Aurélie Garcia: "Art is a celebration of roots, culture, and purpose"

Jan 20

Aurélie Garcia is a professional dancer, dance teacher, and choreographer who has appeared on international TV in Italy (Rai 1) and France (France 3). Originally from the South of France, she began dancing at a local school before moving to New York City at eighteen to attend The Ailey School, graduating from their scholarship program in 2018. Throughout her career, she has performed works by renowned choreographers such as Ray Mercer, Elizabeth Roxas, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Alvin Ailey. Aurélie has collaborated with prestigious companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ballet Hispanico, and MOMIX, with whom she has been touring internationally since 2019. She has graced renowned stages such as Lincoln Center, New York City Center, the Joyce Theater, the Tel Aviv Opera House, and the Ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Taormina. In competitions, she has earned first place at the International Dance Competition of Monaco (Hip Hop category), Aix-en-Provence (Jazz category), and Toulon (Ballet category).

Aurélie, you started dancing at a small school in the South of France and later moved to New York to attend The Ailey School. How did this transition influence your dance style and artistic vision?

I already had versatile training, my love for dance pushed me to try every single style that was offered in my small dance school, and I would also do intensives & workshops whenever I could. I am blessed to have a very supportive family that helped me access all these beautiful experiences to pursue my passion. Moving to New York expanded my artistry to a greater level, there is so much more to explore and learn here.

New York is a place where artists from all over the world meet, moving here was an incredible blessing, I was able to have access to knowledge and artistry from some of the most inspiring people. Even though I had versatile training, I danced a lot like my director did since she was the one who trained me since my youngest age. Moving here by exploring different styles and techniques I was able to find my own voice and my own style.

I learned from styles that are at opposite ends of the dance vocabulary, I take what talks to my soul, mix them all together with my own touch, and create my own art.

I originally just came here for 1 year of training and was planning to return home afterward. I had no idea that by moving here, life was going to offer all these new experiences and opportunities to grow as an artist. I am beyond grateful for all of it. Now almost 10 years later I am still here sharing and expanding my art.

You’ve collaborated with internationally renowned choreographers like Alvin Ailey, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Eduardo Vilaro. What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned from working with them?

Every single one of them has a very distinct dance style, but the one thing in common is the respect and the celebration of their roots. They use art to celebrate where they come from, to share about their culture, their belief. This is what I like to do in my art, the technique is very important as a dancer, but also the roots of where your art comes from, the reason why you are expressing it, and the reason why it needs to be shared to the world for a greater purpose.

You’ve had the opportunity to perform on international TV networks such as Rai 1 in Italy and France 3 in France. How did you experience bringing your dance to such a broad television audience, and how is it different from performing live on stage?

The opportunities to be on France 3 and Rai 1, came through working with MOMIX, a dance company based in Connecticut.

When performing on stage, usually, the audience is in front of you, from the front row to the people in the highest balcony seats, they are still in the front of the stage. Therefore your presence must reach from the stage to beyond the front of the stage.

When performing for Tv, the cameras are all over coming from plenty of different angles, your presence has to reach each of these cameras from different angles in order to reach the audience behind their screen.

I would say tv is more like an immersive dance performance in that matters. The audience is not just traditionally in front of the stage, but there are eyes all over around you. Your presence needs to be on at every single moment and every single orientation your dance is taking you to.

From winning international dance competitions to performing on prestigious stages like the Lincoln Center and the Tel Aviv Opera House, what moment in your career do you consider the most significant?

I believe every single moment in my career is significant, from the smallest stage to the magnificent stages. To me, every single performance is a gift, an opportunity to share something precious, and special. Of course, performing on a prestigious stage has a much bigger impact on your resume, much more stress, much more responsibility, and much more expectation from the audience and presenters.

A lot of prestigious stages are life goals to perform on for a lot of artists like me. It is an incredible chance and honor to be able to make art in these beautiful, renowned places. If I would have to pick a favorite prestigious stage, it would be of the ones with a rich artistic & historical background.

I do love performing in outdoor settings, in ancient theatres, it reminds you that you are not just sharing with the humans present but you are also sharing with the entire universe. And you never know, in the smallest setting, the less prestigious event, your performance, genuine and truthful can still impact someone's life.

This is why I cherish every single experience and opportunity, and always try to do my best to offer the gift that I was given to the people around me. Via performing, teaching, choreographing or even just talking and sharing about what drives me to be in this beautiful field.

From ballet to jazz and hip-hop, your repertoire spans a variety of dance styles. How do you maintain such versatility and master such diverse genres?

Even tho I am a professional in the field I still take a lot of classes whenever I can make the time for it, and I make sure to take differents styles to challenge my artistry. I think it is important to constantly train and expose ourselves to new things. As an artist, inspiration comes from all experiences, so it is important to go out there and make these experiences happen. There is always more to learn, more to expand, more to reach, more to discover, and more to improve.

You’ve been touring internationally with MOMIX for several years. How would you describe the experience of bringing your talent and artistry to such diverse audiences worldwide?

It is impressive how different the reaction from the audience is based on the cultural traditions of the country. One thing that is universal is that they all appreciate the art, love and respect it. In some places, the audience will be completely quiet during the entire performance, and once they are 100% sure the performance is finished they give you a loud standing ovation, in some places, the audience reacts and applauds throughout the performance.

Traveling internationally, in addition to getting the chance to share your art to new parts of the world, you also get to learn so much about different cultures and traditions, all these experiences help enhance and inspire your artistry.

It truly is a blessing and gift to have the chance to travel around the world to share our passion, it is something I will always be thankful for and wish for many other artists to experience.