Interview with CHARLOTTE JORGENSEN

[Happypaws4]

Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk to you.



Q: My first question is which area of Denmark do you come from?

Charlotte: I was born and raised in the northern part of Denmark called Aalborg. It is a fairly small town. We lived in the center of the city in an apartment – my older sister, mother and father.


Q: How old were you when you started to dance?.

Charlotte: I started dancing in September 1973 – I was born on July 5th 1971 – so that makes 2 years and 2 months. It is very common, as you know to start dancing very early on in Denmark. Obviously, no decision of my own – my mother enjoyed dancing and therefore sent me along as well and either my mother was physic or it otherwise it was the best gift she ever gave me.


Q: I read that you moved to England at an age of 18 that was a big move for a young lady. Why did you decide to move?

Charlotte: For as long as I can remember, I always knew I would be dancing and therefore I guess the fear of moving from Denmark never really entered my mind. It was shortly after teaming up with my then dance partner we started talking about moving to London to study ballroom dancing “just” for a year initially. My father was an extraordinary man and he supported me and trusted me in everything I did. I guess he knew already better than me that I would be just fine no matter what or where I would be. So my dance partner and I started taking extra jobs to save money to move to London and study from the best teachers in the world in ballroom dancing. I moved to South London 1 month after my 18th birthday knowing only what English I had learned at school back in Aalborg.


Q: When and why did you decide to move to The States?

Charlotte: My first love in dancing was musicals and stage and I knew that at some point in my life, I would be living in NYC. When you grow up in Europe the United States always has such an allure about it. So when the opportunity presented itself, in the package of a possible new dance partnership, I decided to leave London and move across the pond. I moved here just shortly before 9/11, which of course was a bit of a reality check being in NYC during its darkest hour. But I know now what and why I needed to come to NYC and the City taught me many things that were necessary for me to learn at that point in my life.


Q: In 2003 you were hired to be Richard Gere to be his coach for the movie “Shall we Dance” what was that experience like?

Charlotte: There were quite a few of us that worked with Richard Gere on “Shall We Dance”. I must have made an impression on him here in NYC, as I was not part of the original crew going to Canada to shoot, but he somehow managed to get me up there. Teaching him was a process of getting him comfortable enough so he could take charge of the dancing, whilst also preparing him for reality of doing 15-20 takes of the dances back to back. He was a very hard worker and it was an extraordinary experience being on a film set and being allowed to see the actors in their element and portraying something extremely close to my heart.


Q: Later you were one of the judges on “Mad Hot Ballroom” is that were you interest for children and teens in dance and the effect on their health started or did that start earlier?

Charlotte: Mad Hot Ballroom is about underprivileged children from the roughest neighbourhoods in NY – it is also about hope and opportunity and setting goals and reaching them. On their very small scale it deals with reality of children understanding the reality of being an adult; how some “make it” and others participate but not always taking the prize. It is as wonderful and harsh as life is. Judging it was at once elating and heartbreaking. Pierre Dulaine and Yvonne Marceau have done an incredible job getting that program established and recognized nationwide. Talk about leaving your legacy.

As for the interest in health that came during my childhood where pretty much every adult was sick and passed on fairly early in my life and I remember distinctly that I made up my mind that I was going to be healthy and not get into hospital like everyone else. If that is what is important to you, then it becomes natural to nurture that in other people too. I have a big problem with seeing obese children, because children have no influence over what they get served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. So I guess this is why I am so interested in giving them the opportunity of a good start in life.


Q: What are the benefits to children, teens and adults? Do you think that seniors can benefit, too?

Charlotte: Honestly, I think anyone and everyone can benefit from dancing. Over the years I have met so many people who are dancing for very different reasons. There is not one right reason to dance and often the benefits are secondary to the real reason why they started in the first place. But for sure it is good exercise for the body and the mind and I am sure that all of us who have danced in some from or another have felt the rush of endorphins being released when we are dancing, which leads to that happy place. Not to mention the physiological effects and the fact that ballroom dancing requires interaction with other people, which in our technological world is becoming scares. It is lovely to experience the true feeling of dancing which is only present when two people find physical harmony together.



