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PARIS
She’s been a backing dancer for
Madonna and performed gravity-defying
moves in Nike adverts, but this month
Sofia Boutella makes her debut as a
leading lady. Starring in StreetDance 2
3D shouldn’t be toomuch of a leap for
this 30-year-old, however, as she’s been
busting freestyle moves since she was
15.We caught up with her to find out why
she loves the French capital (where much
of the filmwas set) and what the Queen
of Pop has taught her...
You were raised in Paris. Why do you love it?
“Paris is the most beautiful city in the
world. It’s the history, the architecture
and just the feel of it – those are the
things that I miss when I’mnot there.”
How did you first get into street dance?
“Where I used to live, in the 15th
arrondissement, there was this dance
studio where I would go during breaks
fromschool. I saw these guys practising
freestyle, and I kept on going back as I was
fascinated by the freedomof what they
were communicating.You look at young
dancers in Paris today and it’s the same –
there’s this desire to express themselves
through dance, which is amazing.”
Where can you see street dance in Paris?
“Where I used to practise, at Châtelet-Les
Halles in the centre of Paris, you’ll find a
lot of freestylers. I used to practise there,
right under the movie theatre, and also at
the Trocadéro opposite the Eiffel Tower.”
Why is the city such a hotspot for it?
“French people are really passionate
about street dance. They do a lot of
research into where it came from and
what it means. They took it and owned it,
to the point where evenAmericans come
to France and are impressed by what
dancers here do. Inmy opinion, it’s the
most consistent country in the world at
this art form.”
As a dancer, you’ve toured with Madonna.
What’s it like working with her?
“She’s a really hard worker and you kind
of think: ‘You don’t need to work this
hard,’ because she already is who she is.
But she still works with the same energy
that she did when she was 20. She told
me that, whatever you want to do, you
have to earn it. If you use short cuts, the
success you achieve will go away very
quickly. It’s a piece of advice that has
stayed withme.”
StreetDance 2 3D is in cinemas now.
THE BUZZ
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PROFILE
Introducing France’s newest – and possibly
most limber – starlet
Sofia Boutella
Dancing
Queen
Q+A
WORDS PIERRE DE VILLIERS
TRAVELLER
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