She dreamed of it, she did it. Valentine Poorteman returned from the United States with four medals around her neck. Two of which are gold. Awards, won at the World Performing Arts Championships in Los Angeles, which opened the doors to an American career.
“Well, I cried, I admit it to you“, smiles Valentine.
“There were some really extreme moments of joy.” remembers his mother.
And his dad is no less moved: “These world championships are something that deserves to be seen. The Americans, they are very good at putting on a show, for the organization. We took full eyes. And in the middle of all this, there is my little Valentine, who suddenly appeared on the giant screen…”
Valentine Poorteman brought back four medals from the United States, two of which were gold. • © Marine Nadal-France 3 Poitou-Charentes
Back in their house near Poitiers, Valentine and her parents still have stars in their eyes. From these world performing arts championships, which brought together competitors from more than 60 countries, the young girl, barely 20 years old, returned with no less than four medals: two gold medals in the singing category, a silver in acrobatic dance and a bronze in television acting.
Rewards that owe nothing to chance. If there are still traces of childhood in Valentine’s smile and tone of voice when she speaks, her determination and her commitment have never been in doubt.
At the age of five, she was all the rage in the karaokes of the campsites where the family spent their holidays. And she already knows that’s what she wants to do with her life: the show.
Until Terminale, it is in high level gymnastics that she engages. A demanding discipline, which she uses today in her artistic practice: “Since I had a rigorous and really very intensive practice of gym, it taught me rigor, the notion of work, repeat, repeat, repeat, and if you fall and you hurt yourself, you go back up and you start again“, she says, suddenly very serious.
Valentine practiced high-level gymnastics for a long time • © family photo
It is the year of the baccalaureate that Valentine announces to her parents that she wants to become a singer and an actress. They are not surprised, of course, but like good parents, they are encouraging and cautious: “We only have one life, we must enjoy it and do the things we love. But even if you have talent, you have to meet the right people, so you have to have your back. So, we told Valentine, plan B!” remembers his mother.
Valentine plays the game, she provides plan B by obtaining a degree in geography, works intensely on singing and acting on stage, and knows how to provoke good encounters which lead her to Los Angeles.
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Portrait of a very young artist from Haute-Vienne selected to take part in the world arts championships in Los Angeles • ©Isabel Hirsch and Romain Burot
From Los Angeles, Valentine not only brought back four medals, but also scholarships for two schools. In LA or New York, she has a choice.
And she also had to extend her stay in the United States after the championships, to record two songs there with the producer of Madonna and Janet Jackson, Mark Williams, who spotted her. “I did it, I can die in peace“, she said with a big burst of laughter.
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Valentine Poorteman returned from the United States We had met the young woman in the spring, she was preparing to participate in the world championships of the performing arts or JO talent in Los Angeles. The trip paid off for this talented young artist. • ©Isabel Hirsch and Marine Nadal-France 3 Poitou-Charentes
I’m sure this won’t be the last time you’ll see me!
No question of sticking to that. Its two titles are due out in the fall on all platforms. Next summer, she has chosen, it is on Broadway that she will go to study. And until then, she will devote herself to music. Write a scrapbook.
“I know what I want, I know roughly how to get there, and then I work and we’ll see what happens. I am aware that what I have done is already enormous, and that I am already lucky to have been able to live this kind of experience. But I feel this is just the beginning. Lots of things are going to happen there. I’m sure it’s not the last time you see me !” she laughs.
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