Marina Fenty, longboard dancing world champion, in Nice.

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Nicolas Catovic

  • Marina Correia won the title of world champion in longboard dancing on Monday in the sponsored women category of the international competition So You Can Longboard Dance ?.

  • The competition, which is usually held in the Netherlands, was held online due to sanitary conditions.

    Thousands of applicants sent their one-minute video to professional juries who selected six finalists in each category.

  • Through this victory, the Niçoise hopes to develop representations in the field.

“It feels good,” says Marina Correia, officially world champion in longboard dancing since Monday, in the sponsored women category.

“Being recognized as the best for the 2020 edition makes me very proud.

Due to the health context, the world longboard dancing championship, So You Can Longboard Dance ?, which usually takes place in the Netherlands over a weekend, was held online.

Candidates were assessed through their video performance.

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The ingredients to win?

A setting that makes you dream, Nice and its Promenade des Anglais at sunset, fluid steps, impressive figures and a little speed.

All to a lively music.

“The juries asked me if I had sped up the video, they were impressed with the speed in which I chain my movements.

But as you can see with the people around me, there is no change even though we had to do at least thirty tries before passing the video.

"

"I jump on the board and let my body express itself"

Marina Correia was born in Cape Verde and arrived at her 14th birthday in Nice.

Three years later, she embarked on the discipline, out of curiosity.

“I had two friends from college who had boards and rolled with them.

One day, I wanted to try.

Now this is my passion.

I never travel without it.

I smile on my own, so happy when I'm on my longboard.

"

Her story with this sport was transformed when, after a presentation of new boards in a store in Nice, the Sector9 brand offered her one while offering to sponsor her if she posted videos.

She explains: “At the beginning, you need a lot of mental strength.

I started doing a few short dance steps and then trying to grab my board.

But the figures are very technical so you have to be patient and believe in yourself.

For a year, I trained on the Prom, at the Opéra Plage where I observed a lot of people doing it and little by little, I evolved.

I think what appealed to the brand was my motivation but also my style.

“Five years later, she has reached nearly 14,500 subscribers on Instagram.

Her style, she expresses it through her practice.

“I put my headphones on, I jump on the board and I let my body express itself.

When I move forward, there is nothing more that matters.

It's a whole way of life, it's art.

"

"A victory for all the little girls who need representation"

The longboard dancing scene is growing, in particular thanks to visibility on social networks.

Despite this growth, it is still a struggle for Marina Correia to win in the field.

“I fight with other sportsmen through projects to break the cliché image of this universe.

No, it's not a game, no, it's not just for white, male people with caps and loose clothing.

I also have my place as a black woman and this victory is for me but also for all the little girls who need performances.

This is the first time that a black woman has won a world championship title in this discipline.

A distinction that caused a reaction on Twitter, where 6,344 people follow her.

When she proudly announces her victory by emphasizing the novelty in relation to her skin color, some Internet users criticize her "for not being black enough".

She retorts by posting: “I am mixed race by my Cape Verdean and Brazilian origins, but I am a black woman, with black parents, a black family.

"

Despite this wave of insane comments, Marina focuses on what she's won.

“It doesn't mean anything to me, maybe it's 5% of the messages I received.

I had a lot more love and support than hate.

But it was important to clarify it, to gain representation in the community.

"

She develops: “Representation is very important.

I realize that I am an example for little girls, they tell themselves that they too can do it.

At their age, I didn't see anyone who looked like me on television.

"

In commitment and sharing, Marina Correia also considers an alternative to her sports career.

“I think about my health, if I break an ankle for example, what do I do?

We have to think long term in spite of everything.

That's why I started a license at the University of Modern Letters in Nice ”.

She already has her head full of projects: “I would like to organize longboard sessions with children in hospitals or in orphanages, to change their daily life.

"

In the meantime, the student gives lessons on the Promenade des Anglais on weekends.

To contact her, go to her Facebook or Instagram.

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  • Dance

  • World Championship

  • Nice

  • French Riviera

  • Skateboard

  • Sport