Can you take the plane to Los Angeles within 9 hours? Nick Coutsier (25) from Waterloo did not have to think long about this question when he was called by a crew member of the great Beyonce. Five years after graduating from the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp, the young man dances as a freelance for various projects and choreographers around the world. For Beyonce's latest video clip, "Spirit," only two non-American dancers were asked.
Dancer Nick Coutsier from Waterloo took his first dance lesson when he was 13. The dancing blood had been running through his vaines for some time, partly due to his Congolese origin. "I remember my aunt, Miss Ngalula, teaching me a Congolese dance for the first time when I was three," says Nick. In his secondary years, dancing started to become more and more a priority and soon he did auditions for various projects. "My mother naturally wanted me to get my diploma first, so we made a deal that I would go to Los Angeles after finishing high school, because everyone at castings said you should be there as a dancer."
Right up his alley
At the age of 18 he travelled to Los Angeles to make a career there. "In the end I only stayed five months," says Nick. "I felt that I lacked depth in my dance and decided to learn more about the profession." Nick enrolled at the Royal Conservatoire in Antwerp, where he wanted to broaden into modern dance. "That entry audit was the hardest thing I've ever done," he says. "I also put a lot of pressure on my shoulders, because I really wanted to get in." The three-year course afterwards could give him the depth that he missed at the beginning. “In the Conservatoire they really form personalities on top of dancers. You learn so much about the profession, both in practice and in theory, which made me feel more legitimate afterwards to call myself a dancer. ”Nick Coutsier was allowed to dance on Beyonce's side Video clip" Spirit "
Dancing for Queen B.
Nick was called by choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui before the summer. "I remember that I was in Geneva at the time and he asked me if I wanted to collaborate on a project with another dancer from Paris, Josepha Madoki." or who it was. "They just asked us to assist Cherkaoui for a choreography." When Nick was back in Brussels, he was suddenly called by a crew member of Beyonce. “I suddenly had to get ready and had a flight to Los Angeles within 9 hours. When I got there a taxi was waiting for me and I was immediately taken to a dance studio where Beyonce and her dancers were. ”Nick and Josepha were introduced and were allowed to present to their duo that they practiced with Cherkaoui. "At that moment you don't actually have time to play the fan, because you are surrounded by the best dancers and such a professional atmosphere."
On top of being in the same room as Beyonce, Nick also noticed that all dancers were black. "Usually black dancers are quite unique, but the fact that the entire cast was black created the feeling that we were actually part of something much bigger than ourselves." After they had introduced their duo, they were told that they were actually started dancing in the video clip themselves. And that happened a few days later in the middle of the desert. "The set was surreal, I zoomed in and out every time and wanted to enjoy every moment that I was there until they suddenly shouted" it's a wrap. "
"Beyonce said how much she liked the duo and that completed the circle for me. Seven years ago I had te come to Los Angeles, but I felt that I was missing something as a dancer and at that moment it was the opposite, me I felt in my place and part of a project that was bigger than myself and us."
Watch the video of Spirit below
Source: Het Laatste Nieuws