The Centres chorégraphiques nationaux: a label, venues, temporalities, stories by Céline Roux

Transcription

1 The Centres chorégraphiques nationaux: a label, venues, temporalities, stories by Céline Roux The construction of a pro-dance policy in France is a relatively recent and quite unique development. The creation of the Centres chorégraphiques nationaux ( National Choreographic Centers ) as a label was also an important moment, contributing to the institutional recognition of the art of choreography as an autonomous, unique and plural art form, needing, especially when you observe disparities with the music or theater fields for example - a structure supporting creation, research, touring, transmission and conservation, facilitating the validation and appreciation of choreographic culture. We often forget the reasons motivating the struggles of the recent or more distant past, preferring a critical examination which allows us to plan for the future. The history of the Centres chorégraphiques nationaux consists of a layering of these consecutive examinations which accompany and influence the development of the original structures, echoing different artistic realities and geopolitical contexts 1. A French specialty par excellence, the label as it was assigned focused primarily on the choreographic artist and his or her ability to work, creatively as well as collectively, an energy he or she would develop and share at the venue under his or her direction. There were many issues confronting French contemporary dance at that time (beginning of 80s): collecting royalties, the actual status of the choreographic artist, work spaces, support for creation, touring networks, the structuring of both pedagogy and dance transmission, venues for preservation and legacy all needed studying in order to improve and find recognition for the art of choreography in France. The creation of the Centres chorégraphiques nationaux was part of that commitment, that approach, beginning in the 70s, working toward more visibility for young French creation. The 80s and the creation of the label: a context and an emergency for choreographic creation In a press release on April 26, 1984, Jack Lang, the French culture minister at that time, announced 10 new measures for dance, including tools for international and national touring, a structure for supporting creation, extensive re-organizations of the biggest dance training programs, with a focus on contemporary dance, a commitment to choreographic culture and its touring. The first measure: the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers and 11 companies were all named Centres Chorégraphiques Nationaux answering one of the 1. See the fully documented analysis written in 2006, commissioned by the ACCN: L'Art en présence. Les centres chorégraphiques nationaux, lieux ressources pour la danse, a collective work directed by Dominique Orvoine, éditions ACCN, It may be downloaded on the websites of the various CCNs.

2 2 recommendations of the study commission for dance in its report, affirming an urgent need for creative spaces for choreographic artists. The Centres chorégraphiques nationaux were not built from scratch but were based on existing structures in the regions. This new choreographic cartography included the CNDC d Angers, the first French contemporary dance school, founded in 1978, several classical ballet companies and several young contemporary companies already established in the regions outside Paris 2. With the creation of this special label, Jack Lang prolonged, thanks to increasing grant support, a policy of decentralization for dance, a process already begun in the 70s, for example by moving companies to regional Maisons de la Culture, which had already been built. So at the beginning the CCNs were contemporary dance companies or ballet companies offering both new ballets and repertory, directed by known contemporary or classical dancer/ choreographers, who developed artistic projects based on the creation and touring of their own works. The label mirrored the contemporary choreographic landscape of the time, which was considered a danse d auteur (creator s dance). This new French dance linked to the figure of the choreographer was supported by a structure which highlighted that figure as the director of a venue and the person in charge of the creative resources placed at his/ her disposition. From the start, the CCNs had to deal with their own heterogeneous aesthetics, varying conceptions of the choreographic work, young companies with only a few dancers vs. larger ballet companies with much larger staffs and administrations. Mandates for the CCNs delivered by the Ministry of Culture may have seemed superficially identical, but the framework for their work, financial considerations, company logistics as well as relationships to the community - differed widely 3 : from a single studio to several spaces, from a small staff to a larger one, but also significant disparities in production budgets, company sizes, their positions, the heterogeneity of their aesthetics In short, a label encompassing a wide range of realities. The 1990s and the 2000s : necessary development The CCN label needed to respond to an urgent need for relatively permanent working tools using renewable contractual agreements for choreographic artists and the production of their 2. The Ballet National de Marseille (Roland Petit), the Ballet Théâtre Français de Nancy (Jean-Albert Cartier), the Ballet du Rhin (Jean Sarelli), the Ballet du Nord (Alfonso Cata), the CNDC d Angers (Michel Reilhac), the Centre Chorégraphique Régional de Montpellier (Dominique Bagouet), the Ballet Théâtre du Silence (Brigitte Lefèvre), the Théâtre Chorégraphique de Rennes (Gigi Caciuleanu), the Groupe Émile Dubois (Jean-Claude Gallotta), the Compagnie Maguy Marin in Créteil, the Compagnie Quentin Rouillier in Caen and the Ballet Théâtre Joseph Russillo in Toulouse. 3. The analysis developed by Agnès Izrine: The choreographic act, a political art in L'Art en présence. Also Les centres chorégraphiques nationaux, lieux ressources pour la danse, a collective work directed by Dominique Orvoine, éditions ACCN, 2006, pp

