Meet Olivia Bellafontaine | Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Bellafontaine and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is inevitable in the arts. When I curated the first House of Red Velvet show, I had no idea what we were making. I was very afraid of it not being good enough, or not translating to whoever would come. I rewatched Santa Sangre by Alejandro Jodorowsky and I was inspired and pushed in the right direction. A good friend of mine also listened and gave me the right encouragement to do it. There is a lyric I like in Pink Floyd’s The Wall album. “The bleeding hearts and artists make their stand. And when they’ve given you their all, some stagger and fall, after all it’s not easy. Banging your heart against some mad bugger’s wall.” That is literally what we are doing. Cutting ourselves open for the audiences. Audiences who come in with their own thoughts on the world. Each show feels like a risk. I have found it exciting though. Even if it makes me feel crazy at times. I think if you are a creator, you secretly love this part. To work in high intensities, you must be willing to risk yourself and feel the pain. Danger is exciting. The role risks have taken in my life and career are an important one. I believe that it keeps me going and wanting to do more. I have this endless feeling of always wanting to do more. I try to focus my risks on things I can grow from. And, of course, learn from all the past ones. I don’t want to regret something. I always trust that I have figured it out in my life in the past, and now is no different.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets The House of Red Velvet apart is you won’t see it anywhere else. I do not allow audience photos or videos so you have to come to experience it. I think the mystery makes it special. I am very proud of my performers and the level we have gone to as far as pushing our own boundaries. I am proud of our lighting designer, J Fox, who runs creatively with very little direction from me. He has improved our show in many ways. I am excited for the next performance. I think these current times are going to force us to release a lot of demons. We will rise from ashes. Our audiences will be hungry. I can’t wait to feed off that, and connect with them. I believe I got to where I am now because I didn’t give up. I worked when I was sick. I worked when I had traumatic experiences. I worked when I felt isolated. I worked even when I had an injury, which I would not recommend as a dancer. Of course, the biggest challenge I need to overcome is to not overexert myself. I have done too much in the past, and ended up making sacrifices on little things. I do not want to do that anymore. I need to learn to take my time and give myself a break. I want the world to know that The House of Red Velvet is a pulsating organ. The doors open for the audiences. You can come with all your dreams and nightmares and feel ours. We want you to let go completely. Our story is continuing, and I hope the world will enter The House soon.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In Los Angeles, I would take everyone to El Compadre. I love that place so much. The owners are good people. Two margaritas will get you going, and the salsa is the best I have had. Also, Guisado’s for the tacos. Basically, they would have to be ok with eating a lot of Mexican food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout to several people. All my Patreon subscribers, all the Members of The House of Red Velvet, and audiences who attended. Having people believe in what you are doing is love. We have been fortunate to have a wonderful repeat audience. I value this loyalty. It keeps all of us performers floating in the universe, creating and laying our hearts on the table. With that being said, my performers also deserve recognition. It is difficult to find people who share your passion on the same frequency. We really trust each other, and I think that has only supported our art in the best way.

Website: thehouseofredvelvet.com
Instagram: @thehouseofredvelvet @oliviabellafontaine
Facebook: facebook.com/thehouseofredvelvet
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC__03rMiP2_0DdKxRrzQGxA?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Amie Nicole. Francis J Holloway. Beau Austin.