The sun beats down on the gray sheet metal of a set of sheds located on the edge of the departmental road, in Pantin, in Seine-Saint-Denis. In a corner, dancers are warming up on the asphalt, their T-shirts flocked with a number. It is not yet 9:30 a.m. and some 350 young artists have already responded to the Disney audition which is just beginning. French as foreigners, all hope to land a role in The Lion King, one of the shows offered daily to visitors to Disneyland Paris, in Marne-la-Vallée. Jade, 20, is rubbing it for the second time, dreaming of “Dancing for children, and seeing the glitter in their eyes”. Others are more down to earth. “I need to work, I prefer to sign with Disney than with Franprix”says Jessy, 31, a professional classical dancer who has just returned from Australia.
The park is one of the top twenty employers of artists in France, and represents a pool of nearly 1,500 intermittent artists, called upon for assignments lasting a few days as well as for contracts lasting several months. Dancers, actors, singers, or even circus performers stroll through the park, dressed as Tigger, Minnie or Mickey. They host daily shows and participate in private events organized on behalf of companies or wealthy clients. On the other hand, we do not find them at the forefront of the historical social conflict which is currently shaking the park, carried by employees who are demanding better working conditions.
None of the young people interviewed by The world did not take part in the demonstrations, out of ignorance and often for fear of being scuttled. “Employers of intermittent workers have total contractual freedom, they can stop making them work without justifying themselves. This fear of missteps is strong in a large group like Disney, where the artists are interchangeable., contextualizes the sociologist Pierre-Michel Menger, specialist in creative work. Especially when the company represents a large share of the market.
“A contract at Disney often allows you to have enough fees to become intermittent. It is a luxury for a beginner. We replay the same show six times a day, it’s not the most fulfilling thing. But it is a good experience, waiting for a better opportunity”, says Lucas, 22, interpreter of one of the main characters of the show inspired by Snow Queen. Like all the people interviewed by The world, barring exceptions, he speaks anonymously in order to preserve his career (all first names have been changed).
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