Do you know what a pas de chat is? Well, it has nothing to do with velvet-pawed felines. Ask the question of any of the young girls who attend the dance school bearing this name and you’ll see them suddenly execute a graceful sideways leap. They have all been learning the basics of ballet and know the specific vocabulary. A series of words results in a delicate, harmonious piece of choreography. Julie Thiffault, who teaches at Fleur-Soleil primary school during the day and at the dance studio in the evenings, sows precision, discipline and passion in the hearts of her 80 apprentice ballerinas.

This mother of three started dance training at the age of seven in Trois-Rivières, where she was born. Her teacher at the time, Madame Elisabeth, quickly recognized her student’s kinetic memory and her potential. She suggested to Julie’s parents that they enrol her in creative dance in spite of her youth. Julie moved towards the preparatory program and then the professional program. Eventually, tired of being told at auditions that her small size did not correspond to the profile sought, she started studying remedial education and, bit by bit, left her beloved activity.

But the passion didn’t die and Julie pulled out her dancing slippers to pass on her knowledge in several area schools. She quickly perceived the lack of technical teaching in the recreational dance programs being offered. The flame was lit and away she went! In three years, the number of students at the Au pas de chat dance studio went from 28 to 80. They are classed by level, not by age, until the preparatory program which is offered four nights a week. All begin with a term of classical dancing, exclusively. “The first year is the hardest,” says Julie. But it’s the base for all dance and Julie notes that once it is mastered, it is easy to excel in all other kinds of dance. Starting in January, tap dancing, jazz and contemporary dance are integrated into the program.

The art of attracting glances

The public is invited to come and see these ballerinas at work twice during the year. In December, the first presentation of the famous Nutcracker ballet was enthusiastically received by its audience. Proud of this success, Julie promises to repeat the experience next year with an even more spectacular show. She is daring, and hopes with all her heart to make this performance a Holiday Season must in Mont-Tremblant. Preparations are well underway for the June show, whose theme will be “the jungle”. The Village Church Playhouse provides a fabulous environment for this type of art, and Julie is crossing her fingers that her show can again be presented there, as it has been in preceding years.

Julie Thiffault has the wind in her sails and a head full of projects…and not small ones, either. “It’s what gives me strength after a day of work,” she confides, her eyes sparkling. She is currently working towards having her school become a Laurentians satellite, no less, of the École supérieure de danse du Québec (formerly Les Grands Ballets canadiens).The affiliation would allow her to acquire certified teachers and to have access to official auditions. In this way, some students would have the benefit of high-quality professional training and the contacts needed to move towards a career in dance.