From Cadenet to the Concorde: B-Girl Carlota's rise from a small town to the world stage
Having honed her skills in the garage of her home in south-eastern France, Carlota Dudek competed at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games before moving to the capital. Now she is targeting a place at Paris 2024 in the Olympic Qualifier Series.
Breaking
With a population of just over 4,000 people, Cadenet is a quaint village in south-eastern France located on the slopes of the Luberon.
For years, in the heart of Cadenet, a small garage would play a pivotal role in the development of Carlota Dudek’s breaking career.
“This place is quite important to me and has played a big part in my evolution since it was my cocoon," she told Olympics.com. "The place I could be myself, free of anyone watching. As a result, it's the place where I felt most creative.
"It was my transition from young Carlota to adult Carlota – this is where I built myself in that sense. It was really when I went to Paris that I saw the opportunity I had.”
From winning her first competition aged seven to competing at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, B-Girl Carlota - born to a Cuban mother and Polish father - honed her skills in that garage before leaving for the capital.
Competing at Paris 2024, where the sport will make its Olympic debut, would represent a historic full-circle moment for the 22-year-old dancer. To make it to the Place de la Concorde, Carlota will have to impress at the first Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) event in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China on 16-19 May.
B-Girl Carlota and the essence of breaking
Having chosen breaking over athletics, judo and gymnastics, Carlota - also known as Señorita Carlota - has dedicated most of her life to the dance sport. To her, it's more than just stepping onto the stage and performing – it’s also about giving part of herself and her culture to the audience.
“Breaking is more than just dance,” she says. “It’s a lifestyle. It’s how you connect with people and how you share. There are no rules. In fact, when you dance you bring your identity with you.”
While ending the upcoming Games on the podium would be a dream, that is not the driving factor behind Carlota competing in Paris.
“It is a fantastic opportunity because we know the French will be behind our sport, and you don’t want to let them down.
“At the end of the day, the aim of the game isn’t really to win a medal, it’s for me to go out there and fulfil myself as a dancer. Ultimately, that’s the essence of breaking."
Carlota connecting with Cuban-French culture
Whether it’s paying homage to her background or her hometown, Carlota is grounded by the things that mean the most to her.
“Ever since I was a little girl, Cuba has been present, [even] in my name alone. In Cuba, I’d get up on stage and do some salsa steps, and people recognised me for it.
“France also inspires me a lot - in this state of mind too, a little free will, a little freedom. We can say we’re the new impressionists; that’s what makes the Games so interesting. It’s a great platform to show our art, our culture, our sport.”
Carlota regularly returns home to recharge her batteries, return to that garage and spend time with her mother Narcos Garcia Elda.
Garcia said, "From an early age, she was very athletic. She wanted to explore. Compared to boys her age, she dared to do things they that boys didn't. Sometimes they were like, 'But she's a girl.' She was so active that it was tiring."
While there recently, the Olympic hopeful reminisced on the lessons learned from her mother. Among them was the message, "You have to live your passion because you never know where it might take you."
Carlota told Garcia, “You said that to support my project. You said, 'This is something that you enjoy, let her do it and see where it takes her.’ It gave me confidence in my project.”
Currently tied for 20th place in the Olympic rankings, and second among Frenchwomen behind B-Girl Syssy, Carlota needs strong showings in both OQS events with the last seven Olympic quota places handed out after June's second competition in Budapest.