Meldane Benoit can’t remember when she didn’t dance. The way she remembers it, she has always been dancing. This is not surprising since she has been dancing since she was 3 years old. In fact, she jokes that she learned to dance before learning to walk.
(Photo Seynabou-Rose Samb)
The 16-year-old from Beauharnois lives for her art. As soon as she wakes up, the only thing she thinks of is that moment when she can be on the dance floor. There are few days when she doesn’t dance. In fact, the Extravadanse Studio, located in Châteauguay, is her second home. The young girl has been attending it since she was 3 years old and spends an average of 30 hours a week there. “I’ve been doing every style of dance since I was very young. I’ve done jazz, I do contemporary in competition. With my troupe, we were invited to Whistler in Vancouver where we won first place. Currently, I am in a breakdance troupe, a contemporary troupe, I do 3 solos and a duet”, says the young dancer. Note that the latter also won first place in Hit de Floor with her solo. She obtained the score of 92%, which is the highest score.
As soon as she finishes school, Meldane goes to the Extravadanse Studio where she dances and teaches. Often, on Sundays, she dances all day long, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. By her own admission, dance is at the top of her priorities. Her passion, her visceral urge to dance, comes before love, friendship and everything in between. It is unequivocal; she was born to dance.
Révolution
Meldane and her troupe have auditioned for the show Révolution twice. “It’s an amazing experience. The choreography has often been done for a year. We practice it about 4 hours a week before presenting it to the judges. I recommend this experience to all dancers, even if we do not qualify, it’s really amazing to live it.”
Perseverance
Two words define the teenager: dance and perseverance. In fact, at a very young age, the latter was diagnosed with dyslexia-dysorthography and severe dyscalculia. “I get discouraged, but I never give up. I know I can be successful. It’s because of dancing that I can concentrate so much at school. If I don’t succeed at something, I will persevere until I succeed”, she says.
Video clip
Thanks to one of her teachers, Meldane subscribes to rapper Pascal B-man’s account. The latter, takes note of the talent of the young dancer and invites her to participate in his video Stereo Heart. In fact, it was Pascal B-man who contacted the newspaper, highlighting the talent of his young protégé “In the video, you can see Meldane Benoit, a dancer from Beauharnois, endowed with infinite talent. Meldane has lived to dance for a long time. She is super talented, charismatic and interesting to listen to. She is as talented as can be, at such a young age, and deserves all the spotlight in the world. The singers often have all the spotlight and are accompanied by background dancers. It would be nice if it were the other way around for once. It’s deserved, believe me”, he wrote.
Meldane Benoit is an inspiring young girl as much for the passion that drives her as for the perseverance she shows in her sport and in her studies. She sees the future while dancing.
