Laquelle Heels

BACKGROUND

Laquelle began as a freestyle dancer and was trained by her cousins, who introduced her to hip-hop through music, classic hip-hop films, and dance, planting the first seeds of her passion. She took ballet lessons for a while but stopped, always feeling that performing was something she wanted to do. She auditioned for a hip-hop crew in a community center in Amsterdam Zuidoost and joined under the guidance of Melvin Fraenk, who trained her and the crew Ordinary Illusions. She learned a lot about dissecting music, grooves, body movement, and control. Dancing to instrumentals, she learned to hear all the different elements in a song and how she felt about them. She trained hard during this time and truly got to know herself, gaining more confidence, which became the core and strong foundation she still uses in her lessons.

She accomplished all of this while attending school and earning diplomas. Later, she began dancing at the more mainstream dance school JDF, starting a completely new journey as a dancer due to her more underground background, which made it somewhat challenging. She had to dance on specific counts and to the lyrics. Transitioning from dancing to Timbaland, J Dilla, and KRS-One to Pharrell and Britney was a significant shift, but she was ready to take on the challenge. It was a battle for Laquelle; she always stood at the back of the class trying to absorb everything. However, her instructors saw something different in her and recognized her potential. She learned from various teachers who were also students at that time.

She received a lot of support from the people at the dance school, such as Lorraine Day’s mother and Regilio Pinas, who just wanted her to take dance classes despite the financial challenges. She trained extensively at home, wanting to succeed desperately, feeling that dancing was her passion in life. She underwent a change in mentality and traveled to L.A., even while still in school. Laquelle attended every available class and took lessons when teachers came to the Netherlands.

Raoul Richardson noticed her in classes and auditions and wanted her to teach at his dance school in Utrecht. She did, and they trained together for a while, practicing hip-hop freestyle. She participated in various battles and cyphers, putting herself out there. Laquelle graduated from the Dance Academy in 2009, guided by fantastic teachers such as David Hutuely, Rosan Van Essen, Marga Douma Alta, and Percey Kruijthof. She began auditioning in the U.S. and the Netherlands, always being chosen to dance in groups as people perceived that she had something different to offer. She worked in Germany and Belgium, touring with various companies and participating in diverse hip-hop and contemporary productions.

As there were not many Black women in the scene, she felt a deep responsibility to open doors for the next generation of women. She joined the crew Femme Lethall, where they shook things up by putting Waacking on the map in the Netherlands. Laquelle was also one of the first instructors to start teaching heels in 2009.

COMMUNITY

The connection with the community is different now than when she started because it is always changing. She doesn’t resonate with all the new hip-hop music, but she makes sure to stay informed. Thus, she always uses Old School hip-hop, as the 2000s community has also taught her things she still uses in her lessons; they support her and helped her grow as a person and a dancer.

By participating in the community, she contributes to helping girls, women, and boys gain more confidence. Just as she was inspired by women in dance like Monique Duurfoort, Alida Dors, and Dorotja Kiss, she teaches people the essence of hip-hop, “Don’t back down.” By setting the tone for other women, being in cyphers, battling, sharing her spirit and knowledge, and speaking out, she has made a significant contribution.