Devised by the Musée de la Danse in Rennes, the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris and the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Danse élargie is open to artists from all disciplines and of all nationalities, who are invited to apply through an online call for projects. Twenty or so propositions are selected from the hundreds of submissions, to be performed on stage in front of an international panel of artists and an enthusiastic audience. The rules are simple: productions must be staged in public, involve new fewer than three performers, and last no longer than ten minutes, whatever their mode of expression.
Year in, year out, Danse élargie has proved a springboard for emerging talents from all backgrounds, whose performance languages transcend disciplines. Amongst the talents to have come to the fore thanks to this unique event are Mithkal Alzghair, Mohamed El Khatib, Tatiana Julien, Simon Tanguy, Noé Soulier and (LA)HORDE. As part of its Artists in the Community programme, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès has accompanied this event since its launch in 2010, and has extended its support with the programming of work by finalists and laureates at the Théâtre de la Ville, at the start of the autumn season every two years.
Since the 2020 edition of Danse élargie could not take place, the 19 finalists – who came together in an online video to bring this edition to life in a new way – received a development bursary funded by the Foundation. In 2021, the Foundation will support the Théâtre de la Ville for the public debuts of works created by eleven of the 2020 finalists, as well as by two finalists from the festival’s very first edition in 2010. These thirteen performances will take place in 2021 at the Théâtre de la Ville – Les Abbesses, in Paris, offering an increased visibility to this cohort of young artists in a context that is particularly challenging for those embarking upon a career in the performing arts. This presentation of their work in a prominent institution offers an important opportunity for them to introduce their work to the general public as well as to dance professionals. In 2022, the competition returns to its original format, with public performances of projects by the eighteen finalists, from four different continents, over a weekend in June – an encounter that promises a veritable creative effervescence.
