Laia Giralt, a Vilanova resident who travels the world dancing with The Weeknd

BarcelonaLaia Giralt dances in front of thousands of people every time there is a concert by The Weeknd. For example, she will do so on September 1st at the Estadi Lluís Companys in Barcelona, because since 2022 she has been part of the dance team for the Canadian artist's tour. Born in Vilanova i la Geltrú, trained in London, and based in Los Angeles, Giralt takes advantage of a free moment to speak to ARA by phone.

How is the tour going?

— This year's we started in April. We did South America, first, which I love. Then we had a break and since June we've been traveling around Europe. I can't complain. This is this year, because with The Weeknd I've been doing it since 2022.

You were there at the previous concert in Barcelona in July 2023, right?

— Yes.

Have the choreographies changed much since then?

— There are numbers that have changed because, obviously, he has made new music. Now there are some choreographies that were not there before or some that were there and are not there now. The costumes have also changed a bit, but the creative direction is the same. After all, it's the same tour since 2022.

Is it the same group of dancers or has it changed a lot?

— Of those who were there the first year, I think five or six remain. And there are thirty of us. It has been changing because it depends on each person's availability and many different factors.

Is The Weekend the artist you've had the most concerts with?

— Yes, without a doubt. Think that we have toured all over the world. We have done Europe twice, North America and South America, we went to Australia and in the autumn we will go to Asia.

When you started working as a dancer in London, did you imagine you would go on tours like this?

— The truth is no. At 18 I moved to London. I was there for six and a half years, and that's where my career began, but I mostly worked in London, at galas like the MTV Europe Music Awards and the Brit Awards, and on television shows like The X Factor, Britain’s got talent, and The Voice UK.

Then you left for Los Angeles.

— I arrived there in 2019. And when I was starting to adapt, the pandemic arrived. There wasn't much work, but the industry recovered a little bit. I danced at rapper Lil Baby's concerts and then the tour with The Weeknd came out. I didn't imagine I would travel so much, but I love it, because I really like traveling and getting to know different cultures. I'm not one to put down strong roots anywhere. Los Angeles is where I live, but I don't feel like it's my home. My home is Vilanova i la Geltrú.

Will you go to Vilanova i la Geltrú taking advantage of the concert in Barcelona?

— I will go there after the concert in Lisbon on September 6th, when we will have more free days. At the Barcelona concert, I will meet my mother and my sister, but I think I will wait to go to Vilanova afterwards.

Do you have choreographic ambition? Do you see yourself directing choreographies?

— I have never seen myself as a choreographer, and not because I don't have the ability or don't want to; simply, it's not something that inspires me or comes naturally to me. What fulfills me is the stage, the adrenaline of live performance, and interaction with the audience, although with this The Weeknd show it's very limited. I like live performance, and I think that's why I've never seen myself as a choreographer and have always thought that, once the moment comes when I've "had enough," I'd want to do something different.

Outside the artistic scope?

— Maybe so, or maybe something about management or that also formed part of the show, but that doesn't have so much to do with the artistic aspect. What we do fills us up a lot, but a moment will come when we also get older and want more stability, at least economically.

You say that audience interaction is more limited in The Weeknd's concerts. This has to do with the wardrobe you wear, which is not the most common in shows by big pop stars.

— Exactly. We are covered from head to toe. We wear a dress with a red tunic and a golden mask with a veil back. The only thing visible are our eyes. It's a different concept. I've never seen anyone who brings thirty women on tour and shows them like this on stage. And there's a lot of contrast between our movement, which is more stoic, and his, which has a lot of energy as a singer.

Dancers do a very important job alongside stars who have a brutal media exposure, but you are almost anonymous artists. And on this tour, they can barely see your faces. How do you manage it?

— Anonymity isn't a problem for me, because I've never wanted to be a famous person or for people to know my name. What I've wanted is to dedicate myself to what I enjoy doing. Now, the tour with The Weeknd does involve a heavy transition, because as dancers we're used to doing the opposite, to being overexposed and much more sexualized, because our faces and bodies are more visible. To understand this change, you need a period of adaptation because it doesn't fill your ego like shows where we're more visible. On the other hand, there's something very beautiful about The Weeknd's tour: teamwork. We're a team because no one knows who's who, and this facilitates a space for creating a much deeper friendship, without any kind of competition, which is something that also happens in our world, the idea of "I want to be in front, close to the artist, so they see me, so they take photos of me, for whatever reason".

Do your musical tastes align with the music of the artists you work with? In other words, did you like The Weeknd before dancing with him?

— I didn't know him as well as I do now. Obviously, now I know all the songs. Before going with The Weeknd, I went on tour with the rapper Lil Baby, and I didn't really like his music, but I didn't care because it's my job and I liked dancing to it. Once you give me a choreography, I have a good time anyway. With The Weeknd, I do like his music more, it's much more my style.

In choreographic jobs, are there times when your physique can condition your hiring, for example if you are taller than the main artist?

— It does happen. It could be for being too tall, too short, too pink, too thin. It can be anything. Yes, our physique has a lot to do with it. In this case, since we are so covered up, it has less to do with it, but in other productions it does, 100%. You can be at an audition and know you're doing better than someone else, but they choose them because they like their look more, or because they need more ethnic variety or for any reason. We depend on what they are looking for, and in our profession, physical appearance is very determining, unfortunately. That's how it works. And it's very common in the world of dancers to have eating disorders and many insecurities.

What are the most special memories you have from the tour?

— The dancers are all very well connected; there is a lot of sisterhood and we take great care of each other. The other day in Dublin they threw a party for all of us, not just the dancers, but all the people who set up the lighting stage, and it was very beautiful. Obviously, I'm really looking forward to the concert in Barcelona, because having my family in the audience is priceless.

After The Weekend, do you have any other tours that can be explained or not yet?

— No. It's just that this is not how our work functions, unfortunately. I'm with The Weekend until November. Afterwards... that's next year's problem. In my job, we take it day by day. There are periods when you might not work for months and you start to think that no work will come up. And suddenly, one comes up for many months. In any case, you always have to be prepared. I'm on tour now, I'll have a great time, but I'm also saving up the pennies for when there isn't any because we already know how things work. That's why I told you before that in the future I might like to have a slightly more stable job in that regard. But, well, it's part of a dancer's life.