Born To Dance! Georgey Souchette - A French/Caribbean Gem!




Photo: Monica DaSilva

In 2010, Cultural Fusion featured a French Dance Company under the Artistic Direction of Rick ODUMS, originally American who found a home in France. Undoubtably, one the stars of that show was Georgey Souchette, who I had the pleasure of interviewing for Cultural Voice via skype.



Photo: Monica DaSilva

"You always struggle in art"

If you don't believe that intercultural exchange breaks down borders, listen to how I met Georgey! On a cold day in November, 2009, I was making my way home from a day teaching english to high school students in Nanterre, a suburb just outside the Paris, France when my cell phone rang. A heavy creolised french accent said 'hello' on the other end. He introduced himself explaining that he was recruiting dancers for a project in Tolouse, near to the South of France. I thought how odd, and random,  and for a moment considered that it  must  have been a divine conspiracy to get me back in the dance studio and on a stage! How did anyone in Paris know that I was even a dancer?!

Then it all became clear, that the intercultural forces were at work! Georgey then told me that he met Shelly Hebert on a dance project in NYC a few years before, and she told him recently that I was then living in France and potentially available to dance. By the way...I met Shelly, an American when she spent one season dancing with the NDTC in Jamaica! #interculturalnetworking...now back to the interview!

Photo: Monica DaSilva

Quick Facts Georgie:

· Danced in the French Productions of Broadway Musicals 'The Lion King' and 'AIDA'

· Born in St. Marteen

· Loves Vietnamese Food (Loves to eat generally)

· Believes the true artist should not be commercial

Georgey started his career studying history, and says he somehow ended up in dance school preparing to be a professional dancer, and he's always been dancing since. Once he discovered dance it was clear that there was nothing else for him to do. He feels strongly that he was truly born to dance.

Having started his training in St. Martin, a French Caribbean territory, doing mainly afrocentered dancing,  he faced many discoveries and challenges when he moved to France especially as it related to adapting to the culture. In his experience he shares that people spent a lot of time telling him that dancers should specialise and that he couldnt do all tyes of dances, that he needed to define yourself. He's however has remained very open to all dance forms and enjoys the exploration.

Georgey shares with Cultural Voice that culturally St. Martin and France and very different. He sees St. Martin in the midst of an identity crisis due to the extended trauma which the people faced during slavery and under colonial rule. He extends it to the Caribbean generally saying that a lot of Caribbean People have suffered from the historical dissadvantages.

Independence for St. Martin?

Georgey is not in favour. he sites too many problems including the dependence on tourism and vulnerable industries and the lack of a strong local government.

Pic of St. Martin on www.caribbeanvacations.com

Quick Facts St. Martin:

•  Currency: Euro
• 300KM east of Puerto Rico
• Main City Marigot
• The Island has no rivers