Cultural operator – who are you? 

Call: Support to European Cooperation Projects 2022

Strand or category: Small Scale Cooperation Projects

Name of organisation

Ascen'Danse

Country: Mont-Dauphin, France

Organisation website: ascen-danse-05.webnode.frAxs

Contact person:

Artistic and educational direction :

Isabelle Bazin Mazuel [email protected]

0(0 33) 6 62 12 30 38

Project governance :

Anne Bouchon [email protected] 

0(0 33) 6 30 77 49 91

Organisation type:

Non profit organisation

Aims and activities of the organisation:

The association ASCEN-DANSE, created by prefectural decree dated 18/07/1996, based in Mont-Dauphin, France, includes :

- a dance school that exists since 1996 and offers contemporary dance classes on the north of the department with two teachers

- a professional dance company: compagnie Isabelle Mazuel

- the organization of a dance festival in a Unesco heritage setting since 2006 : Vertical'été

Ascen-Danse is hosting companies for the « Vertical’été » festival. In 2017, a co-realization was conducted with the National Monuments Centre, within the framework of “Monuments in Motion” (valorisation of national monuments by the performing arts). It allowed the company of Yoan Bourgeois to appear in the program of the festival. In the continuity of “monuments in movement”, the porpose is to value a reciprocal sublimation between heritage, landscape and living art.

The shows broadcast are adapted to the site but were created in their own setting, more or less distant from this type of site. In-situ projects have already been launched. For example, a mapping was created on the Porte de Briançon, “Ceux d'ici”, with and about the inhabitants of the fortified village. It was played in 2019 and 2021 and is updated every two years with new shots, integrated into the current version.

The desire of the municipality of Mont-Dauphin, in the near future, is to create a place of residence for artists, and a theatre of greenery. The European professional companies welcomed in the village will thus be more easily open to amateurs.

For several years, Ascen-Danse has been creating with amateur dancers from its school or the inhabitants of Mont-Dauphin; his contemporary dance is influenced by various ways (Cunningham, Graham, Pina Bausch, Peter Goos, Gallotta, theatre, circus, vertical dance, Feldenkrais, Alexander, Body Mind Centering…). Creations with contemporary choreographers were created (revival of “3 generations” by Gallotta, Sylvie Guillermin, Tango contemporary dance Mattias Tripodi…). Creative workshops have lead to in situ shows (Collégiate church in Briançon, Salettes Fort in Briançon, Embrun Cathedral).

Role of the organisation in the project: Leader or project partner since it will be our first Creative Europe experience

Proposed Creative Europe project – to which project are you looking for partners? 

Sector or field

 Dance : Cultural rights and audience increase Contemporary creation danced by and for all

From country or region

All Europe

Preferred field of expertise

The project would ideally be conducted with the following partners:

-      An university or an observatory : report and conference/debate on the teachings and feelings of the experiment and ( to precise with the partner) : the history of the emotional and creative relationship between dancers/choreographers and heritage/landscape ; inventory of in situ creation and difficulties encountered; inventory of creation with amateurs/inhabitants/ audience and difficulties encountered ; the collection of the representation of the place of life and creation, as well as of dance, for inhabitants and dancers …

- A or any dance companies, a dance school or a cultural / dance center : creative experimentation in the heart of Mont-Dauphin and experimenting with new forms of creation with visitors, locals, dance students, viewers, from different culture, age, body , gender, previous practice

Which kind of projects are you looking for?

The same type