French Ballerina defies odds with stunning performance on a ship in Antarctica's freezing waters

Four years ago, when Victoria Dauberville (@victoriadauberville) and Mathieu Forget (@forgetmat) bumped into each other at a party in Paris, they instantly fell in love. As they started to spend time with each other, they realized how they could enrich each other’s professional lives too. An opportunity presented itself when the couple was invited by the French luxury cruise company, Ponant, to take a cruise in Antarctica. They thought it was the perfect occasion to marry their passions and create an unforgettable contrast. For Victoria, a ballerina, it was movement, and for Forget, it was filmmaking and storytelling.

In a viral footage that is about to cross 50 million views, the couple shared Victoria’s surreal dance performed on the bulbous and protruding bulb of a ship swaying atop the soft rhythm of Antarctica’s glacial expanse. According to Bored Panda, this fascinating footage was made possible because the cruise company had offered the couple a rare opportunity to access the ship’s bulb, a spot from which passengers are restricted. The crew also offered to position the ship in a way that would create an otherworldly backdrop while Victoria performed. So when the moment arrived, Victoria took off her thick black jacket and walked to the ship’s hull. With a crew member’s support, she hopped from the hull onto the brownish bulb, as she shared in a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram.

A masterpiece marrying movement and visual storytelling, the phantasmagorical dance footage opens with an endless expanse of tranquil Antarctic glaciers. In one corner, the ship’s triangular hull veiled the pristine azure sky. Beneath the hull, atop the bulbous golden brown bulb, stood gorgeous Victoria, dressed in a ballerina tutu whose color mirrored the azure color of the sky. The bulb became her tiny little stage while all around her, there was nothing but a boundless realm of glassy glacial waters.

As the ship gently bobbed up and down in the softly swelling water, the lissome silhouette of Victoria stood like a shimmery ornament glistening above the icy ocean. Amid freezing cold, she stretched her slender arms wide and her entire body became a mesmerizing instrument illustrating pirouettes, gyrations, arabesque, attitudes, whirls and spins. As she danced, the jagged chunks of icy bergs and cliffs wobbled, waggled and dipped in the glacial water, casting a breathtaking effect. Hans Zimmer’s “Cornfield Chase” playing in the background only added to the ethereal effect of the footage.

Describing the experience, Forget told the media outlet, that, “I started taking photos and videos, and then Victoria performed. It became clear that the contrast between her movement, her tutu, and the dramatic environment was far more striking than anything else we had imagined.” He said. While he taught Victoria the strategy and business side of things, Victoria helped him connect with art and poetry. Indeed, such a scenic performance wouldn’t have been possible without this blending of their passions. If someone would have to coin a phrase for this performance, they’d probably name Victoria the “ice swan,” taking from Natalie Portman’s “Black Swan.”

You can follow Victoria Dauberville (@victoriadauberville) and Mathieu Forget (@forgetmat) on Instagram for their latest creations.