Raphaël Defour

When dancer, choreographer and acrobat Yoann Bourgeois was invited by the Center des Monuments Nationaux to create a performance for the Pantheon in Paris, he chose the fight against gravity as his leitmotif. “The Mechanics of History – an attempt to approach a point of suspension” became a dizzying performance that took place in the ridge of this historic dome. The Great Ghosts is a cinematographic adaptation of this special project in a breathtaking setting. Balance and movement are the starting points for the choreography, with the famous Foucault Pendulum as the constant center. Bourgeois uses trampolines, a turntable and his famous “seesaw of frivolity”, with which he defies gravity and balances between beauty and fear. How far do the dancers dare to go while playing with Foucault’s Pendulum? And for how long?

Mathieu, a piano virtuoso, goes home to help his brother Paul to take care of their sick mother. Paul is into reenacting old battles, dressing up and getting into character, even dueling if necessary. Mathieu gets involved in this world and play becomes real.