Former troupe dancer trained in a demanding curriculum at the gates of the Paris Opera, Laure Legros now teaches in Agen. At 53, she splits her time between teaching dance and crafting with Lumiplumes.
“You forget the things you do in life, and you forget yourself.” In her Agen apartment, where she recently settled, Laure Legros flips through photos, magazines, and press clippings. Memories resurface through the pages: a youth of discipline, tours, stages, and encounters.
At 53, the classical dance teacher rediscovers her own journey. But behind these memories, a recent project now occupies a central place: Lumiplumes, a craft activity around luminaires made with natural feathers that she has been developing for a few months.
Lumiplumes, creating differently
By observing nature and returning to simple materials, Laure Legros says she found the idea for Lumiplumes. She now carefully assembles selected feathers to create luminous, unique, and numbered pieces. “I became passionate about feathers,” she explains, describing meticulous work of cutting, balance, and composition.
Each creation requires time and special attention to materials. Without claiming a large-scale production, Laure Legros develops an artisanal approach where each object finds its own identity. For her, this work extends a sensitivity acquired on stage: that of detail, spatial arrangement, and light.
The school of rigor, at the doors of the Opera
Before Lumiplumes, there were tours, stages, and grand scenes. Born in Charente-Maritime, Laure Legros quickly moved to Paris, where dance became the guiding thread of her life. Initiated at a very young age, she joined the Saint-Maur-des-Fossés conservatory at 11 before moving on to the Chaptal Academy, directed by Monique Arabian, a school known for its rigor.
Her daily life then revolved entirely around this vocation. “I danced in the morning, went to school in the afternoon, and danced in the evening,” she recounts. Up to 20 hours of weekly practice, in a rigor she describes as constant. This classical training, she believes, shapes more than just a technique: a lasting discipline. She also discovered other art forms, such as character dance, and met prominent figures from the entertainment world. She mentions encounters with Claude Nougaro and Pascal Sevran throughout her career.
Ten years in a troupe
The family’s move to Cahors changed the course of her path. In 1993, she joined the Dimitri Troïka troupe. For ten years, she performed in shows, tours, casinos, TV shows, and travels. From Merzouga, Morocco, where she danced for a New Year’s Eve event in the dunes, to Geneva, Toulouse, or Paris, Laure Legros experienced the intensity of itinerant performance.
She describes a close-knit troupe, “like a family,” weeks on the road, sometimes sleeping on the bus. Memories of TV sets, prestigious stages, and artistic encounters are plentiful. But behind this life of light, she also recalls a more fragile reality: the constant search for new engagements in the industry.
After her touring years, Laure Legros gradually turned to teaching. In Cahors, where she lived for 25 years, then in Montauban, she taught in community centers, after-school programs in primary schools, and private dance schools.
The accident that changed the pace
In 2010, a pneumothorax abruptly slowed down this dynamic. A serious medical emergency that marked a turning point. Now settled in Agen, where she found a form of balance, she teaches at the Danse’n co studio. From classical dance to floor barre and pilates, she diversifies the disciplines.
