Centre chorégraphique national de Rillieux-la-Pape (CCNR)

At the head of the CCN de Créteil since 1985, Maguy Marin was ready to see new horizons. Jacky Darne, former socialist mayor of Rillieux-la-Pape, then presented her with a future cultural hub intended to open up the city and encourage cultural diversity. Various structures were envisioned, including a new CCN. Convinced by the project and supported by the city and several towns from the area, the company temporarily settled in 1998 in an abandoned primary school, in the working-class neighbourhood of La Velette.
The initial city project aimed to refurbish a tower in the neighbourhood, and establish the CCN on the top floor, but the project was never carried out. Their stay at the school lasted much longer than expected, with Maguy Marin working for 8 years in this unconventional location. Nonetheless, Marin continued hosting the company’s activities, resident artists, and artistic awareness projects dedicated to the local population. Committed to a new generation of dancers, the choreographer started the “De l’interprète à l’auteur” training programme (“from performer to writer”), a bachelor’s degree in partnership with Université Lumière Lyon 2. In 2006, the company and the city inaugurated a new venue built specifically for the CCN. This tall wooden building was separated between two floors, and divided into office spaces, a cafeteria, a performance hall and two studios. Maguy Marin worked there until 2011, turning Rillieux-la-Pape into one of the crucial hubs for choreographic training and creation.

Since August 2011, Yuval Pick has been at the helm of CCNR, offering a new project focused on the La Velette neighbourhood and the entire town of Rillieux-la-Pape. On October 30, 2017, an act of arson destroyed part of the building, forcing the administration and artistic staff to relocate and rethink the CCNR project outside their venue. For six years, the CCNR closed its doors to the public, and decentralised its activity across the region, thanks to the support from many partner venues. Rehabilitation works began in late January 2022, which allowed the redesign of the ground floor, to open it up more on the neighbourhood. The CCNR is set to reopen in summer 2024.