With the support of MPB, the “Carte Blanche” presented by The Eye of Photography showcases an original series by a photographer from the emerging French scene, created using equipment loaned by the international platform for buying, selling, and exchanging used photo and video gear.
Maïlys Derville closely followed the Major’s Girls troupe from Montpellier in the preparation and rehearsal of their choreographies. A series embodying the friendship of these women, aged between 33 and 76 years, as well as their virtuosity.
The Major’s Girls of Montpellier
“In 1964, at a time when women were gaining independence, Suzette, a school principal, decided to form a majorette club: The Major’s Girls of Montpellier. Her daughter Josy, still a teenager at the time, was appointed captain of the troupe. A role that the young girl took on with full determination and heart, leading her ‘majos’ to various corners of France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, and the United States…
A success that the Major’s Girls owe to hours of rigorous training but also to a philosophy that they seem to have ingrained in their souls: being a majorette is much more than sparkles and baton tossing, it’s a state of mind.
A beautiful story of women, lives, self-esteem, and self-confidence. Here, no one leaves their worries at the door. On the contrary, the girls, who have known each other for sometimes more than 50 years, have experienced everything together.
First loves, first jobs, first marriages, first children, first divorces, first grandchildren… Through the ups and downs of life, Josy, Anna, Martine, Chantal, Dominique, Yannick, Jacky, and Myriam, among others, go and return always with the same passion. A commitment that transcends age and reveals the femininity that each of the 18 Major’s Girls carries within her.
It’s this strength that I sought to capture through my lens. This bond that unites these friends, mothers, daughters, sisters… over so many years. This feminine power that transcends everything, even the hardest moments. This sisterhood, without pretense or fuss. This beauty that disarms with its authenticity. This life that they all make the effort to live for the pleasure of being together, laughing, and seeing the smiles of people when they march by.
For this, I wanted them always in the light, thanks to 3 Nikon AF-S Nikkor lenses lent by MPB: the 35mm f/1.4G, the 24mm f/1.8G ED, and the 50mm f/1.8G. I also used ARRI SkyPanel S30-C lighting when natural light was lacking.”
Maïlys Derville
Born in 1992 in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, Maïlys Derville is a photographer and journalist. Published in Le Figaro, Vanity Fair, Marie France, and in our pages, her work is firmly rooted in the tradition of documentary reportage.
In 2018, she met photographer Corinne Vachon, who took her under her wing. Together, they covered Kenya, Afghanistan, Romania, and Kyrgyzstan. This is evident in her reportage (“Mystic Valley,” 2019) in the Wakhan Valley, in the far northeastern part of Afghanistan, where she documented the daily life of the Wakhis, marked by livestock farming, transhumance seasons, and extreme cold, defying the country’s image dominated by the Taliban.
The following year, her series “Only God Forget” explored the vast region of Maramureș in Romania, near the Ukrainian border. A rural enclave that has preserved many of its customs and way of life, yet remains torn between the weight of its Soviet past and the allure of modernity.
Last year, the photographer traveled to Andalusia to follow the Pentecost pilgrimages in the village of El Rocío; a series shot up close, capturing the love and fervor of these religious, or simply festive, moments.
Her work is thus one of photography that is as close as possible to its subjects, seeking long-term engagement, immersing herself in reportage, and focusing on celebrating communities, from majorettes to Wakhi farmers, in a photography deeply rooted in a humanist heritage.
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