Photos : Julien Panié | Caroline Dubois | Authentic Prod | TF1
MONTMARTRE8 épisodes | TF1
An ambitious, modern, and romantic saga: Paris, 1899. Céleste, a Cancan dancer in a Montmartre cabaret, is desperately trying to find the brother and sister from whom she was brutally separated as a child when their father was murdered before their eyes. To pay Léon, the inspector in charge of finding them, she has no choice but to become the first striptease artist. A journey alongside a cast of endearing characters through the nocturnal Montmartre of the era.
The richness of Belle Époque Paris’s settings, the sumptuous costumes, and the choreographed cabaret scenes make every episode a splendid spectacle.
Press reviews...
Enchanting choreography. The dances, created by Johan Nus, draw inspiration from Oriental aesthetics, from the Revolution, from the serpentine dance of American choreographer Loïe Fuller (who would make her dress swirl in abstract shapes), and from the spirit of celebration…
TÉLÉ LOISIR
Meticulously crafted choreography: Every Montmartre sequence was choreographed by Johan Nus, renowned both in France and internationally. He assembled two teams — one made up of eight dancers specialized in the cancan, and another of twenty performers for the various shows at the fictional cabaret L’Éléphant Rose.
LA MANCHE LIBRE | 27 09 2025
The result of more than three years of work, Montmartre captures the modern spirit of the Belle Époque while remaining strikingly contemporary, without falling into anachronism. This achievement is the fruit of close collaboration between the writers, costume designers, set designers, and choreographer, together with a historian who ensured the authenticity of every interaction and gesture.
L'HUMANITÉ | 28 09 2025
MONTMARTRE TRAILER
This YouTube video is not visible without your consent.
The rehearsals
LE PARISIEN | 04 01 2025 : Before filming the four shows that punctuate the series — the highlights of each broadcast evening — internationally renowned choreographer Johan Nus kept a watchful eye on everything. We attended the first rehearsals.
The shows were first created in the rehearsal studio; now it’s time to adapt them to the stage of L’Éléphant Rose, a cabaret built entirely from scratch… “I’ve never seen such high standards in French television,” enthuses Johan Nus, who spent years choreographing TV programs before moving on to create musicals and ballets around the world. He made time to join the adventure, driven by the idea of bringing a modern aesthetic while honoring classical traditions.
Without ever raising his voice, the choreographer fine-tunes, adjusts, and adapts. He envisions cutaway shots, “just in case the main number loses momentum.” Between the tables of L’Éléphant Rose, he imagines movement echoing what unfolds on stage. “My job is to feed the director’s vision,” explains Johan Nus. The stage is narrower than expected? No matter — the spacing must be reworked. “Sorry, I’ll have to take you out of the frame. I know you’ve worked hard,” he apologizes.
“Can we try the lift once?” he then asks Alice Dufour, who must be raised off the ground and passed from hand to hand before landing gracefully. Instantly, the actress takes flight. There may be no lights or costumes yet… but it’s already dazzling!
The rehearsals
LE PARISIEN | 04 01 2025 : Before filming the four shows that punctuate the series — the highlights of each broadcast evening — internationally renowned choreographer Johan Nus kept a watchful eye on everything. We attended the first rehearsals.
The shows were first created in the rehearsal studio; now it’s time to adapt them to the stage of L’Éléphant Rose, a cabaret built entirely from scratch… “I’ve never seen such high standards in French television,” enthuses Johan Nus, who spent years choreographing TV programs before moving on to create musicals and ballets around the world. He made time to join the adventure, driven by the idea of bringing a modern aesthetic while honoring classical traditions.
Without ever raising his voice, the choreographer fine-tunes, adjusts, and adapts. He envisions cutaway shots, “just in case the main number loses momentum.” Between the tables of L’Éléphant Rose, he imagines movement echoing what unfolds on stage. “My job is to feed the director’s vision,” explains Johan Nus. The stage is narrower than expected? No matter — the spacing must be reworked. “Sorry, I’ll have to take you out of the frame. I know you’ve worked hard,” he apologizes.
“Can we try the lift once?” he then asks Alice Dufour, who must be raised off the ground and passed from hand to hand before landing gracefully. Instantly, the actress takes flight. There may be no lights or costumes yet… but it’s already dazzling!
The director
LOUIS CHOQUETTE : (The performance scenes) were one of the biggest challenges! It was like a production within the production. Before filming even began, Matteo Locasciulli, our composer, wrote, composed, and recorded the music. Then Johan Nus created the choreography in the rehearsal studio to match the score. Finally, we rehearsed on set with the actors. Each number was completely different from the others. We worked from specific references, following the script closely, and reworked everything to ensure real coherence between form and substance.
Director Louis Choquette studies the storyboard, created by Johan Nus, for the sequence of the French cancan choreography.
Beginning of Johan Nus's storyboard, for Céleste's first dance in the cabaret.
The actress
ALICE DUFOUR | Céleste : I had some experience, but it had been a long time since I’d danced. So I had to work hard to get back into shape. I also had many rehearsals with Johan, the choreographer, and the other professional dancers. We rehearsed for a month and a half before filming. And during the shoot, we kept practicing the choreographies over and over again — even on our days off…
There’s a dance number every two episodes, with one appearing right from the first… It’s not a series about dance, but the director approached it as if it were — meaning with an enormous amount of preparation. In fact, I went through double the prep work.
Press reviews...
Montmartre features several spectacular dance numbers: “...Alice was by far the most convincing, and on top of that, she’s a dancer,” says Estelle Boutière, the series’ co-producer. A former gymnast and dancer at the Crazy Horse, Alice Dufour “worked for two months with choreographer Johan Nus” to prepare the dance sequences.
“Dance is like a production within the production,” confides Estelle Boutière. “We hired a choreographer, the composer wrote the music for the numbers, and the choreographer built the choreography around that music. Then they rehearsed. Each number required two full days of shooting.”
20 MINUTES | Anne Demoulin
…And what performances they are! The character of Céleste, in the Montmartre series on TF1, truly comes to life through these choreographies, which demand exceptional artistic discipline. To shoot these sequences — each taking nearly two days to film — Alice Dufour chose not to use a body double.
COSMOPOLITAN | Mélanie Bonvard
…Each French Cancan number, meticulously choreographed by Johan Nus, required two full days of filming. Alice Dufour, a former dancer at the Crazy Horse, shares: “It was my first time performing the French Cancan. It’s a very specific technique — you need flexibility and stamina. It was exhausting on set, even for the professional Cancan dancers working alongside us.”
BIBA | Virginie Incerto
This page uses cookies placed by YouTube in each video, requiring your consent. Your choice will be kept for 24 hours. PRIVACY POLICY.
