“I want to prove that it is possible to be an elite athlete while studying for an engineering degree.”
February 15 20242024 will see Paris host the Olympic Games and also provides an opportunity to catch up with our own homegrown athletes! Juliette Ferlay, a second-year engineering student at AgroParisTech and an elite competitive dancer, gives us an insight into her story and her aspirations.
Before AgroParisTech
I’m from Aix-les-Bains, in Southeastern France, and I started dancing very young, when I was 4 years old. At first I learned classical dance, modern jazz, floor-barre, and contemporary dance. In middle and high school I danced every day. It was a true passion, although at the time I never imagined I could make a living as a dancer. So I focused on my studies, and at the end of high school, I applied to study in the BCPST* preparatory school program at the prestigious Lycée Champollion in Grenoble. As it turns out, I was lucky to have my application rejected!
Because instead, I was accepted in the ABB** undergraduate technical degree program in Clermont-Ferrand. That was decisive for me. In Clermont-Ferrand, I discovered that I had time both for my studies and for my passion for sport in general—and for dance in particular. At the same time, I entered the advanced training program at Hemysphère Dance School, where I discovered the world of competitive dance, video shoots, and urban dance. The dance teacher there helped me overcome my barriers. She recognized my potential and sparked a desire in me to create things.
That was when everything really took off! I prepared my first solo, Fil (in modern jazz), and was selected to move up from regional to national level for the National Dance Federation (CND) competition. Unfortunately, the competition was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The next year, I created my second solo: AI (Artificial intelligence), in the “other styles” category. At the end of my undergraduate program, the competition was held and both solos were unanimously selected for the national competition, where each of them won first prize. The unanimous selection of AI led me to take a few days off from school and travel to Italy, where I won second prize in the European championship and a grant for an intensive two-week course in Los Angeles. Luckily, this absence didn’t prevent me from passing the entrance exam, and I began my engineering studies at AgroParisTech in September 2022.
AgroParisTech and Dance: A Combination Made Possible Through Close Collaboration
I enrolled in AgroParisTech with the status of elite college-level student athlete, which was made possible by my European wins and Paris-Saclay University (of which AgroParisTech is a founding member).
This status gives me the right to special adjustments and exemptions. Fortunately, the institution’s administrative staff have been very understanding. My status is basically unique at AgroParisTech, so we have to work together to learn how to adapt so that I can combine my dancing activities with my studies. I’m fortunate to also have access to a gym at Polytechnique where I can train. My athletics-related absences are tolerated, even if I’ve sometimes had to fight to have them accepted and not be penalized. By the end of my first year, I was able to pass the national Technical Aptitude Examination (EAT) in jazz dance as an independent candidate. During my second year, I also joined the OUPS Dance Company as an understudy for the show “Championnes en Meute.” I kept at it and—with a lot of organization and a fair number of back-and-forth trips between AgroParisTech and my dance residence—I was able to pass my exams with flying colors. In sum, I was able to finish my education while also paving the way for a duel career. Fun fact: having been captain of the cheerleading team in my first year at AgroParisTech actually helped me be recruited in the dance troupe!
It isn’t easy to reconcile the two worlds. I don’t have much free time, or many opportunities to rest in between. I’m always playing catch-up or making up for my absences in athletics or school. But I’m lucky in that dance has taught me to be thorough and organized. I have the ability to go all in whenever I need to be more productive. It’s a choice that I’ve made and I don’t regret it one bit, even with the compromises I’ve had to make! The show we’re working on now for a tour starting in May 2024 takes up a lot of my time, but I’m already thinking about next year, which might be a gap year for me. There are a lot of things I want to do and experience.
My Future Perspectives
In my second year of engineering studies, I chose to major in “Engineering and health: people, bioproducts, and the environment,” because later on, I would like to work in the healthcare industry—even if, for now, my career plans are still a bit up in the air. What I do know, though, is that in my future career I would like to build bridges between my dancing skills and healthcare, as I’m equally attached to both. In the end, it’s a bit of a unique dual degree!
I need to take a break, to find a calmer pace so I can figure out what will suit me in the future, once I’ve earned my degree. But I would also like to continue to be actively involved in dance (finishing the “Championnes en Meute” show, and maybe beginning to work toward a dance teaching diploma). I’ll also use this year to take in a change of scenery, working on a charitable project with two student friends and likely filming a documentary to record our travels. We would like to take a five-month trip to Asia to study biodiversity and issues related to the conservation of plant and animal life.
As it is, I’ve managed to prove to myself that it was possible to reconcile the two halves of my life—and it’s something I’m so proud I was able to do.
* Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science
** Biological and Biochemical Analysis