Hello everyone.
This is a series of introducing artists in NYC where tans of artists gather to create works, get inspired and inspire each other.
And today, I would like to introduce a NYC based dancer/artist, Faustine Lavie from France.
She is literally everywhere in dance communities in NYC. She is part of or have worked for most of the contemporary dance companies I know in NYC.
I am so honored to connect with Faustine who is one of the busiest and most popular dancers/artists in NYC!
Let’s get to know why many dance companies/artists love to work with her, keys and effort she has been working on, struggles, her vision, dream, and more!!
I think I have worked or am working with lots of different companies because of my dedication. I’m probably a great dancer (I don’t know) but I think I’m also easy to work with and very focused. I always show my interest in the choreographer’s work and try to bring their visions to life the way they want it to be. I always try to adapt my style and my intentions to the choreographer’s needs, while of course still giving some of my individual qualities. I also believe I am specific, pay attention to details, learn fast, and always come prepared to rehearsal, which are qualities that directors and choreographers usually appreciate.
I think my main weak point is, or at least used to be, was the lack of confidence in myself. I had a lot of trauma from growing up in a very strict ballet world, which gave me a lot of doubts in my abilities and legitimacy as a dancer/artist. I used to always think I was not good enough, and was very scared of trying new styles and look ridiculous. I think coming to NY and live in the US definitely helped me to find myself as an artist because it opened my horizons in terms of dance and art, but also as a human being. It took some years but now I feel comfortable with wearing lots of colors in a dance studio, even though everyone else is wearing black, or with having colorful hair and an unique style. I used to always try to hide so nobody would see me, which is the worst thing to do when you’re an artist, but coming here and starting to work with many people and see my dancing being appreciated really made me confident in who I am and what I can do.
I founded Faustine Lavie Dance Project in 2020. I never thought I would want to choreograph before, I’ve always wanted to be a dancer and that’s it. But the pandemic gave me so much time and I started having all these visions and ideas. I also started experimenting new styles, like hustle. I wanted to create a company that’s the most diverse possible. I want dancers who have unique qualities of movements and are very different. I use a lot of improvisation in my work, and it’s important for me that they keep their individuality and develop their own voice inside my work. They all are contemporary dancers, but some of them are more technical and use lines a lot, some of them do also street styles and I definitely encourage them to use it in their improvs. I want to mix styles that have never been before. I want to start creating a piece which would be a hustle-contemporary fusion. I also put a lot of importance in using dancers who have different bodies. I suffered from a lot of discrimination in the dance world when I was younger because of my body, so I want to represent dancers with different shapes and body types on stage, and of course different ethnicities and styles.
I honestly don’t know how I manage my life hahaha! I don’t sleep a lot, that’s for sure. I try to do my best to wake up every day to do some yoga or take class before going to rehearsals or work on personal projects. Having my own collective also gave me so much more administrative things to do, which also take time. But I try my best to keep time for myself, call my family in France and have a social life here in the US. It’s important to be healthy mentally.
I definitely want and need to improve my social and writing skills!!! Because I am a dancer/artist, my best way of expression is movement. I’m a bit shy and don’t like talking to people that much, I feel much more comfortable expressing my feelings in my movements. But now that I started to choreograph and have my own collective, I need to talk to people more, promote my work, try to get new opportunities, make connections and keep contact with different artists. I need to get better at expressing myself with words. I also need to improve my writing skills to explain some of my ideas and concepts when I send applications to present my work in different performances and festivals.
Ideally, I would also love to learn break dancing and popping one day. When I’ll find some time… haha
My next dream is to definitely develop my own collective. More and more performances opportunities are coming now that the pandemic is basically over (kind of) and I’m exciting to show my work to the world and get it seen more. I also want to try to audition again. I’ve been working with a lot of companies, which I love and I intend to keep working with them, but I also always want to work with new people and try different styles. Now that I also do hustle, I am thinking of trying to do some competitions with my partner, and see where that goes. It’s a very different work from concert dance and it’s very enriching to add it to my palette.
I always show my interest in the choreographer’s work and try to bring their visions to life the way they want it to be.
a lot of trauma from growing up in a very strict ballet world, which gave me a lot of doubts in my abilities and legitimacy as a dancer/artist.
coming here(NY) and starting to work with many people and see my dancing being appreciated really made me confident in who I am and what I can do.
I want to mix styles that have never been before. - a hustle-contemporary fusion
I don’t sleep a lot, that’s for sure.
After the interview with her, I’ve found that we are opposite at some parts-she is fast in picking up choreography while I am so slow-, but also similar at some parts-needs to improve social skills-.
I really appreciate her passion and effort to keep going forward and to create a style that has never been before.
I am very sure that she keeps inspiring people opening their perspective wider and wider in terms of dance, art, and also a human being, same as once NY did for her.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed and got inspired by her!
Please stay tuned for the next artist!
Aika Takeshima