her association: Demeter Danse. It is in this context that she offers this course in Thiers. Furthermore, she resumed her studies and obtained a degree in psychology.
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From Paris to Trézioux
It was Biodanza, somewhere, that led her to Auvergne. “I did my training with a colleague who was from Puy-de-Dôme. I fell in love with this region and that’s why I arrived.”
A department where Biodanza is already anchored, since groups exist in Clermont-Ferrand, Issoire, in the Cunlhat sector, as well as in Billom, where Aude Mermilliod gives weekly classes.
“So there’s nothing in Thiers, and I’m available!” says Louise Dupraz, smiling. “It’s a city that really attracts me, that I find really beautiful, I love its history and I’ve wanted to offer something for a long time.”
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“The first criterion is that people feel good”
As a child, Louise Dupraz had done classical dance, but she had not been convinced of it. “I really liked dancing but the performance side, the counting of steps, the search for the beauty that we have in choreographic dances, that didn’t appeal to me. Biodanza is the pleasure of dancing.”
She describes the three objectives of this practice: “to feel well-being, the pleasure of exploring different ways of moving; to encourage connections between people, to dance together in a “village party” spirit, to be in the simple sharing that can sometimes be lacking in the times we live in; and there is also a broader dimension of connection to nature, because we refine our capacity to pay attention to others, to ourselves, to the garden.”
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Concretely, the gestures are “very simple”, insists the dancer. “We often do rounds at the beginning and end of the session, to “be a group”. There are walks, dances in pairs face-to-face, games. For example, we line up at four or five, there is one who moves forward by making a certain gesture and the others will reproduce it. The objective is to have fun. During the festive dance, we put on music and everyone dances! fully. In the relaxation part, the gestures are more ample, with your eyes closed, you can dance as a couple with very light contact.”
Is it sporty? “Yes because there are rhythm exercises, hearts beat faster, we stretch in extension dances. But the first criterion is that people feel good. It’s suitable for everyone because the objective is that everyone can dance Biodanza is practiced in nursing homes, in kindergarten, and can even be danced sitting down, for people with disabilities for example.
Maybe also family sessions
With her group from Billom, made up of “people of all ages and from all social backgrounds”, Aude Mermilliod was able to observe “one main benefit: belonging to a group. They are happy to find each other. And then, like things are acquired – presence, sense of rhythm, etc. – Biodanza allows you to feel capable, powerful.”
The course in Thiers will be given once a week or every fortnight. Perhaps occasionally, Louise Dupraz will also offer sessions for families, open to children from the age of 2.5 years. Terms to be refined by September. Particularly with those who were convinced by the discovery session.
Discovery session
May 25 at 4 p.m. at the Metamorf’ose premises, 81 avenue Béranger in Thiers. Free price. Reservations recommended at 06.22.90.26.32.
Alice Chevrier