3 work. However, beginning in 1984, the Ministry considered the CCNs as developmental axes for dance whose mission would be to maintain a choreographic grid of the territory: From a DMD internal memo dated June 18, 1984: A CCN must be a developmental axis, not limiting its dynamic to its own artistic action. It must carry out three of the four principal missions: creation, touring, training, hosting. Training may include working with apprentices, companies from the region, and teachers established in the area. In 1991, Jack Lang reminded them that in order to respect the vocation of each company, and working with the community, the creative and touring work shall be strengthened by raising awareness of the art of choreography by hosting other companies, an affirmation of aesthetic plurality, with a strong training component. And a further requirement that the CCN must become part of the cultural and choreographic life of its region. In this fashion the true missions of the CCNs went beyond the pre-set framework of research, creation and production by a single artist/ director, who was now mired in a complex situation requiring that he or she develop and tour his/ her own creative work while at the same time inventing the modalities of daily life at his/ her CCN, now being directed with a wider focus. In the mid-90s, only a decade after the assigning of the label, certain questions arose concerning the lack of availability/ receptiveness of the CCNs to smaller independent dance companies, their limited ability to interact with other structures in the region, their involvement in training dancers, their ability to invest in serious community outreach, as well as most importantly their relative lack of visibility and presence in the regions. How did the inhabitants of a city or a region identify the CCN? How could the CCN serve them best? The implicit relationship linking creativity to the structuring of the work situation imposed by the label came into question as well: how did the structuring of the CCNs influence choreographic execution? The association known as Les Signataires du 20 août // the Signatories of August 20 (created in 1997) represented this movement of political and aesthetic protest by the artists and researchers of that period, who joined together. They questioned the conditions of artistic practice, the allocation of credits and ministry subventions (in relationship with the decentralisation policy), the ways the dancers were being trained, and the modalities of the market at that time in France. The CCNs were also involved in these discussions because they symbolically represented the crystalization of 80s dance policy. They were less interested in rejecting what was already in place and working, than attempting to change things using a more global conception of the art of choreography, a rearticulation of the three fundamental axes of their artistic practice: creation, transmission and

4 research. A few years later, some of these artists will direct a CCN and will be face the same issues: seeking, creating a difficult balance. 4 Concurrently with these critical discussions, the CCNs remained active in the 90s, developing networking, partnerships, opening the CCNs more fully to the region surrounding them, to independent companies, to the community, to training. Seeking to maintain diversity and to bring together the different structures, the Association of the CCNs (ACCN) was created in 1995, becoming the principal venue for exchange on common missions of the CCNs. Of note also, 1995 was the year the Centre de Développement Chorégraphique (Center for Choreographic Development, or CDC) in Toulouse was founded, following the closing of the CCN there. It was conceived as a structure dedicated to the accompaniment of artists in creation, to the touring of works and choreographic culture. This first CDC was joined by other French structures of similar configurations and missions. The CDCs add to structures dedicated to production and touring as well as training both dancers and audiences. The A-CDC, founded in 2010, is a network of 10 CDCs in France. Back to the ACCN Now, twenty years later, the ACCN has become a powerful professional advisor, maintaining the internal vitality of the CCNs while also being a strong partner in the performing arts landscape. Its participation in implementing the digitization of elements of French cultural heritage as it pertains to the art of choreography is one of the important commitments it maintains. In 1998, the Ministry formalized the CCNs outreach missions, adding a program called Accueil Studio (an artist and company residency program) to the label, a requirement for supporting production and the hosting of individual artists and companies. At the same time, other missions of awareness and mediation involved in the choreographic arts were imposed by the French State and regional authorities as part of the French land-use program and other policies focusing on dance. Decrees issued in 2010 and 2013 by the Ministry laid out specifications for the CCNs, while also leaving to each of their directors the choice of how to implement these policies. Over time, ministerial prerogatives aligned with local authorities wish lists encouraged the CCNs to respond to many important concerns going forward, among them (sometimes, some ambivalent wishes): 1. focusing creation and production work for the artist- director from the ground up, on the local as well as the international level; 2. time and space allocated to research beyond the creations of the artist-director;

5 3. offering projects involving raising awareness of choreographic culture and the experience of dancing, being sensitive to the needs of the region while maintaining a unique, original artistic approach; 4. implementing training programs which would integrate into existing partnerships, including the French national education system, the conservatories and other dance schools as well as local structures, with professional dancers and audiences wishing to enhance their viewing experience; 5. residency and hosting programs reflecting the diversity of the current choreographic landscape, offering significant working advantages to the artists hosted and offering various open rehearsals, exchanges and workshops as part of these programs; 6. visibility and touring of choreographic works in programming, either at the CCN venues or at festivals and major performance spaces, partnership with local theaters; 7. attention focused on the heritage of dance, notably in its digitization and its curated accessibility: the participation of the CCN in being a prime example of this initiative. Seven points but a rhizomatique system The directors and staffs of the CCNs developed their own answers to these missions, building important resources in the choreographic field. In the past 30 years, fifty choreographerdirectors have created and laid out the possibilities for action at a CCN. The network today consists of 19 Centers united in the ACCN. Choreographic practice continues to change, the somewhat less visible contemporary dance of 1984 is now fully recognized, European and international touring circuits are established and the CCNs are the echo chambers for all these transformations as well as representing their own unique journeys. They are also repositories for archives and history going beyond those of the artists involved, an important legacy, representing the aesthetic, institutional and political history of dance in France: a wide-ranging cartography of the artistic acts of the past and of today. The CCNs are celebrating 30 years of existence, a French exception and a unique way of imagining the expansion of the art of choreography and of dance policy for its creators, those who live and share this impermanent art form! Constantly interacting with the current context and the necessary political affirmation of their commitment to art, echoing the choreographic vitality and need in their regions, the CCNs are not celebrating only the advances of the past but are actively mobilizing, continuing to innovate and to defend the art of choreography in the midst of our ever-evolving economic, social and political landscape.