Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Lea: My name is Léa, I am 31 years old. And then, I've been a circus artist for not too long. I have a self-taught background, when I was a child I did gymnastics and theater. I loved circus arts, but I never had the opportunity to do them before. And then, I studied, I did a master's degree in communication, in political science, etc. And then in fact, the circus caught up with me, first as a passion. And in fact, as I did more and more amateurishly, I managed to join a Cirque du Soleil program. For three years, I have tried to make a living from it, to share and to bring together everything that fascinates me, namely writing, theater, poetry, artistic direction, etc., in my hair suspension numbers.
Did you dream of circus arts when you were little?
Léa: When I was little, my mother worked in a national scene in La Rochelle. And then, I saw my first contemporary circus show of The 7 Fingers of the Hand when I was maybe 11-12 years old. And then, in fact, I walked into a fridge on stage and I saw young adults doing high-level acrobatics and theater on stage, it was from that moment that I became said that's exactly what I wanted to do. Sometimes in life, it's a little difficult to manage to already move towards your dreams because there are lots of obstacles, but that's when I knew the seed had been planted and that I wanted to do that. Afterwards, it was more a question of you're good at school, and then it's hard to be an artist, you're past the age, etc.
Did your family dissuade you from pursuing the circus?
It was never formulated in that sense, because I was always encouraged to do what I wanted to do, but above all I was warned about the artistic world and creating fears. And I think that afterwards, I was responsible for having interpreted things like that, and it took me courage to deconstruct all that and to manage to go towards what I really dreamed of, forgetting in did what I was going to experience like not having any money or even being insecure. But I'm happy and that's the most important thing.
How did you get started with hair suspension?
It's one of the disciplines that allows you to really be able to act in theater, because you have your feet and hands free. And then we fly, and I think it’s every little girl’s dream, to fly (laughs). So there you have it, there is something of that. And then I have always had a big link, I don't know why, with tradition and traditional arts and then hair suspension which is a traditional circus technique, where there is a secret behind it. Namely how we tie the knot, which gives us access to this knowledge. There are 45 minutes of preparation. It really fascinated me to understand the story behind it, who created it. And then, in fact, I found it extraordinary. It’s a discipline that just needed to be dusted off.
How do you deal with pain in your head?
Like everything, pain is something that we deconstruct when we understand it. And then, there is a huge part, there is also 80%, of the mind. It's like putting on braces, it hurts extremely but you understand why it hurts. And so, you accept and even become familiar with this pain. Hair suspension is learning to deconstruct fears of falling, of getting hurt, of our skin tearing off, all that. And as the blow progresses, there is less external pain and it remains residual pain. So it's really like a pain if someone pinches you without warning you or things like that, it's going to be a pain that changes every day, also depending on whether you have your period, etc. But I would say that there are 4-5 minutes to be able to pass a milestone, and that I manage to pass it with breathing techniques, mentalization, distraction, and then it goes well.
Was it M6 who came to pick you up for France Has Incredible Talent?
I wasn't at all tempted by the TV adventure and I was rather against it. In fact, what I like about the circus world is that we play in something that is more contemporary, let's say, and then we really write poetry with our body, and then that requires work. time. There is no need to be silent on the TV set, what we often see is technique for technique's sake. The public is waiting for this big technique and applauds because it's impressive. And so, when we want to do the circus, we tell stories and that takes a little bit of time, so three minutes to create an act is very, very, very short to be able to recreate something. It's really a challenge. And then I said to myself, if that scares you, that means there's something to work on.
Did you have any goals going into the show?
When I decided to go there, I wrote four issues which are about four moments in our life in relation to a discipline, an art, or an encounter, etc. And then, in fact, I'm also going to step back a little because I'm very existential, and minimalist to be able to take care of myself on the side and nourish my other passions. In fact, I was inspired for these four issues and I didn't really have a goal, but I told myself that it was a good opportunity to also experiment with things that are close to my heart, namely making artistic dance, staging, and therefore, having the means put in place with the decor, the lights, etc.
Tune in this evening from 9:10 p.m. on M6 to discover the rest of Léa's adventure in France Has Incredible Talent.
