- The 2ndedition of the Dansathon, which will take place from 20–22 November 2020 in Liège, if the global health situation allows, will bring together 8 multidisciplinary teams to imagine the future of dance in the digital age.
- Dancers, choreographers, designers, web developers and even start-ups can apply between 16 June and 16 August 2020 via www.dansathon.eu
- Founded and sponsored by the Fondation BNP Paribas, this event is co-organised by the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, Sadler’s Wells in London and the Théâtre de Liège. Forty-eight participants will be provided with resources, technological tools and spaces to compete and attempt to win a grant of €20,000 awarded by the Fondation BNP Paribas.
The Dansathon – a mixture of dance and hackathon – is a connected, international artistic meeting. It aims to bring multidisciplinary teams together for three days, to imagine the future of dance through a combination of new technologies (motion capture, AI, VR, video games, data, etc.). In the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and prevailing social distancing measures, Dansathon is now more than ever an opportunity to envisage new types of dance. Founded and sponsored by the Fondation BNP Paribas, the event is co-organised by the Maison de la Danse in Lyon, Sadler’s Wells in London and the Théâtre de Liège.
This 2nd edition, if the global health situation allows, will take place between 20–22 November 2020 in the Média Rives Studios of Radio-Télévision belge francophone , as part of the Théâtre de Liège’s IMPACT Festival [1]. Open to dancers, choreographers, designers, web developers, students, start-ups and creators of any kind, the call for applications will be open from 16 June to 16 August 2020 via www.dansathon.eu.
This year, the participants will reflect on the question, “How can dance be part of a society in transition?”. This is broken down into several themes, such as, for example, “High-tech vs low-tech”, “Augmented humans vs diminished humans”, “An energy-generating dance”, “Green Dances” and “Social-distancing dancing”.
In respect of prevailing sanitary rules, the forty-eight participants will have appropriate resources and technological tools, as well as access to a digital-manufacturing lab and spaces in which they can dance and create in the best possible conditions. Coaches and experts will also be available to support them throughout the creative process for the entirety of the Dansathon. A team of volunteers will provide assistance with IT, coordination, design, etc.
Over the course of these three days, the teams will have to produce a prototype dance performance, a short creative piece or an installation that bridges different approaches. These creations will be presented to the public and an international, multidisciplinary jury (artists, institutions, leading business figures, multimedia experts and journalists) on Sunday 22 November.
The 2020 Jury will include, among others:
- Wayne McGregor Choreographer
- Es Devlin Artist, production designer & costume designer
- Gilles Alvarez · Artistic Director Némo Biennial
- Michèle Noiret Cchoreographer
- Claire Bardainne Visual artist and artistic director of Adrien M & Claire B
The Fondation BNP Paribas will award the winning project(s) a grant (Prize Money: €20,000) that will enable them to pursue their creation. Through the support of the organising theatres, the winner will have access to a residency so they can develop their work in an appropriate space.
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[1] International Meeting in Performing Arts and Creatives Technologies
LYON · FRANCE
Founded in 1980 and managed by Dominique Hervieu since 2011, the Maison de la Danse, a European creative hub, showcases approximately forty national and international companies and welcomes an average of 140,000 spectators each season.
Conscious of the challenges of tomorrow and the future possibilities offered by new technologies, the Maison de la Danse has been developing Numeridanse, a unique dance platform, since 2011. With the 2023 renovation of the Guimet museum in Lyon into a dance workshop, the Maison de la Danse will have additional creative facilities in addition to its current theatre.
LONDON · UNITED KINGDOM
Sadler’s Wells is a world-leading creative organisation dedicated to dance in all its forms. With over three centuries of theatrical heritage and a year-round programme of performances and learning activities, its goal is to motivate everyone to experience dance – to take part, learn, experiment and be inspired. Audiences of over half a million come to Sadler’s Wells’ London theatres each year, with many more enjoying its touring productions at partner venues across the UK and around the world, or accessing its content through digital channels.
Since 2005, it has helped to bring over 150 new dance works to the stage, many of them involving its 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and four Associate Companies – the most exciting talents working in dance today. It also nurtures the next generation of talent through its artist development initiatives, and reaches over 25,000 annually through its learning and engagement programmes.
PARIS · FRANCE
The Fondation BNP Paribas has been supporting contemporary dance for more than thirty years and is committed to artists who create and explore new avenues. It offers long-term support to facilitate research and the creation of company projects.
Thanks to its desire to contribute to intercultural artistic collaboration, it supports international residencies at major dance institutions. It supports seventeen artists and companies in France and abroad, in order to encourage creation, foster new links with technological innovation and bring dance to the city. A firm believer in the wealth of hybrid forms and interdisciplinary mixes, it also supports contemporary circus performers.
Under the auspices of the Fondation de France, the Fondation BNP Paribas has been a major corporate sponsor for more than thirty years. It adopts a multidisciplinary sponsorship approach for innovative projects involving culture, unity and the environment.
It cares about the quality of its commitment to its partners and, to that end, aims to offer long-term support for their projects.
LIÈGE · BELGIUM
The Théâtre de Liège is one of four drama centres in the French Community of Belgium and is also a European hub for theatre and choreographic arts.
Located in the heart of the city, the Théâtre de Liège plays a central role in artistic creativity and innovation. Its rich, varied and innovative programme showcases works by great Belgian and international directors and choreographers, internationally renowned actors and up-and-coming artists who bear witness to contemporary culture and act as ambassadors for the culture of the future.
The Théâtre de Liège, which is located in the heart of the Euregio, transcends borders through its collaboration with prestigious international institutions: the Festival of Avignon, the Théâtres Nationaux de la Colline and de Chaillot in Paris, the Schaubühne in Berlin, the Korean National Theatre and more.
With 65,000 spectators and more than 250 shows per season, the Théâtre de Liège is today at the forefront of Walloon theatre.
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