Q: I have watched some of your dance performances in dance competitions on “Youtube” and I listened to the comments: the most elegant couple on the floor … “the classiest couple on the floor,” and “Look how she glides over the floor.” What is it in your training that makes you stand out?

Charlotte: You are making me a little uncomfortable having to talk about myself. These comments were made by other people and are obviously their opinion of me, which is very flattering to listen to but to answer your question…….. I was trained first in ballet, jazz, modern which gave me the best possible base to start ballroom from. When you start dancing before you have actually got coherent memories, it becomes a little bit like learning to tie your shoe laces or saying “bless you”, when someone sneezes. There is something so natural about dancing to me that it does not involve that much thought. If I think of dancers that I have seen over time that stood out to me, it was always more about the personality and interpretation that they brought to their dancing than the actual physical activity itself. When a dancer can make you feel and sense what they intended in that very moment, then they have taken the person watching on a very private journey and it becomes almost intimate although you are in a huge ballroom with lots of other people present.



Q: I noticed when I was watching and comparing your dance to other dancers performances, that some dances into the floor, you, Charlotte, you simply glide over it so lightly that is at times looks like you are barely touching. It is so elegant. How do you do that?

Charlotte: Inge – have you ever had a need to express something but words are not enough…….. That is my relationship to my dancing – if I had the necessary words to express what I do, how I do it – well then there would be no need to do it!!!! My former boss of the law firm that I worked at in London always said to me that I could wear a garbage bag and I would still be the most elegant, classy woman in the room…… I guess it comes from inside and is not something you can acquire. Perhaps it is just “me” that you are seeing rather than the actual action.

But if I have to pinpoint then it is years of dedication to technique, combined with musicality, being a woman who dances from that perspective and more than anything from a need to share what I know I am capable of as a dancer with the audience. It is like I have a “relationship” to my dancing, not much different than the one I am in with my soon to be husband – there is this place when I dance were senses takes over and thoughts disappear…….

From the physical stand point – I do not believe in bending my knees and dancing into the floor – gravity is already present so I do not need extra help going down, that is already provided for me by nature. Then that encourages a very different kind of movement, which may be what you have noticed.

Enough about me – please………




Turning to Dancing With the Stars


Q: I read the following: John O’Hurley regards you with the highest esteem and speaks for the American dance community when he states that it was you, Charlotte, who showed him the true beauty of the dance, who taught him that he actually could dance and that in dancing there is the supreme release of the spirit. What was that experience like for you?

Charlotte: DWTS was a wonderful experience. I was given a stellar partner and John and I had an absolute blast. Initially I am not sure John actually realized how much we were going to have to work. He would give me 2 days a week for 2 hours a day to rehearse, which would have been impossible. I thought, that the only way I would get him to commit more of his time, was if I made him fall in love with dancing, the way I had always been. So that became my “mission”, and I believed that I succeeded in that. We worked really hard and John really committed himself to the process and he trusted me, which is such an important part of dancing. That I was able to communicate the true purpose of dancing to him, was an added benefit and only possible because John recognized what supreme release of the spirit is!

It was fun to be part of the very first shows because there was no expectation attached to the outcome, as no one knew whether it would be a success or not. Therefore the whole experience was very innocent and exciting. We all worked so hard to make it happen and were on such a high because America responded. Of course on a personal note it gave me an opportunity to look into a completely different world and to learn how TV is produced, have an insight into so to speak into “another life” by momentarily doing interviews for TV and press etc. Certainly something very much out of the ordinary for me with regards to the scale. Denmark is a small country compared to the vast publicity machine that drives American entertainment.



Q: Would you want to come back if asked?


Charlotte: Would I come back if I was asked? Hmmmm…….. Interesting question – I would definitely consider coming back if asked. They did ask me to come back for the second season, but I declined. I actually wanted to host the show with Tom, but the production was not interested, which is fair enough. I am sure I would be intrigued to go back to see what it is like now……. You made me think now…… Oh well, at the moment I need not worry about it, since it is just hypothetical!



