Escale à Versailles - Dreams in motion

For the 5^th edition of the Escale à Versailles program, the Établissement Public de Versailles and the Association Nouvelle du Vivre Ensemble have collaborated to invite five groups, accompanied by five choreographers, to explore the estate of Versailles through dance.

Escale à ... Versailles

Following its presentation at the Palace of Versailles during the summer of 2024, the Dreams in motion exhibition will be on display from October 18 to November 18, 2024, at the Maison des Métiers d'Art at the McArthurGlen Centre in Paris-Giverny.

The project, entitled Dreams in motion, aims to unleash the artistic potential of people with disabilities and from social backgrounds. Supported by the Association Nouvelle du Vivre Ensemble and several choreographers, five groups are introduced to dance. A short performance by each group in a specific area of the estate provides an opportunity to immortalize their movements through photography and video, highlighting inclusion in both sport and art. The photographer's large-format images have been exhibited in the estate from June 15 to September 22, 2024, followed by a traveling exhibition.

These five creations reflect the shared values of sport and art: friendship, respect, excellence, determination, equality, inspiration, and courage.

In the peristyle of the Grand Trianon

Young people from the Association Vers la Vie pour l'Education des Jeunes (AVVEJ), accompanied by house dance choreographers François Marna and Cécile Avedikian from the Start 2 Step association, created and performed a unique choreography in the peristyle of the Grand Trianon.

After a guided tour of the venue to better understand the dance space, the group completed two weeks of training and a dress rehearsal before performing their creation on Monday, October 2^nd.

In the Lower Gallery

Seven people from ESAT Avenir Apei, along with baroque dance choreographer Guillaume Jablonka from the Divertimenty company, performed in the Lower Gallery of the main building.

A guided tour of sports and games at Versailles rounded off the rehearsals, where baroque dance postures, inspired by fencing, dance, and horse riding, were integrated into the routine. Numerous meetings in October allowed the dancers, dressed in black tricorns, to bring this new creation to life on Monday, October 30.

In the hall of the Opera 

Twelve young people from the Institut Médico-éducatif (IME) La Rencontre de Trappes, accompanied by dance therapist Alvaro Morell, animated the high hall of the Royal Opera with their contemporary creation on Monday, December 18, 2023.

A dozen rehearsals took place between the Conservatoire de Trappes and body expression spaces at the Palace of Versailles. The dancers also visited the Royal Opera to familiarize themselves with the space.

Their families and the entire IME community were present to enjoy this emotionally rich performance.

In the Hercules Room

Twelve adults from SAJ La Rencontre and the Résidence Villa du Cèdre of the Delos association, accompanied by choreographer Agathe Pfauwadel from the Pasarela company, imagined a dreamlike dance in the Hercules Room. Their movements were set to the rhythms of violist Jules and violinist Thérèsa.

The choreography was the result of a week of encounters and exchanges, with a special guided tour of the King's State Apartment helping the dancers become familiar with the premises. Balloons framed the various choreographic scenes.

At the French Pavilion

Eight children from the Côtes Pediatric Center, along with two twin sisters, enchanted the French Pavilion with their delicate, poetic choreography. Guided by Pierrick Malebranche and Kathy Mépuis of La Possible Échappée, and accompanied by Francesca Masutti and cellist Adrien Frasse, they crafted a unique dance.

This artistic journey began with a guided tour of the Petit Trianon French Pavilion and the Queen’s Theater, part of the court’s intimate entertainments. Over four days, they met at the pediatric center and the Palace of Versailles to create a one-of-a-kind choreographic sequence, which they performed at the French Pavilion on Saturday, April 20, in front of their families and friends.

ExHIBITION

Fifty photographs will illustrate these Dreams in motion, starting June 15, 2024, at the Girandole Grove in the gardens of Versailles. An auditory immersion will allow visitors to experience the rehearsal atmosphere, filled with rhythmic and melodious sounds. The photographs will later be exhibited across France. The images were captured by photographers Patrick Berger and Thowai Nin, a student at the Apprentis d'Auteuil with a passion for photography. Fifty photographs will illustrate these Dreams in Motion, starting June 15, 2024, at the Girandole Grove in the gardens of Versailles.

An auditory immersion will allow visitors to experience the rehearsal atmosphere, filled with rhythmic and melodious sounds. The photographs will later be exhibited across France.

The images were captured by photographers Patrick Berger and Thowai Nin, a student at the Apprentis d'Auteuil with a passion for photography.

Partners and Patrons

Escale à Versailles: Dreams in motion was made possible with the support of the McArthurGlen group, the Conseil Départemental des Yvelines, and CAF 78, in partnership with the Association Nouvelle du Vivre Ensemble.

The project has received the Cultural Olympiad label.

https://www.vivre-ensemble78.com/

https://www.paris2024.org/fr/olympiade-culturelle/

https://www.mcarthurglen.com/fr/outlets/fr/designer-outlet-paris-giverny/?fbclid…

https://www.yvelines.fr/

https://www.caf.fr/allocataires/caf-des-yvelines/nous-contacter/points-d-accueil…

Previous Editions

• The 4^th edition of Escale à Versailles, D'un Commun Accord, was carried out with the Association Arts Convergences in 2021 and focused on visual and sound arts.
• The 3^rd edition, Tousled/untangled, aimed at patients from the French Red Cross Children’s Hospital (HEM), featured creative workshops using wigs in 2019;
• The 2^nd edition, in collaboration with the Institut Médico-Educatif Bel Air in Le Chesnay, allowed young people recognized as disabled or facing social difficulties to discover the Château and develop artistic skills. Their work was exhibited in the Trianon gardens in May and June 2017.
• The 1^st edition of Escale à Versailles, Escale à Trianon, followed a successful 2015 project with the Zig Zag Color association, which exhibited works by around 100 autistic artists in the gardens of Versailles.

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