Chez Mélusine, local products every day

VISIT

Hello Sandra,

Welcome to the Terroir section of the blog,

Can you tell us the story behind Chez Mélusine and how your takeover went? How did you come up with that idea of setting up this kind of business?

Hello, happy to be part of UzEssentiel,

I'd been working at Ginette's, the community grocery shop just opposite for 7 years. When it closed its doors for good on 31 December 2023 and the cheese shop was put up for sale at the same time, I had the crazy idea of buying the business and merging the two activities. Suprisingly enough, the project received an outpouring of generosity from the people of Montaréen, and a fund was even set up to help me make it happen. I was motivated, they were motivated - what better way to get started!

Chez Mélusine gives prominence to small shops that revitalise rural areas and focus on local products, bringing life back to small villages. What are your personal touches?

I'm very keen to be close to the villagers. Montaren is a picturesque and very active microcosm, rich in contacts and friendships.

To meet its demand for quality produce, I make it a point of honour to promote short distribution channels. I only choose seasonal fruit and vegetables, 80% organic, from local market gardeners and producers. You won't find any bananas at Mélusine!

What's more, to add to the gourmet touch of the terroir section, I have a great selection of wines and cheeses too.

Chez Mélusine is also a place where people can meet up, helping isolated people to stay socially connected. I'm always on hand, and if not, my husband takes over while I devote myself to my other activity, dancing, because I'm also a choreographer.

We're delighted to see that your work as a grocer doesn't detract from your career in contemporary dance and choreography. It's been a vocation for many years and, above all, it's an occupation that demands dynamism and vitality.

Dyslexic and hyperactive, I used to be one of those ugly duckling children in school... But at the age of 50, my hyperactivity allows me to reconcile my two occupations, which are equally important to me. And it's a real joy. In conclusion, I would say to all ADHD and dyslexic children... Follow your dreams!

To make it short, I started dancing when I was 5 years old. Tap shoes, little pink slippers, pointe shoes... In 1984, I also took classes at the Rosella Hightower dance school in Cannes and trained in contemporary dance at Studio Artheatralis with Joëlle Donati and Patrick Tridon. In 1994, I began my career as a dancer with a number of professional dance and street performance companies, including Compagnie Etat de Rue and Compagnie Hervé Koubi, among many others. In 2001, I even directed the Compagnie Les rats clandestins and began choreographing shows such as A toi à moi, Oscar & Mélusine. And... yes, Mélusine was already part of my life!

After a break of over 20 years, ready to take on new challenges and defend my work, I mix disciplines and personalities to create stories about people.

I look for the language of each body, without cutting it off from its emotions and working to explore them. Because it's a material in its own right that makes it possible to create a choreography. I also work on space and how bodies move.

In 2014, however, after running workshops in primary and secondary schools and in psychiatric settings, I felt the need to rethink my way of moving, so I started training in Functional Movement Analysis in Marseille with Véronique Larcher. All this, not to mention the fact that I've been working with Michaël Allibert as a dancer and assistant for over 20 years, which has enabled me to feel more confident about stepping back into the choreographer's shoes to create a solo that has been maturing in my head for several years.

Your shows in the region are performed both indoors and outdoors. An improvised stage in a forest, in a garden... What are the main difficulties in managing all this?

Well... It's not so much the difficulties but the different approaches to dance that is a necessary and a truly unsuspected stimulus. 

The choice of venue to welcome dancers and spectators for a contemporary performance is important, whether indoors or outdoors. Even if the performance takes place outdoors, intensive work must be done indoors beforehand.

Many thanks to Sandra Rivière for her contribution to this article.

Photo Sandra Rivière©Marlène Collin, member of the club Photochouet Uzès (@photochouet)

The right address: Chez Mélusine, place du Plan, Montaren. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 12.30pm and 4pm to 7pm. Sundays 9am to 12.30pm.

Tel: 06 18 48 12 30.