Today we’d like to introduce you to Aurelie Garcia.
Aurelie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first started dancing in France, in a small town dance school “Centre Artistique de la Danse Cydrille Girard”, after I graduated from High School I was accepted at The Ailey School, a very selective professional dance program in NY – which is how I ended up coming to the United States in September 2015. Since I have been in New York, I worked with plenty of dance companies with very different styles, which helped me develop my diversity as a professional dancer and artist.
With Ntrinsik Movement, mixing African Dance with Modern Dance, with Bloodline Dance Theatre, mixing African Dance and Ballet, with Ann Nuo Spiritual Dance, mixing traditional Chinese dance with contemporary, with Emphasis Entertainment, commercial dance, with Ballet Hipanico mixing modern, and contemporary, ballet and different traditional Hispanic dances, with OCA Dance exploring the fusion of afro-Latin culture with contemporary and some more versatility and learning with Vanessa Long Dance, Alison Cook Beatty Dance, Faustine Lavie Dance project and now with MOMIX, becoming an athlete dancer illusionist.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
First of all, performing art is very competitive, with an immense amount of talented people which makes finding oneself a place in the working world very challenging. You have to refer to be the one offered the opportunity.
In addition to the competition, being an immigrant dancer in the United States is a challenge, a lot of companies can only hire immigrants with the proper paperwork to work, but to receive the proper paperwork to work you need to first prove excellent artistry and talent through work experiences, rewards, etc.
As a dancer, what we are precautious the most about is preventing injuries, it takes us a lot of time and effort to make sure our body is staying in good shape and health to be able to perform our art to the fullest and the long term.
What is also very difficult as a professional artist who tours around the world, is to be away from your loved ones for long periods and sometimes miss very important events you wished you could be present for. Being a professional dancer is a wonderful career but also comes with many sacrifices and hard work.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My specialty as a professional dancer is Modern Dance and Contemporary but I became a very versatile dancer thanks to all the meaningful experiences that allowed me to open my artistic spectrum.
As an artist and dancer, I am known to always bring something extra, and special to the audience, I am dedicated, adaptative, smooth to work with, always looking forward to learning more, and generous with my artistry and knowledge. Aware that not everyone has the same chance to live from their passion, I am very proud of what I have achieved by staying faithful to my heart and passion.
Who else deserves credit for your story?
I would not have been where I am today if I did not receive the support, of artists, teachers, choreographers, and producers such as Cydrille Girard, Veronique Mangion, Lisa Garguillo, Leticia, Julie Magneville, Elodie Auger, Tarak Lamar, Tracy Inman, Elizabeth Roxas, Ray Mercer, Jonathan lee, Moses Pendleton, Cynthia Quinn, Gabriel Alvarez, Aaron Mattocks, Charles Santos, Anna Lederfeind, Heather Conn, Kennyth Montes De Oca, Alison C. Beatty, Vanessa Long, Family, Friends and all the people I was able to encounter in each moment.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @aureliiegarcia
Image Credits
Anthony Johnson, Paquinones Photos, and Jordan Star
