From step-by-step to breakdance and hip-hop, Jonathan Boulingrin-Diaz went on a spin.
In recent months, the dreadlocks dancer has decided to put the dance to the level of passion to launch his business: Petite Crepe LA. He walks the events with his cart with wheels. Ensuring the show with his crepe maker, he surprises his customers with original creations such as vegan pancakes, re-visited burritos, blinis or pancake cakes.
Before specializing in the pancake, Jonathan Boulingrin-Diaz was realized in the dance. "At 18, I left everything to do the castings for the musical The Sun King. I was taken as a substitute, without having the chance to go on stage ", remembers this Valentinois. This experience provides him with a gateway to the International Dance Academy, and projects such as the musical Cleopatra and cabaret shows.
He decides to move to Los Angeles after a visit to a dancing friend in November 2011. "There was a real professional facility with the agents of dancers, while in France we are left to ourselves", says one who obtained an O-1 visa. The French multiplies castings, winning a contract for a clip Pharrell Williams and dancing on the tour Cheryl Cole.
But the dream ends up moving away. "I could not do what I liked, company work and original creation", argues the thirty-year-old, who deplores the lack of subsidies in the United States to help artists. "We are a puppet, we can be fired overnight. In Los Angeles, we have to combine dance with a job in restaurants. "
He decides to start a completely different project: buy a "café-cart". "But it required a lot of licenses, and there were difficulties with the regulation of milk", recalls Jonathan Boulingrin-Diaz. He then has the idea to embark on the pancake, while he works for a French caterer. "It reminds me of childhood, Sunday afternoons at my grandmother's house." He begins by making birthdays for those around him. Word of mouth works, until the official launch of Petite Crepe LA in 2019.
The small business offers catering for individuals and businesses. It starts well with an event for the NBC channel where Jonathan Boulingrin-Diaz has concocted some 400 pancakes. "The restaurant model is outdated, the street food is better"ensures this self-taught. But he also has some inconveniences, like the lack of electricity in some parks. To develop, he aspires to multiply "pop-ups", in festivals and offices. He participates every first Sunday of the month at the Friendly Market in Silverlake.
However, he does not forget the dance. He continues to perform with two companies. "I miss the scene, he admits, and especially when I see my wife, Circassian, performing ".
