Based on the children's books "20 Allée de Danse" by Elizabeth Barféty, which are popular in France and Italy, the 26-part ballet animation series "20 Dance Street" is currently being produced in Paris. The production company Cottonwood Media will realise the CGI series using a motion-capture animation technique, for which professional dancers will dance the ballet parts.

"20 Dance Street" is a co-production of Cottonwood Media (producers: Zoé Carrera Allaix, David Michel and Cécile Laurenson) with Federation Studios, ZDF Studios, ZDF and France Télévisions in co-operation with the Opéra National de Paris. The editor at ZDF is Frauke Bräuner. The animated series is produced from scripts by Christel Gonnard and Pierre Doublier and directed by Romy Yao.

In the series, Maya, an 11-year-old orphan from La Réunion in the Indian Ocean, is new to the Paris Opera Ballet School. There she quickly makes friends with Bilal and Constance. But the moody Louise and her friends don't always make life at the school easy for her. To everyone's surprise, it turns out one day that Louise is Maya's half-sister. They both have the same father: Antoine, who lives in Paris and knew nothing of Maya's existence, just as Maya knew nothing of his. An exciting year full of friendship, competition, fun and occasional tears awaits Maya, culminating in the final competition that will decide her future at school.

Source: ZDFContact: Mailin Erlinger, 06131 - 70-14588, pressedesk@zdf.de  
Picture: © ZDF and Cottonwood Media