Step by step

Director and director of photography

Documentary (77'), 2020

Based on an original idea by Mathilde Roullot.

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Shortly before summer , the ballet teacher and the conductor of the Châtillon Conservatory announced a very ambitious project to their classes: to stage a ballet together. Their choice fell on a work as emblematic as it is foundational to the classical repertoire: Giselle. The ballet tells the story of a young peasant girl who falls under the spell of a duke who has come to her village to seduce her, even though he is betrothed to another. When Giselle discovers she has been betrayed, she loses her mind and her life. Her spirit then joins the Wilis, young women who died before their weddings and who haunt the forests in search of lost men whom they make dance to death in revenge, under the merciless gaze of Myrtha, their queen.

Since the announcement, a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the harvest and ghostly apparitions has permeated the fourth-floor corridors and the Conservatory's auditorium. Month after month, the classical dance classes and the orchestra begin the technical and artistic work that will guide them through to the performances in early June. Rehearsal hours multiply. The conductor dusts off the score, the instruments are tuned, and they get to work. Measurements are taken: the height and depth of the theater stage, hip measurements, and stature. The countdown has begun.

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With the support of the city of Châtillon.

Directed, filmed and edited by: Justine Coulmy

Sound: Lou Jullien

Color grading: Simon Jayet

Music: Ryo Baldet

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