The Centre National de la Danse was founded in 1998 on the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Since then, this public institution dedicated to dance has become a stand-alone fixture in the cultural landscape, with a strong commitment to the development of choreographic culture and the creation and performance of works that is reflected across its broad range of programmes. Artistic transmission is at the heart of the project, through training programmes, artist’s residencies, and a large and varied pool of resources for dancers and choreographers. The Fondation d’entreprise Hermès is a long-term supporter of the CN D, and is committed to broadening access to the institution and bolstering its profile.
Since 2015, the Foundation has centred its support on Camping, a project created by Mathilde Monnier during her tenure as the director of the CN D. For a fortnight each year, the spaces of the CN D in Pantin and in Lyon welcome a rich programme of workshops, talks, classes, performances, workshops and film screenings. Over the course of previous editions, Camping has become a key event in the calendar of the international dance scene, and today welcomes hundreds of dancers – from students at dance schools across the globe to world-renowned professionals and enthusiastic amateurs – as well as a large and diverse public.
In January 2017, the Ministry of Culture and Communication recognised the Foundation’s support for the CN D by awarding the “Un projet, un mécène” prize for cultural patronage to the partnership. With its emphasis on the training of young artists, the transmission of skills and the transversal nature of artistic practices, the platform offered by Camping closely echoes the priorities of the Artists in the Community programme.
Over the course of the shared history that has emerged through this partnership, the Foundation has also accompanied a number of special events that the CN D has organised around the work of major figures in contemporary dance. Comprising exhibitions, performances and conferences dedicated to Trisha Brown, Lucinda Childs, Alain Buffard and Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, these events have offered the public the opportunity to (re)discover artists who have been foundational for the history of dance.
