{"id":7832,"date":"2025-11-27T17:01:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/?p=8928"},"modified":"2025-11-27T17:01:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T15:01:49","slug":"the-double-life-of-a-ballet-dancer-and-harley-davidson-enthusiast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/the-double-life-of-a-ballet-dancer-and-harley-davidson-enthusiast\/","title":{"rendered":"The double life of a ballet dancer and Harley-Davidson enthusiast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On stage, Vanessa Feuillatte embodies the grace of ballet; off stage, she slips on a leather jacket and roars down the roads of Bordeaux on her Harley\u00ae<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vanessa Feuillatte is a principal dancer with the Bordeaux National Opera. She is also a passionate motorcyclist \u2013 someone who has always chosen movement in every sphere of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started dancing when I was four,\u201d she says. The words seem simple, but they express everything: her vocation, her consistency, her unwavering dedication to her art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At eight, she joined a sports study programme at the Salle Pleyel in Paris; at 11 she entered the Paris Opera \u2013 hers was a childhood marked by high expectations and competition, \u201cIt was tough psychologically: I already had a strong personality, a bit rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. I didn\u2019t always fit the mould.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Vanessa is the sort of person who keeps dancing, even into the wind. She auditioned for choreographer Benjamin Millepied and for the London Ballet. She was accepted, yet she chose to walk away from it all. \u201cI no longer recognised myself in that world. I needed things to make sense again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At 17, she began studying art therapy and psychology, took a course in applied foreign languages and enrolled at the Cours Florent drama school, before the Bordeaux National Opera crossed her path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI seized my opportunity. And, 23 years later, I\u2019m still there!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now a principal dancer, Vanessa is proud of how far she has come. She\u2019s involved with the French League Against Cancer\u2019s blood donation campaigns and movement expression workshops in a women\u2019s prison. She brings a rare human dimension to her art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI put my art at the service of others. That\u2019s what I love most. It\u2019s also what develops my artistic sense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The siren call of a bike engine<\/strong>
If the stage taught her discipline, the open road gave her space to be free. \u201cAt 18, I wanted to get my motorbike licence. For me, a bike of my own meant absolute freedom!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But life had other plans \u2013 studies, a career and its constraints, plus a Harley-obsessed husband, who, concerned for her safety, talked her out of getting her own bike. \u201cHe told me that it was too dangerous, given my profession,\u201d explains Vanessa. \u201cI found it frustrating, but I understood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, a road trip to the US changed everything. \u201cI couldn\u2019t stand riding on the back any more, with no control. When we got back, I told my husband, \u2018David, I\u2019m getting my licence.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just six months, fitting lessons in between rehearsals, Vanessa got the coveted licence. She tried several Harleys before falling for the Sport Glide\u00ae<\/sup>. \u201cI chose it for its balance. It\u2019s low, with a perfect centre of gravity. I felt confident on it straight away, and I\u2019ve completely customised it,\u201d she beams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What attracts Vanessa to Harley-Davidson is the aesthetics and symbolism. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved Harley. Since the very start, it has been the only bike for me. There\u2019s something profoundly artistic about the brand: the finish, the lines, the balance between strength and subtlety. It\u2019s rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, but it\u2019s also feminine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the stage to the open road<\/strong>
The two worlds couldn\u2019t seem further apart: on the one hand, the grace and delicacy of tutus, on the other, the power of metal. And yet Vanessa draws a clear connection: \u201cFreedom, adrenaline, taking risks: it\u2019s the same whether you\u2019re about to go on stage or hit the road. You feel that rush, that tension, that extreme concentration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For her, dancing and riding are part of the same quest to find the right movement, the balance between discipline and letting go. \u201cOn stage, you\u2019re free to do it your way, to express your personality. When I\u2019m riding alone through the vineyards around Bordeaux, it\u2019s the same. There\u2019s no one there \u2013 just the wind, the light, the sound of the engine. Everything comes together \u2013 like choreography.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, she doesn\u2019t abandon her dancer\u2019s discipline. \u201cI remain very vigilant,\u201d she says. \u201c<\/em>I always ride with all the gear, including an airbag. I understand the concept of risk. I don\u2019t touch my bike during performance season because I don\u2019t want to compromise a role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caution doesn\u2019t diminish her passion, quite the reverse. It nourishes a sense of respect and an awareness of her body and movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenges of a rock \u2019n\u2019 roll ballerina<\/strong>
\u201cI\u2019m quite petite, and people often don\u2019t believe me when I say I ride a Harley!\u201d she smiles. \u201cPeople think it\u2019s great but unusual. And that\u2019s exactly what I love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She remembers her first big ride with her husband. \u201cHe took me to the Basque Country, Spain, all the way to San Sebasti\u00e1n and Gu\u00e9thary, France. I\u2019d never ridden on the motorway before \u2013 there were trucks everywhere, and I was terrified!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI pushed myself beyond my limits. I love confronting my fears and turning them into pleasure,\u201d she says.\u201c By the end of the trip, I felt free. With my Sport Glide, I\u2019ve really found the bike for me. I feel at one with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2027, Vanessa\u2019s chapter at the Bordeaux National Opera will close, but she\u2019s preparing for it calmly. \u201cI\u2019ll have more time to ride, go on outings with the ladies, develop my work with schools and other organisations.\u201d Her bike will certainly help her through this transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before that, she is focusing on her upcoming performance in Romeo and Juliet<\/em> throughout December 2025. \u201cI adore this role. Juliet is all passion, drive and crazy love. And I love Prokofiev\u2019s music!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what she would like to say to the H.O.G.\u00ae<\/sup> community, she doesn\u2019t hesitate:\u00a0\u201cWe all feel the need to prove ourselves, to show who we are. But, above all, you have to dare. Anything is possible with passion and love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds: \u201cAnd I\u2019d like to say to young people, \u2018Come! Harley is such an open brand, so ahead of its time. Be curious, come and discover this world before going anywhere else!\u2019\u201d Her message perfectly encapsulates the Harley spirit: look beyond appearances, listen to your instincts and forge your own path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On stage, Vanessa Feuillatte embodies the grace of ballet; off stage, she slips on a leather jacket and roars down the roads of Bordeaux on her Harley<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7742,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-7832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-riding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7832"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7833,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7832\/revisions\/7833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/sv-se\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}