Charlotte Siepiora : “ The music of Duke Ellington and Philip Glass makes my train journeys more beautiful”

February 2022

Loving/ Dancing

Charlotte Siepiora is a dancer. A student at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Lyon, she broke onto the scene in ballet performances with Angelin Prejlocaj, for whom she has devoted a large part of her career. Called upon to dance on the most beautiful stages, from the Maestranza theater in Seville to the famous Mariuski in Saint Petersburg, this artist has traveled the world. For the release of the first Eric Bompard X Orient-Express capsule collection, she stages and dances her way through the pieces of an exceptional cashmere collection.

High Life: Who is your favorite travel companion?

 

Charlotte Siepiora: My computer. I need it all the time. To work, to write, to read and to watch movies.

 

HL: Do you prefer trains or planes?

 

C.S: I like to travel above the clouds, but the train amazes me when I travel in Europe. The landscapes, the relaxing rhythm, the spirit of adventure – I love everything about it.

 

HL: A sound from the train station that stands out for you?

 

C.S: The piano notes that you hear on the platforms of train stations, coming from unknown musicians. Music is essential for me. It is my first inspiration.

 

HL: How many countries have you visited?

 

C.S: About twenty. And Italy, the United States and China, several times. Each time for artistic meetings. My job as a dancer and actress has taken me to the four corners of the world.

 

HL: What is the most memorable trip you have ever been on?

 

C.S: I was fascinated by Rome, by its incomparable beauty, the harmony of the city and its gardens. It is literally an open-air museum. Romanticism is everywhere. I have a wonderful memory of an evening concert at the Villa Medici. I love Paris and London so much too. I went to simply admire the dancers of the Royal Ballet of London.

 

HL: What are the 3 items you never forget to take with you when you travel?

 

C.S: A black dress to go from one cocktail party to another by my talented designer and friend, Yiqing Yin. A pair of pumps by Pierre Hardy and a Bompard beige cashmere stole that comforts me, warms me and that I sometimes sleep in.

HL: What’s the best music to listen to on the Orient-Express?

 

C.S: Philip Glass’ hypnotic music or Duke Ellington, a more suave, sensual style perfect for listening to in the bar car.

 

HL: What’s the best book to take on a trip?

 

C.S: I always read several books at once. If I had to choose, I would say any novel by Leïla Slimani. I am a big fan of her incisive writing. She is a remarkable storyteller. I would love to meet her.

 

HL: What bothers you when you travel?

 

CS: Delays. I lose my patience quickly and it doesn’t get any better with age.

 

HL: How do you imagine yourself sleeping on the Orient-Express?

 

CS : Naked in incredibly soft sheets.

 

HL: If you had to gather 5 characters – dead or alive – aboard the train in your cabin, who would they be?

 

CS: Definitely an artistic crowd. Whitney Houston, Rita Hayworth, Albert Camus, Philip Glass and the photographer Paolo Roversi. I imagine it would be dazzling, funny and inspiring experience.

 

HL : What would you talk about?

 

CS : It would be a completely free artistic emulsion centered around a transdisciplinary creation that would focus on travel. It would abolish both constructed and natural borders, somewhere between a dream and reality.

 

HL : In the year 2869, how do you think we will travel?

 

CS : I hope that the virtual world we are currently heading towards will not be a unique model and that we will continue to travel ‘in person’ which is the key to opening up to the world and meeting other people.

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