Versailles Stories - Putting on a Show

Series exploring the history and modern evolution of one of France's great palaces through the stories of the people who work there today. The spectacular height of the summer season at Versailles is the Fetes de Nuit, a six-night extravaganza of music and horsemanship rooted in a tradition going back to the time of Louis XIV. This programme goes behind the scenes as 70 performers and 100 horses prepare for the event The event is the creative vision of Artistic Director Bartabas, the man described by many as 'half man, half horse'. For six weeks the young, mainly female, dressage riders de-camp from their permanent home in the chateau's historic stable block, where they are students at Versailles' exclusive riding academy, to temporary tented accommodation in the heart of the palace grounds. Here from dawn to dusk they are subject to Bartabas' sharp tongue as he drums home his exacting standards of horseman ship and artistry. To stage the spectacular performance, and in another first for the centuries-old chateau, a ten and a half thousand-seat stadium is being built across Versailles' historic Neptune's Basin. It's a huge build and one that has to fit around rehearsals, and Bartabas' whim.