Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Charlot.
Mel, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Yeah! Let’s do it! 🙂
I love when people call me Charlot (the T is silent).
I am a French Canadian born artist and of Haitian descent. I started off as a competitive dancer who then transitioned into the commercial world. I loved competing, traveling and performing with my teammates. We had so many successful wins (i.e., Two Time World Hip Hop Champions; Hip Hop International) and growing up and training with a group of women from different backgrounds has taught me things I wouldn’t change for the world!
So many great years, however, there was always something in me that wanted more in order to give more. The teacher in me I guess? Haha. That’s when I decided I wanted to train and travel to the US and learn personally from people I looked up to.
Today, I am a passionate teacher, choreographer and a creative director in the making.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve been blessed to mentor, teach and work with dancers from Canada to the U.S.; Scotland, Argentina, the UK and many more. I’ve been teaching for over a decade now and always am so grateful to be able to help dancers at any age and level find themselves through music and movement.
At the moment you can catch me teaching in many cities across the US at The Monsters-A-List Convention (http://www.monstersalist.com), and as a guest teacher at top NY & LA dance studios such as Broadway Dance Center, Millenium Dance Complex, Movement Lifestyle, and Debbie Reynolds Legacy.
Currently based in Los Angeles, I continue to follow what God has in store for me.
I’ve had the pleasure to perform on morning shows, the Broadway stage (Holler If Ya Hear Me; A musical inspired by the lyrics of Tupac Shakur) and in national ad campaigns (L’Oreal, Amla Oil, Makeup Forever). With much experience under my belt, I look to bring the best out of the artists I work with. I’ve recently been a movement coach for two SONY clients and have seen them blossom into successful artists.
As an aspiring Creative Director, my vision has resonated in everything from dazzling live TV production numbers to a poignant digital short for Black History month. I’ve helped emerging talent through artist development, movement coaching and as a judge on well-renowned dance competitions such as; World of Dance, Hit The Floor, Hip Hop International.
I’ve had the opportunity to work on TV shows such as ABDC (QC), Lip Sync Battle & Dieux De La Danse; as well as working alongside reputable artists for award shows, tours, galas, music videos… assisting many great, world-renowned choreographers.
I am also honored to be the Dance and Program Assistant for Motivating Excellence (https://www.medanceonline.com); a professional training program for commercial dancers; founded by top choreographer and artistic Director Rhapsody James.
I am so grateful for this journey I’ve been on, and I am simply destined to follow God’s plan for me as I continue to inspire and mentor others along the way!❤️
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
The one thing I can say about my art is that it continues to evolve throughout the years. Other than working in the industry, helping artists, teaching, choreographing…my personal art is something I love to develop, and it has been a reflection of my thoughts, my mood, my style of music… but lately it’s been more precisely about my FAITH.
I was in a relationship with a young man I met when I was 19 years old. After seven years of being together, we, unfortunately, broke up. During the break up I’ve never felt so close to my purpose and my calling. I got more in tuned with my faith and what was planned for me to do on this earth. A year later, the young man and I got back together and married a year after (Going 15 years together and married five years strong today). For Valentine’s Day, he had offered me a gift that would change my life: A Bible.
As I opened and read that bible, a seed was planted. I wanted to know more. I wanted to share God’s word in a creative way. Filled with so many stories, songs, and poems I wanted to discover and learn and use my gifts to bring them out.
Currently, that is what my art has focused on. Life lessons, love, friendship, loss, and the list goes on. I hope to inspire and touch people who encounter my art and believe that it will help them on their own journey of life.
At the moment I am working on a special project that will God willing, inspire people through movement, creativity, and storytelling. Stay tuned 😉
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
The best advice I would give is one that I’ve truly been understanding and accepting since my mom’s passing, three years ago. That is to believe in yourself and what YOU have to offer! God gave us all a gift, and it’s up to us to tap into it and work hard and with each other on this journey called life!
Take the time to listen! Take the time to read! Take the time to write! Take the time to truly see inside of you what you feel like you can do on this earth! What is your calling? I believe that everyone and every artist has one and is blessed with the tools to make it happen! 😉
A lesson I wish I had learned earlier, is to not let temporary things/moments distract me from long term things/moments! But I have NO REGRETS!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your work?
My work can be seen on my Instagram, youtube page, Facebook page, and my website.
I love to connect with my followers and those that feel connected to what I do. I share my work on social media as well as events, workshops or shows I am apart of and can connect with others live.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melcharlot.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @melcharlot
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelCharlotDirectionChoreography/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: @melcharlot
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/Charlot0804
Image Credit:
@bemoremedia @levraichad @makeupforeverca @_ucwhatic
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
