Rabbi Jacob dancingA replica of Rabbi Jacob's costume at the Louis de Funès exposition, Cinémathèque Française
The Rabbi Jacob dance is a memorable scene of the French cult filmThe Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1973). Victor Pivert (played by Louis de Funès), an anti-Semitic and generally bigoted industrialist, is on the run disguised as Rabbi Jacob. He is dragged into a traditional Hasidic dance on the Rue des Rosiers, the central street of Pletzl, the Jewish quarter in Paris and does surprisingly well.[1] The dance scene has gained just as much of a cult status as the film itself and there are numerous videos on the Internet with groups of people dancing it.[2]
The dance was choreographed by French-Israeli choreographer Ilan Zaoui [fr]. He founded the company Kol Aviv, for which he choreographed traditional Jewish dances.[3] Initially there was no dance scene planned in the film. Director Gérard Oury wanted to incorporate an element of Jewish tradition and was thinking about Rabbi Jacob playing a violin like a virtuoso, so Zaoui was considered as a musician.[2][4] However, his choreography caught the attention of the film's team, and one of the dances of the troupe was adapted for the film.[3][5]
The dance was actually shot in Rue Jean-Jaurès in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. The scenery of Rue des Rosiers was reconstructed in an area which was being demolished at the time.[6] It took 10 days of rehearsals at a studio in Boulogne-Billancourt.[7] Zaoui himself taught de Funès the choreography. He recalls: "It was simply great to work with Louis de Funès. He was an extremely professional and diligent actor. We have created an almost friendly relationship."[8][9] The general rehearsals took place on the stage of the Gérard Philippe theater in Saint Denis.[citation needed] De Funès commented in relation to this scene: "I have to dance as well as the Jewish dancers. The comic effect does not come from the ridiculousness, on the contrary!".[10][4] Vladimir Cosma remembers: "I rehearsed with him for several weeks at home at the piano. I saw a very serious gentleman, diligently repeating the dance steps, without any fantasy. I wondered how he could make people laugh. The day I saw him shoot the scene, I couldn't believe it. Having mastered the technique of his steps, he became uninhibited and with each take was bringing new gags with incredible spontaneity and fluidity."[11]
In 2018, a flash mob of 100 at the Place de la République in Lille performed the dance under the guidance of Zaoui.[12] A similar flash mob of 200 gathered in 2019 in Paris to celebrate the 105th anniversary of Louis de Funès.[1][13]
^Olivier de Funès, Patrick de Funès, Louis de Funès : « Ne parlez pas trop de moi, les enfants ! », 2005, Quote: " Il faut que je danse aussi bien que les danseurs juifs. L'effet comique ne vient pas du ridicule, au contraire!"
