How did you start dancing?
Julien : Dancing is something I've been doing since I was little. I started doing gymnastics and did it for seven years. It wasn't really dance, but there was always this artistic side that I really liked. Once I got to college, I took a big break from sports. It was a bit by chance, when I started dancing again, especially, I think, thanks to social networks and TikTok that I said to myself: 'Why not try dancing?'. So when I entered high school, I tried to look for dance schools that could satisfy me. It's thanks to my friend, whose name is Clémence, who told me to try at her dance school and in the end, it was love at first sight.
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How did the meeting with Alexandra, your teacher, go?
It was a trial class, so completely free and when you arrive, you don't really know where you're going (laughs). We run, everything goes well, we have fun. And really, for once, I said to myself: 'There, I feel that this is the right school because I like the teacher, I like the choreography, it's a good level. I want to continue there. And towards the end of the class, we're getting closer to the end and then the teacher says to me: 'Come on, let's stop the choreography. We're going to do an improvisation circle. With my friend Clémence, we look at each other, we say: 'My God, out of the question'. We just arrived, we want to be discreet, we just want to dance. What's going on? Help! (Laughs). In the end, we get started and then, at the end of the class, there is Alexandra who comes to see me, and who says to me: 'How long have you been dancing?´.
So I'm honest and I tell him that this is my first lesson. She said to me: 'Very good. You will come to class a lot more often. And then, you're not just going to do hip hop and street dance. She said to me: 'No, you can also do jazz with me, then you'll do contemporary. You'll see, you'll like it. She didn't give me much of a choice. And in the end, little by little, I took his classes. We were very often on the same wavelength and then, I am a fairly docile student (laughs). I really wanted to go far, because I really liked what I was doing with Alex. So, over time, we went from a teacher-student relationship to just friends, even though we're not at all the same age.
How did you decide to participate in France Has Incredible Talent?
Last year, we started doing competitions a bit to give ourselves a challenge, and it was really Alexandra, who, with another dance partner, told me: 'You two, I want you in a duet to compete. I want to take on this challenge. Do you want to follow me?´. We accepted. From the first competitions, we realized that we could still go far and we liked that. So in the end, a little behind my back, Alexandra decided to send a few videos to Incroyable talent and we made pre-selections by video. I think the fact that she signed me up there was the biggest surprise.
Was there a total surprise on stage?
Totally. At the very beginning, she received emails, she received phone calls. I was asked to make presentation videos. I was like: 'Okay, okay…' And in fact, I realized that this story was starting to get serious (laughs). It's been some time, since I've been working with Alex, that I've been saying to myself: 'Why not try to work, create a career as a dancer and end up a dancer, ultimately'. It might be a great springboard, it might be a great experience. And then, even if I don't end up as a dancer, in the end, it's just crazy to think that we did that, especially for me, because I watched this show a lot when I was little. Not necessarily France, I watched a lot on YouTube the rebroadcasts for the United States, the United Kingdom, even Italy, etc. In the end, I thought about it, I thought about it and I said to myself: 'Why not?'
So you had prepared to go to two and you find yourself alone on stage…
What happened was that Alex did things very well, since she explained to me that we would be going to France Has Incredible Talent this year and that during the same week, it was great timing. well because there was an audition for a school or for a show. I don't really remember what she told me, but in any case, what was certain was that we prepared a duet and a solo. In fact, once in front of the jury, she told me: 'The solo that you created for school, etc., there is no school at all. There, the solo that I created for you, you can do it right away, now'. So in the end, we had already worked on both, but I only did one. I just let myself be carried away. It's very rare for me, because I'm someone who prefers to have control over what I do.
What was your state of mind?
At that point, I was like, 'OK, there are cameras, there are people, there are your parents, you moved your best friend. There, you just have to accept it. You just give the best of yourself. And on the one hand, I was so happy to be there that I didn't necessarily try to understand. I didn't even have time to stress. In fact, that's really how I felt throughout the journey, the fact that we arrived, that we had our makeup done, that we were filmed, etc. I was just like, 'Wow, this is a daydream.' And the more I progressed in it, the more I progressed in this experience, I had the impression of being in my state whereas in the end, I have never done that in my life. But it was so natural and I felt so good there. And when she told me that, I was like: 'OK. There are certain prayers that have been heard' (laughter). There, I go for it, I give everything I have to give. The little boy in front of his mirror who wanted to dance next to the stars, now he is the one in the spotlight.
Your performance went really well. How did you feel?
Frankly, I thought about it, and we talked about it later with Alex and even those close to me. I found that the jury's comments were incredibly accurate and kind in the sense that they understand very well what you are giving them. The fact of being so understood in their art, even if it is not necessarily what they do, because a magician, a singer, etc., who do not necessarily dance, but who have seen it , obviously, we say to ourselves: 'It feels good to be understood and it feels good to have an especially professional opinion, on this scale. They were just super nice. Always with kindness in wanting to encourage you to go much further. Because what they told me was that yes, what you do is very, very beautiful, but we still feel that you've only been dancing for two years. But if you work, you can go so far, so just keep going. And it made me just so happy.
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