LAQUELLE

BACKGROUND

Laquelle started as a freestyle dancer and she got trained by her cousins. They  introduced her to Hiphop, through music, hiphop classic movies, dancing and this is where the first seeds were planted. She followed ballet for a little while and stopped, she always felt that performing was something she would like to do. She auditioned for a hiphop crew at a community centre in Amsterdam South-east . She got in and Melvin Fraenk was the teacher who trained her and the crew Ordinary Illusions. She learned alot about dissecting the music, grooves. Dissecting  Body movement and body control. Dance to instrumentals, hear all the different elements in a song, how does it make you feel etc. She trained and worked hard this time. She truly got to know herself, gained more confidence. That was her core and strong base that she still uses in her classes today.

She did all of this while going to school and getting degrees. Later she started dancing at the more mainstream dance school JDF. A whole new journey began as a dancer because she has another background which was more underground and that made it a bit difficult. She had to dance on a certain count and dance to the lyrics. From dancing to Timbaland, J Dilla, KRS-one,  to dancing to Pharrel and Britney, that was a whole switch but she was ready to take the challenge. It was a struggle for Laquelle, she would always stand in the back of class trying to catch everything.But They saw something  different in her and saw her potential. She got to learn from different teachers who were also students at that time. 

She got great support from the people of the dance school like the mother of Lorraine Day and Regilio Pinas.They just wanted her to follow the dance classes even if the finances weren’t there.  She trained a lot at her house, she wanted to get it so badly and could feel that dancing is what she wanted to do in life. She made a mindset switch and traveled to L.A  Even tho she was still in school. Laquelle took all the classes out there and If teachers came to the Netherlands she would take those classes as well.

Raoul Richardson saw her in classes and auditions and wanted her to teach at his dance school in Utrecht. She did and they also trained for a while and practiced hiphop freestyle. She did different battles and cyphers and put herself out there. Laquelle graduated from the Dance Acedemy in 2009 and had great teachers who guided her in her journey by like David Hutuely, Rosan Van Essen, Marga Douma Alta, Percey Kruijthof. She Started to audition in America and the Netherlands and she always got picked to dance along in the groups.People thought she had something different to bring to the table. She got to work  in Germany and Belgium, toured with different companies,  did different hiphop and Contempary productions.

There weren’t a lot of Black women in the scene so there was also a soul responsibility for her to open Doors for the next women who will be coming. She joined the crew Femme Lethall, where they changed the game by putting Waacking on the map in the Netherlands. Laquelle was also one of the first teachers who started giving heels classes in 2009.

COMMUNITY 

The connection with the community is different then when she started because it is always changing. She doesn't feel all the new hiphop music but she will make sure she knows about it. So she always uses Oldschool hiphop, 2000 Community also taught her things she still uses today in her classes, they support her and helped her grow as a person and dancer

By participating in the community she contributes. Helped girls,women, boys more confidence. Just like she got inspired by women in dance such as Monique Duurfoort, Alida Dors, Dorotja Kiss.

She teaches the people the essence of Hiphop , “Dont back down”.

By setting the tone for other women, by being in the cyphers, battle, by sharing her mind and knowledge and speaking up. She made a good contribution.

CLASSES

Her classes are not for the weak minded, you are coming to work, its character/body building, People complain a lot these days, and that's not gonna work in this class if you really want to grow. 

Be prepared to sweat, Dance goes very deep for Laquelle, it's in her DNA, it is a second language. She works on confidence, posture, facials, performance and many more things. Come and check it out, everybody is welcome!