Sit in the master’s chair revolution was not a predetermined path for Mel Charlot. The dancer and choreographer had to fight hard and often to get there. Now she wants to give back and support the dancers who perform before her.
Although she has been dancing since the age of 13, Mel Charlot has endured a lot of rejection and many closed doors over the years. “It wasn’t my time yet. Things were easier in the US, but I also had rejections, I took part in difficult auditions… I wasn’t ready yet, but when my time came, it happened. It’s finally done.”
Joël Lemay / QMI Agency
After working on productions such as The Masked Singer, Lip Sync Battle, So You Think You Can Dance and with artists such as Lizzo, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Mariah Carey and P. Diddy, the Montrealer is proud to return to the country.
“It’s an honor and I feel completely good. I’ve been doing the same thing behind the scenes for years, but now I’m doing it on TV.”
An unexpected suggestion
After the first season of “Révolution” was broadcast, Mel Charlot was enthusiastic about the concept. “I thought it was cool that there was a dance show on Quebec television and I told myself it would be fun to participate in it one day, but I didn’t expect that they would call just as quickly.”
If she has agreed to take on a teaching position for this fifth season, which begins this Sunday, it is primarily to be able to give something back to others. “It’s in my nature to want that. I’m not here to judge, but to help those who pass me rise and improve, whether in competition or in their careers. It scares me a little because I never thought something like this would happen to me. But I have already received many messages from little girls telling me that I am an inspiration to them and in that sense this role is bigger than me.
The new master Mel Charlot alongside Jean-Marc Généreux and Lydia Bouchard. Joël Lemay / QMI Agency
And without revealing any names, she warns that the next season of Revolution should be just as good as the previous ones, if not better. “There are new faces, styles we haven’t seen yet… A lot of people from the street dance community came to see us and there are also some old people coming back. We will be able to see their immense progress.”
Condemn, reject, eliminate…
With Lydia Bouchard and Jean-Marc Généreux, Mel Charlot will still face the difficult task of judging the dancers, rejecting them and expelling some of them from the competition. A role that she approaches with great caution. “It is important to never destroy the artist in front of us. It’s always risky because they’re not necessarily willing to accept what we give them. But we are sowing a seed and we will see later. I think it’s extremely important that they go home with their heads held high and with a constructive message that doesn’t make them doubt their passion.”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY FAIR PLAY GROUP
And she is already showing color because we risk seeing her cry a lot. “Let’s just say I have tears in my eyes ever so slightly. When I was young, I often cried because I felt all the emotions, including those of others, whether positive or negative. I often hid, but as I grew up and even more so since becoming a mother, I let myself go. It’s a part of me, it’s one of my strengths now.”
The dance competition Révolution, produced by Fair-Play Group, returns to TVA this Sunday, September 17th at 8 p.m., immediately following the first episode of the third season of Masked Singers.