DUBAI // Elke Vinck and daughter Louka Blommaert were ecstatic to have made the semi-finals of Belgium’s Got Talent competition.
The Belgian duo aerial silk performers, who call themselves TRUST, have been training in Dubai, where mother Elke, 38, has been living for 12 years.
Louka, who is currently in the fifth grade, was raised in the emirate.
It all started two years ago when Louka and her best friend started taking aerial silk classes at ArtSawa Gallery.
“My friend and I found about this class, and we started it together, and then my mother and my friend’s mother wanted to train, too,” said the 11-year-old. “We started training separately, and then we joined together end of last year.”
Elke, who has always been active in sports, said she and her daughter were asked to perform at a Belgian Gala dinner.
“We each had a solo performance and we finished with a duet,” she said. “It was so fun to do it together.”
However, both mother and daughter never thought they would actually qualify for Belgium’s Got Talent.
“Initially, it was only Louka applying for the competition but once they saw pictures of our mother-and-daughter performances, they asked us to do it together,” said Elke. “We gave Louka permission to apply because we thought, ‘what are the chances … so many people register’.”
The duo ended up being one of 32 finalists but were voted out by the Belgian public earlier this month, with 18 finalists remaining.
“Even though we were voted out, we are still happy to have had this opportunity,” said Louka. “It was nice to see that the judges were surprised we did not make the final three. Three of the four judges wanted us to stay but it’s up to the public, not them.
“My good friends were excited for me, while other kids in my class kept asking questions.”
But a talent competition is never without haters. “Some would say on Facebook that it’s Belgium’s Got Talent, why are people from abroad taking part, but we are Belgian,” said Louka, who admitted to being more nervous backstage than onstage.
“When you’re performing, you are focusing on your performance and not the people.”
Elke said that it was a great opportunity and the whole process, although long, was smooth.
“They were so nice to us, and they treated us very well,” she said, adding that their success would not have been possible without the guidance and help of their mentor, Valeria Baigacheva, who travelled with the duo to Belgium.
“We give her credit for everything, because she really was so fantastic and professional and made sure to take care of us,” said Elke. “If she says that there’s [a move] we can do, then I know it’s only a matter of time, and we can do it; and if she says we can’t, I trust her.”
Louka said it is her dream to be a performer in Cirque de Soleil and hopes to take part in other competitions. However, if that does not work out, she said she will opt to be a surgeon.
dmoukhallati@thenational.ae
