Have you ever wanted to dance in France?
Many dancers have a dream of living and performing in Paris, and from a very young age, I was one of them. I used to pray that I would eventually grow to be 175cm, just so I could audition for Moulin Rouge. I still remember the devastation I felt when my Mum reminded me one day that I came from a line of vertically challenged family members, including a Grandfather that was a Jockey. It was likely I would never grow past average height, let alone be showgirl height. Alas, by some kind of miracle last year I somehow landed myself a contract dancing in France.
As with most dreams, the reality of the dream is somewhat different to the one imagined. That’s not to say it was any less magical than I expected…. it just had a little more real-lifey stuff sprinkled on top.
The language barrier is pretty stressful….way more than you think!
If you think that you can learn to say bonjour and then live happily ever after in Paris, you would be very wrong. The most valuable advice I could give to anyone planning to go to dance in France for a period of time, would be to live and breath the language before you go. Though, I did learn a lot along the way, my life would have been made much easier from the beginning had I known a little more French. A lot of us native english speakers had to get used to hearing the phrase ‘pas possible’ (not possible). Which was basically code for ‘no I’m not going to help you because you didn’t ask in French’. Harsh, but also fair enough…..we were in Paris after all.
The food! (So much cheese, and oh so much wine)
The food in France was amazing, though in saying that, was a bit more of a culture shock than I initially imagined. As someone who eats gluten free majority of the time, due to some thyroid issues, it was actually tricky to navigate. Coming from Melbourne where it’s pretty much a trend to not eat gluten, I was surprised to find I struggled to find even a gluten free pizza base. The upside of this is that France, obviously has some of the best cheese and wine in the entire world. So even if the gluten free bread tasted like poison, at least the Camembert makes up for it. Totally addictive, and totally worth it. In the midst of many a cheese coma, I became glad that I never grew tall enough to be a showgirl!
There is an endless amount of paper work and admin
This was one of France’s most unexpected quirks. For some reason, I felt like there was always, and I mean ALWAYS, paperwork to be filled out. Not to mention, they were written in french, and for someone with what I like to call form-filling anxiety, it was pretty difficult. If you want to Dance in France, make sure you are prepared to do the work that comes along with the stressful visa process.
The magic of Paris is every bit a reality
The romance of the city itself is every bit what it’s cracked up to be. Every time I would find myself frustrated by a form I didn’t understand, or a transport strike that didn’t make sense, I would go and do something in the heart of the city. Even if it was just a stroll on the street, there is something about Paris that fills you with a sense of walking through history. If you want to move to Paris for the beauty, then you most certainly will find it. For some reason even going into a bookshop there feels completely romantic.
Sometimes things are just different to how they are at home
If you’re going to France, it’s likely your expectations of Paris might have been influenced by Sex and the City, and Moulin Rouge (which ironically, was actually filmed in Australia). Baguettes, berets and the eiffel tower coming to mind? Something you might not expect however, is the huge differences in culture and way of life. Personally, I found things moved at a far slower pace than what I was used to at home, and I’m going to say the service is somewhat ‘different’. Eventually, we all had to learn sometimes you just have to accept the way we do things in Australia is not necessarily the ‘right way’, but rather, it’s ‘our way’.
Getting to live in this beautiful city, is an experience I wouldn’t change for the world. I am so so thankful that Dance could take me to a city I’d dreamed of my entire life. Would love to hear what your experiences have been like dancing in France. Tell me about it in the comment section!
