Gallant Indies | Les Indes galantes: dir Philippe Béziat (2021)

On the stage of the Opéra Bastille in Paris, 30 dancers from non-traditional genres – hip-hop, krump, break, voguing – reprise and remix Jean-Philippe Rameau’s baroque 1735 masterpiece, Les Indes galantes. It’s an opera offensive to modern sensibilities that reflected French colonial expansion and represented the myth of the noble savage; this documentary follows the cast over the course of a year as they take the idea from concept to stage, culminating in a performance run at the Opéra Bastille. The modern mix of urban dance and opera singing represents both a human adventure and a meeting of political realities: so can a new generation of artists storm the Bastille today? Screens in the MOVE ON FILM season.