The elaboration of the parade designed by Jean-Paul Goude for the bicentenary of the French Revolution was a huge undertaking, to which this film wished to bear witness. From the first presentation of the project to the President of the Republic to the first rehearsals in the various countries, right through to the spectacular parade of July 14th 1989, this was a great adventure from an insider’s perspective.

 Jean-Paul Goude summoned to this festival - this grandiose French-style carnival - all the countries who share a revolutionary past with France. Gérard Stérin reveals the problems occurring from the start of the adventure through to the last minute of the show, thus letting us measure the extent of the challenge posed by this epic undertaking. To pay tribute to peoples in a spirit of parody and irony, Jean-Paul Goude erased the military aspect of the parade by associating with it, to joyful rhythms, music and dance that are the first means of expression of freedom. The gigantic silent drum leading the way in memory of the students of Tiananmen square thus assumes a tragic dimension, a moving contrast recalling the real meaning of this festive day.

Source : Guillaume Courcier

Dancer, choreographer, director and art director

«As a child, I dreamt of becoming a comic strip artist. Drawing is  usually the start of my creative process. I just throw out ideas and  sketch out pictures that pass through my head. My culture is comics,  musicals, nightclub dancing, and also Oskar Schlemmer, the Bauhaus  choreographer. Discovering photos of characters from his Triadisches  Ballett was a revelation for me. I had always wanted to work with simple  geometric shapes like cubes and triangles. I liked seeing how these  lines and volumes behaved with each other. Alwin Nikolaïs taught me the  importance of light and costume, and the confidence you need to mix  everything together. Technically, it was Merce Cunningham who taught me  the most about dance. I was taking video courses he was giving in New  York. It was fascinating. That’s where I learned how to solve problems  of distance and geometry, and the basic principles of optics and  movement. Tex Avery inspired me a lot in thinking up gestures that are  almost impossible to do. I’ve always kept something of that desire to  create something strange, extreme or crazy in my movements. I’m looking  for a dance style that’s off-balance, always on the verge of toppling  over. With influences like the Marx Brothers, for example, and in  particular Groucho Marx, I’ve developed a taste for naughty risk-taking,  and comic repetition of mistakes.»

Source : Philippe Découflé

More information : cie-dca.com