Dance
Meet Lady C, the champion of Dance Your Style Canada
Lady C, the winner of Dance Your Style Canada, speaks about the importance of confidence and musicality.
Born and bred alongside a long line of dancers, Lady C confesses she didn’t have much choice when it came to whether she would follow suit. Growing up in Calgary, Canada, a city more famous for rodeo than hip-hop, Lady C struggled to find a scene, let alone idols to look up too. “I got into street dance because I connected to the energy of the culture and the freedom of expression I felt from it. However, my biggest challenge was that there was such lack of places to learn and such a very small community to practice with,” she says.
Despite the fact that renowned Hollywood choreographer, boogaloo dancer/popper and founder of The Groovaloos, Bradley Rapier grew up and taught in Calgary’s tiniest studios. That was back in the late ’90s and long before Lady C’s rise. “When I came up, certain dance styles such as popping, locking and house... there just weren't many people doing it anymore. So it was often me, by myself practising and trying to remember what I had learnt and seen from the OGs elsewhere,” Lady C says.
Labelled as an 'All Styles' dancer, she crosses between four to five different styles on the dance floor with ease. Fuelled by her greatest passion she explains: “The music is everything.” Every dancer says that sure, but Lady C makes it known that she means it: “The only reason I do the styles of dance that I do is because I listen to all those music genres outside of the dance. If I didn't love house music, I wouldn't be a house dancer. If I didn't love funk, I wouldn't be a locker or popper. If you aren't listening to the music when you move, you are not dancing!”
If you aren't listening to the music when you move, you are not dancing!
Flexing her versatility to bounce across mediums and her seemingly endless artistic skillset, Lady C is busy carving out her place behind the decks as well. “I make music as a singer/songwriter and it’s always been my dream to be on the other side of the coin. This past year my music has been played at the popping finals at Juste Debout and played in clubs by some of the most well-respected DJs worldwide like Osunlade and DJ Spinna. One crazy moment, I was singing a live set and looking out in the audience and seeing some of the most legendary dancers and OGs from the culture dancing and showing love. That was probably the biggest accomplishment for me so far.”
Continuing to add to both crafts at every turn, she’s currently creating a theatre work, choreographing and creating pieces. After that she’s spending time (when she has any) learning as much as possible. “I am just beginning to learn vernacular jazz with a company I dance, which is called Holla Jazz in Toronto," she says. "This is a style I am very interested in and as I’m discovering it more and more it feels very parallel to street dance culture, so I’m excited about the potential of bringing these two worlds together. I always push myself to do things that are outside of my comfort zone and beyond the previous level I was at.”
Lady C takes the win at Dance Your Style 2019 in Toronto
© Dale Tidy/Red Bull Content Pool
Motivated by her love for culture and the history of the dances as well as the artists who she connects with in her community, Lady C says she feels blessed by it all and fulfilled in a way that nothing else could. “I am very sensitive to energy and vibes. So to get creative, I only meet up with very specific types of creative minds and artists that I can truly just get down with and feel free. I only ever session or dance with a handful of people and they are usually dancers that I admire and who inspire me. It pushes me to enter a different realm of creativity and inhibition.“
Outside her solo graft, Lady C dances with two North American crews. Soul Shifters, from San Fransico Bay Area, which is a collective made up of everything from dancers to musicians to graffiti writers to tattoo artists. Her other crew, Montreal-based Symbiotic Monsters, are known for being highly expressive, raw, real, deep-level dancers. Lady C explains proudly: “These people are my family, my brothers and sisters and my inspiration. We all battle hard, we are all heavy creatives, and we are all a little rebellious to the expectations of our generation to follow in certain footsteps and obey certain codes of conduct. We pave our own way and do things with originality.“
While she says her typical week is spent packing and flying from airports, performing and often judging an event or teaching workshops. Lady C says the money side of things isn’t as flossy as her lifestyle would suggest. “My biggest challenge now is probably to do with the financial uncertainty of being a dancer or just an artist in general. It's a very insecure career, so it takes extra effort and budgeting to make sure you are setting yourself up for your future.”
On the topic of the future, Lady C pauses to give advice to the Gen Z dancers coming up: “Be bold, original and assertive and maintain humility and respect for others. The most important skill to learn is confidence. You can make anything look dope if you have a bit of foundation and a ton of confidence,” she says.
You can make anything look dope if you have a bit of foundation and a ton of confidence.
With plenty of plans in the works, Lady C says she would love to combine her music with her dance and develop a unique live performance. Her biggest dream is to champion and inspire young women on the scene. “I want to continue repping for women around the world as a dancer and artist because I believe actions speak louder than words. If I can show the next generation what is possible for them as young women. Hopefully it will inspire them to also contribute their talent and energy to the future of this culture.”
Hitting the studio, Lady C is working on maintaining her physical shape before the Dance Your Style World Final in Paris, alongside endurance and mentally preparing more than anything to make herself and her country proud. “Securing my place was a special win because it was the only qualification for my whole country. To represent the entire country is something I don't take lightly. I know how many amazing dancers are here at home that deserve it just as much as I do. So I will battle for them and to show the world that Canada has something to say.”