Émilie Lacas: 3 Tips to achieve your dance dreams

Tip # 1. Get inspired by models

Émilie, now 20 years old, has always had a great admiration for those who dare to set ambitious goals and who work to achieve them. This is precisely what impressed her about the C4 team (long before she was part of it), when she arrived at the Rebelles & Vagabonds studio. She was only 12 years old at the time. "I saw these girls set big goals and take serious steps to reach them," she says. We can remember that the girls of C4 also won the prestigious showcase of the Hit The Floor competition in Lévis in 2016. It was the beginning of a series of impressive achievements. We then saw them win the hearts of thousands of Quebecers with their touching performances on television ( Dance to Win and Revolution ). They certainly contributed to prove to Emilie that we could all reach our dreams! You just have to believe it, and train assiduously. During her first years at R&V, her dream was to be part of C4 too ... And when some day one of the dancers from C4 needed a replacement, who would she ask for a replacement? Yes, to Émilie. After what the team never wanted to let her go, and officially offered her a place in the training. C4 girls, including Emilie, are today realizing another extraordinary dream: They are embarking on an important tour through the theaters of Quebec. It will be the first multimedia urban dance show, called EVA_D by C4 . Emilie could not be more proud of it! … And remember that all this path was partly inspired by his models, which has become teammates!

Tip # 2. Breaking down the barriers

Since she was very young, Emilie has listened to her father explain to her that she should never put up a barrier. He even tried to explain to her by drawing sometimes! At first, she admits that she did not understand the meaning of the "barriers" her father spoke to her about ... Until she compared these barriers to the limits of a comfort zone. The comfort zone is where you feel competent, in control, in security. Crossing this limit can be destabilizing. The limits of our comfort zone often translate into barriers of fear ... the fear of not being capable, of making people laughing at us, of failing ... We should simply accept to be afraid, and take away the barrier anyway . Try. Even if you think you're not good enough. Accept to be imperfect. Above all, stop comparing yourself to others. Comparison is the worst barrier, according to Émilie. It slows down a dancer in the discovery of his own strengths and delays the development of his full potential. This is what she repeats to her dance students, and she sees the excellent results of a dancer who stops comparing himself to another.

Tip # 3. Training and the place of competitions

Emilie's parents enrolled her in recreational dance classes at the age of 3. Jazz especially, a little ballet, and Hip Hop. At this stage the training is rather moderate. She has always enjoyed her lessons and had a certain motivation to continue, but at 12 y.o. this turned into real passion. So she gave herself a chance in audition, and got a place in a beginner urban dance team. When you're targeting the best, training must be part of the plan. This is in fact the heart of the plan. There is no magic secret, those who stand out devote many hours to their passion. From her first year of competitive dance, in addition to her team lessons, Émilie enrolled in all of the urban dance recreational classes in her studio. Yes, ALL. Popping, House, Dancehall, Break, Waacking, Krump, to name a few! In all, 15 to 20 hours of dance per week. Competitions also act as training. It's the best way to push your limits, individually and collectively. Dance competitions and battles are part of the urban dance culture, and to attend these allows us to discover all the treasures of this community. “Competing is a necessary path to become a greater dancer. It's part of the journey. As long as it's soundly managed. Said Emilie. Today, she retired from competitions, after 8 years, to devote herself solely to her shows with C4, and to teaching dance.

Émilie is rather proud of the dancer she has become, and with good reason! We find her very inspiring and that is why we want to spread her history. She also told us that in addition to acquiring technical skills, dance allowed her to discover herself as a person and to overcome her shyness by going towards others. And most importantly, nothing should stop her! For her next project, she would like to start a blog, which would talk about fashion and lifestyle . We will certainly be there to read it!