Meet Carlos-Alexis Mendoza

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carlos-Alexis Mendoza. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carlos-Alexis, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

As a dancer, I always felt alone because of the dance style I practice. When I was starting out in the dance battle world, I was always the only one dancing electro, in front of other dance styles who were 50-60 dancers. To me, it was a difficult time in my dance career to never feel supported but by only a few people.
The way I found to overcome this challenge, was by being the best dancer in the style that represent, in order to be a leader in my community that I was about to build. To find purpose in the uniqueness. Being different is not a challenge, its a skill that I had to train and succeed no matter what.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a professional dancer, studied at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. I’ve worked for many dance companies and choreographers and now im focused completely on spreading my main dance style: Electro.

To me, my main purpose is to make electro known for its own identity. This culture, of which I’ve been a learner and fan since the age of 10, has been a big part of my life. To me, it is crucial to share this dance style to the world. For many years I have traveled the world, meeting the pioneers of the dance, participated in a dozens of electro battles (dance competition), and coming back to my hometown, it was sad to see that there wasn’t a real electro dance culture.

After graduating from dance school, I wanted to learn more about the professional life of a dancer, so I started working in the contemporary scene, dancing on theaters, touring in Quebec, and in Europe, but I always felt something was missing. I realized that I felt more happy and fulfilled by doing projects for Electro only. That is how my mission and vision of the dance switched. I started training more in this style, teaching a new generation, and started organizing dance battles in Montreal, Canada, my hometown.

Since last year, I founded E-MORTAL, the only electro dance competition in Canada, that happens every 3-4 months in Montreal. My mission: Rebuild an electro scene, boost the level of the competitors and make electro known in the dance scene.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

In my opinion, it is important to start by accepting that we dont know everything. That every step takes time to understand in order to step forward. In other words, do not rush.

In this matter, for me, it is also crucial that we always have to ask questions, and listen before speaking.

And third, be the best in your own skill. Never compare yourself with the others, but just know that you are the best and train your skills to get where you want to be.

Sometimes, we want to be in the podium, without proper training, but this takes time. And to be a good example for your peers, it is important to show determination and consistency.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

In the past few years, it happened one time that I was feeling drained, overwhelmed and uninspired. When this started happening to me, I thought it was the end of my dance career. What I did? I talked to one of my friends that knew a bit about this situation. He told me to enjoy this moment. At first, I thought he was nuts! But then, he explained to me that the reason why we have to enjoy this moment, is that our bodies are telling us to rest and to see our life with a different approach. So I listened to him, I stopped trying to push myself into dance training, and started to simply dance for fun. It is easy to say it like that, but when you’ve been dancing for all your life. it is not. So I started listening to other music genres, reminiscing what I used to listen as a kid. What did I grow up listen to? What are my roots? What makes my body move without even thinking about? Slowly but surely, I started to gain confidence again.

Just by looking at other angles with different approach, I could go through this dark time.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @dozathedoza @cypherelectromontreal @e__mortal
• Soundcloud: @bydoza

Image Credits

Scottie Ayrton
Antoine Ryan
Chiho Yokohama