After having collaborated last year with the young dancer from Quebec Enola Bedard, Ubisoft returns this year with its famous video game just dance and once again engages Quebec talent. For the first time in Canada, the famous dance game includes an Afro-descendant choreographer, dancer and influencer, Angie Augustin, better known on social networks under the pseudonym Citron Rose. She has created from scratch an Afro-style choreography which will be released on November 22, 2022. A way for the video game company to highlight dances that are still unknown.
“It’s really a pride to be part of this game. First of all, because I’m the first influencer to have been able to create a choreography from A to Z, and also because it allows to highlight a dance that close to my heart and which deserves to be better known”, declares Angie Augustin, who also plays just dance for many years, surrounded by her brothers and sisters.
Of Haitian origin, Angie Augustin was born and has lived her entire life in Montreal. It was only at the age of 21 that she turned to dance, professionally. “As a child, I did not have access to training in academies or to specific programs,” she reports. Thus, she first trained as an autodidact, then, in 2017, she decided to take professional level courses. Among his teachers, we find in particular Andy Michel, Melo or Loïc Reyel, who later became his dance partner. Quickly, she “falls in love” with the Afro style. “It sparked my curiosity, I continued to train myself with the Internet, tutorials, classes…” she adds.
Today, Angie Augustin is one of the main dancers of rapper Sarahmée. She also goes on stage during summer festivals, for first parts of concerts, and sometimes turns in music videos.
In addition to her job as a dancer, Angie Augustin has turned to content creation. A path that has allowed him to live from his passions for about a year. “My platforms allow me to highlight two of my worlds,” she explains. First, dance, especially on my Instagram account, then humor, which I mainly use on TikTok. I like to tell little anecdotes of life to make those who follow me smile. »
Last year, the influential Quebecer took part in the promotional campaign for Just Dance 2022. “I made two videos for [la campagne]. It’s’fun, it’s colorful as a game, and it’s the only one of its kind in dance, so it totally joined me, ”she assures. She then confided to her agent that she would “love” to choreograph for the next edition. “We never talked about it at Ubisoft, and a few months later, he called me! she says, still surprised.
A process like no other
For the choreographic creation, Ubisoft gave “carte blanche” to Angie Augustin. The company just suggested a few songs; it’s finally Woman of Dojo Cat that she chose. “I found that there were good Afro bases in this sound, it inspired me. »
For several weeks afterwards, she worked out the dance steps, drawing inspiration from several styles. The artist had to submit four or five versions before arriving at a final product. Indeed, building this choreography raised several challenges. “I’m used to creating, but this was really different,” she says. Yes, it has to be entertaining, but it also has to be able to pick up my movements, so they have to be done in a certain way”.
Thus, the young woman had to “decipher” her gestures more to fit into the canvas necessary for the game. “In the end, the final choreography is very similar to my original version, but entirely adapted to the game. To respect Afro cultures, care was taken to ensure that the movements performed were well done; we did trial and error and then found good compromises. It was really picky,” she continues.
A dance of assertiveness
For the Montreal artist, it was very important to highlight the Afro style. Not only because it’s her specialty, but also because she thinks it’s a style that needs more recognition. “The Afro is not a style in its own right, it’s a family of styles. There are about fifty countries in Africa, and each has its color, its culture, its styles of music and therefore dances attached to them, she explains. My afrodance is inspired a lot by afrobeat [Nigeria]coupé-décalé [Côte d’Ivoire] as well as ndombolo [Congo]. She adds that other styles are important to know, such as Afrohouse from Angola, Bikutsi from Cameroon or Amapiano from South Africa.
Angie Augustin also teaches movement, notably through Afro dance classes for women. “The idea is to bring together a group of women of all levels – there is no level in my classes – and to offer an experience. I think that the afro allows you to (re)take possession of your body, to reconnect with it”, she expresses.
According to her, social networks put a lot of pressure, especially on women, by presenting beauty ideals that are difficult to achieve. “We are bombarded with retouched images, but even if we know it, it affects us. It’s hard to accept yourself as you are. Dance is a language and it allows us to externalize negativity and take control of our body to love it more,” she says. Angie Augustin therefore hopes that the game just dance will also be able to transmit his values of assertiveness. “Just like my classes, it’s accessible to everyone, so it democratizes dance,” she concludes.