Centre national de danse contemporaine d’Angers (Cndc)

The Centre national de la danse contemporaine (Cndc, National Centre for Contemporary Dance) was founded in 1978 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, to replace the Ballet Théâtre Contemporain in Angers. It served as both a full-time company and a higher school of choreographic training, initially managed by American dancer Alwin Nikolais. In 1981, Viola Faber, a performer for Merce Cunningham, took leadership for 3 years before passing the torch to Michel Reilhac. Then, the Cndc joined the CCN network, alongside 11 other companies in France. That same year, Cunningham himself inaugurated the great Bodinier studio, which hosts artistic residencies. In 1988, Nadia Croquet became the new director, followed in 1993 by Joëlle Bouvier and Régis Obadia as a duo. In 2004, Emmanuelle Huynh, a choreographer and member of the “August 20 signatory” generation that questioned aesthetic codes, trends, and dance production tools, took over as director of the Cndc. She shifted the focus towards a more conceptual approach to choreographic art. In 2007, the Cndc relocated to Le Quai, a brand-new building shared with the Centre dramatique national. With four new studios—two André Moine studios (studio Bodinier had closed) and two others at Les Abattoirs (now reduced to one), the Cndc became one of the best-equipped CCNs, in terms of space, research and performances. In 2013, the Cndc welcomed back an American director, Robert Swinston, a choreographer and long-time colleague of Cunningham. Noé Soulier took over in July 2020 and has since been developing a choreographic vision that unites the different missions of the Cndc: pedagogy, programming and creation.