Interview with dancer - Manon Hallay
MANON IS THE FIRST MODEL TO HAVE POSED FOR LEA. MANON IS ALSO A PROFESSIONAL DANCER AND FITNESS TRAINER.
We met during lessons given by Manon. I immediately appreciated Manon, who is a very sweet, open-minded person, and full of energy. Her sensitivity touched me and that's what led me naturally to ask her to be our model. This is what the LEA adventure is above all, a human adventure.
Since then, we have been enthusiastically supporting Manon, especially since she is an excellent dancer. We also loved the last show in which she performed with the Amanda Selwing Dance Theater Company, “Threads”.
We are glad to introduce her today through our first interview :)
. Manon, please tell us about you, about your journey. Why did you come to the United States, and especially to New York in particular?
I was born in France and started dancing in the Conservatory of Tarbes. At 13, the question came to see if I wanted to have a career in dance ; so I moved to Bordeaux for a pre-professional school. Two years later I was accepted to the Royal Ballet School of Antwerpen where I spent another 2 years training.
After Antwerpen, I took a bit of distance with dance. I was healing from a hip injury and needed to reconnect with my world.
New-York wasn’t a planned trip and I would never have thought that I would soon be 10 years in the city. After a summer program with the Alvin Ailey school, I’ve got the chance to be offered a spot in the school for the following year. And my love story with New York started. It’s the work, the dancers and teachers I have met. It’s the incredible community of artists who constantly fuel your spirit and desire to keep doing more so you can become the artist you always wanted to be.
After years of juggling dance and day jobs, I am now dancing for Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater and Smasworks Dance and a teaching artist. I also do personal training and nutrition coaching, two very present parts of my life that I love to share and educate people so they can move freely through life.
“I always knew I needed dance in my life. It was my way to center and express myself.”
. Did you always know you wanted to be a professional dancer?
Yes and no. I always knew I needed dance in my life. It was my way to center and express myself. When the time came to decide if I wanted to pursue a dance career or not, the thought of dancing less than I was tore my heart. This is when I knew I wanted to at least try.
“Dance allows me to share more of who I am. It’s its own dialect that connects the body and the soul, which I found harder to express with words.”
. What do you like the most about dancing?
The physicality and grace of it. Dance allows me to share more of who I am. It’s its own dialect that connects the body and the soul, which I found harder to express with words. Dance also gives me so much back. You have to learn how to let go and trust that your body got you. Those moments of total harmony between body and soul are what I crave.
And it can be so much fun!
. You have practiced classical dance and contemporary dance. What do you think are the fundamental differences between these two dances?
The codes are different.
Classical ballet comes from the 16th and 17th centuries. As this art form transformed and evolved through the years, classical ballet kept certain rules where contemporary is completely free.
A lot of contemporary techniques are coming from the roots of ballet and each choreographer explores and deconstruct the movement as desired.
. What inspires you?
My everyday life and the artists I work with, so many talented dancers with incredibly diverse backgrounds, it’s an endless inspiration!
My mom is also a big inspiration.
. Is there a personality from the world of dance that you admire? (alive or not!)
Akram Khan is someone I admire, form his story, to his work and what he shares with us with his choreographies.
He revisited Giselle, which is one of my favorite classical ballet and it will be performed by the English National ballet early June!
“Every week is unique depending on performances.”
. What’s a typical week/day for you as a dancer?
As a freelancer in the city, you have to juggle a lot of different hats. Every week is unique depending on performances. I usually wake up at 6am and teach barre or see my personal training clients. After that if time permitted I train for myself or go take a class then to rehearsal. The goal for me is to combine enough time to stay in shape and rest which can be hard. It often happens to work 7 days a week.
“I loved to meet Celine, the founder of the brand and to see her passion, how she works, her care for the details. It resonated with me.”
. What did you like when you agreed to be our model?
I loved to meet Celine, the founder of the brand and to see her passion, how she works, her care for the details. It resonated with me.
“It’s the touch that can change your whole outfit!”
. How would you describe LÉA?
Elegant, “épuré”, classy, chic. It’s the touch that can change your whole outfit!
. Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry?
It is hard to pick! But it would be the bold and the pure bracelet. They are both so chic and easy to wear with any outfits!
. What are your next projects?
In November 2022, I will be dancing in an evening length show “CITY STORIES” with Smashworks. This show will celebrate our beautiful New York City.
The next work with Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater should happen closer to spring 2023. I am also developing an app to find a better way to train clients around the world!
. Where can we find you?
Instagram @red.frog
Want to train with Manon? Check out her SupersetApp!
