Gabriela Asselin

Sutton is learning to dance with Gabrilela Asselin

By Manfried H. Starhemberg
Foreword: "Let's face, it my male friends out there, how many times have you had the opportunity to entertain a beautiful woman like this in your own back yard and with the full approval of your wife who also adores the lady?"
Well, lucky me, the woman is Gabriela Asselin (39), who is a gypsy dancer and has enthralled hundreds of people in the townships through her dance exhibitions, dance classes and performances.
"At age five I wanted to be a ballet dancer", then I did Yoga in kindergarten in Joliette. Later I danced to the BG'S in the basement. I then go involved in the visual arts,music, theater and choir. With a youth choir, I toured Austria and Germany, from Salzburg to Vienna, Innsbruck, Ulm and Frankfurt. We even took an international second place in competition. This was with the world famous Canadian conductor Iwan Edwards and his F.A.C.E senior Treble Choir, the official training outlet for the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for young choristers.

At 17, Gabriela joined a drama troupe which eventually turned into a dance troupe and she began to study contemporary dance with Elaine LeClerk, Montreal dance teacher and artistic director of LADMMI, the famed Montreal school on dance. She studied dance until she was 22 years old, followed what she called "her own artisic path" and got herself a Bachelaureat dregree.
At about that time, she muses, "I got pregnant after an important audition, but I danced until I was seven months into my pregnancy" Her son is now a cherished 16 year old and she shares the upbringing with her "ex"."I also studied and learnt French, German and Spanish". This is when she was 22 years old!
Since 2001 Gabriela has been a Sutton resident and now she has her own dance studio, she teaches the four traditional dance forms from Gpysy to contemporary, Indian and Flamenco. Beginning on September 12, and ending on December 9th, she will conduct two seminars, "Contemporary dance" on Mondays and "Gypsy Dance" on Wednesdays. The classes are in the evenings and are 1 1/2 hours every week and only cost $ 180.- for twelve weeks, which is $15.- for each session per person.
Gabriela also does a summer artistic camp, works with the schools in Sutton, Frelighsburg and Bromont ,where she holds workshops and "after school activity events". She performs for special evenings such as the Tour des Arts and numerous others and can be engaged to be the brillant highlight of a festive party, corporate event or perhaps a wedding ceremony.
This gifted, outgoing young woman has been embraced by Sutton as one of the fine constants in this village which seems to evolve as a center of the arts in the western part of the townships. Anyone interested in dancing classes may contact Gabriela at: (450) 538-4026.