Le son d'Elsa (2013)

Elsa Wolliaston, a pioneer and leading figure in modern African dance for the past 40 years, gives classes in her studio "One Step" in Paris. Pupils of all ages and origins come here to learn far more than just how to dance. When she was a child, Elsa asked her grandmother, who brought her up: "Do all people on Earth dance?" As an adult, this is how Elsa introduced herself : "My name is Elsa Wolliaston. I am a dancer, a choreographer and a teacher... of African dance. Born of an African father and an American mother, I had a traditional oral education in Africa and then a Western one in America and England, where I studied classical music and both classical, jazz and modern dance." For the past 40 years, Elsa has made it her mission to teach dance. Sound is of extreme importance. She says: "What interests me is how an adult body, one that's lived, is capable of musically creating sound with what it has. In silence, everything in the body becomes visible, including its internal sound, which leads to dance." "Dancers are My Musical Score", says Jean-Yves Colson, her faithful musician drummer. Elsa shares the alchemy of her art with pupils in both group classes and private lessons.