Q: Did the season on DWTS have any effect on your life after it was over?

Charlotte: I think any experience you go through is bound to have an effect on you if you have any sense of perspective in you. On a professional level I got some interesting offers, which I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to do, but more so on a personal level…….. In 8 days I will marry my childhood sweetheart, who saw the first show on the first night of the first season….. His mother was a visiting dance teacher at my Danish dance school. We first met in London in 1985. Anyway to make a long story short, we met up in late summer of 2006 and are getting married on October 26th. So when you ask what effects DWTS had on my life after the show, well I am so grateful to have been on the show because it changed the course of my life…..



Q: I saw that you and John developed 2 instructional DVDs, how did you come up with that idea?

Charlotte: During the long hours of rehearsals, and as John fell more and more in love with dancing, he wanted to share with others that it is possible to learn to dance even if you have always considered yourself having two left feet. And then one day in the studio, we just happened to talk about doing a DVD and 6 months later we did it. I think if you ask John today he still loves to dance…… and I will most certainly be dancing with him again at my wedding!



Q: I am sure many people would love to learn from you, how they can order these DVDs

Charlotte: I believe that you can buy it on www.fitnessfly.com - Look for “Learn to Dance with John and Charlotte”. I actually think it is priced reasonably, so hopefully you will enjoy it.



Q: I understand you have started a new business, would you like to tell us a little about it?

Charlotte: Nelson and I are just in the start up process of our new venture called Body Arts Consultancy. The website is up, but only in a very basic form and not at all what it will be in the future. He comes from a background of having done martial arts all his life and has several black belts in various art forms. That spurred him on to pursue a greater understanding of the body’s function and he became a personal trainer, but with a difference. We call it Naturopathic Exercise Therapy and it is about first and foremost being able to handle your own body weight before adding weights to your training. I am teaching competitive dancers all the time and they are in constant need of learning more about their bodies to develop their abilities on the floor. Competitive dancers at a professional level are world-class athletes. Both of us have studied much about energy, our minds and how to help yourself and others lead a happy, meaningful life and we want to combine all of our knowledge into BAC and hopefully make it a place of inspiration, support, information about dancing, personal training with podcasts, downloads, articles and just a healthier outlook on every aspect of life in general. Perhaps we can talk more about this when we actually launch the website?
Inge: I would love to follow up on this wonderful project when you have time.



Q: What are some of your future plans?

Charlotte: Immediate future is getting married and going on our honeymoon to Brazil where Nelson grew up. After that our attention will go to getting BAC ready to launch. We will also be considering where to build our nest and who knows, if we are blessed, perhaps little ones?!. I will continue teaching and Nelson will continue helping people have healthier bodies. As for 10 years down the road – we take one day at the time and go with the flow. One thing that is sure is, that life always has interesting things in store for you if you let them in.
BAC website:
www.bodyartsconsultancy.com



Q: May I ask which other interests do you have out side of dance?

Charlotte: Other interests would be listening to music, riding with Nelson on our M109R motorbike, reading, cooking, trying to play piano, love sewing and hanging out with my darling and our little cat Squeaky…..


Q: What kind of music moves you and which CD do you have in your car today?

Charlotte: I listen to a range of music from classical to soul and blues – love Donny Hathaway, James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Anita Baker, Doyle Bramhall II, Al Jarreau – oh the list goes on and on………


Inge: Charlotte, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. It has been a privilege to talk to you. I am looking forward to continue our chat in the future.
Congratulations with the upcoming wedding, I wish you and Nelson a life full of happiness and as we say in Danish: “Mange tak for at tage tid til at tale med mig or Hjertelig tillykke med brylluppet!

© Charlotte Jorgensen & Inge Frederiksen

[Happypaws4]

[Happypaws4]

[George Paine]

Great, great interview! are you going to do more or have you already done them. I would love to see them, You guided the interview in a gentle way that allowed your subject to be herself.

Keep them coming!