Centre National de la Danse
Encyclopedia
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
. It studies dance in all its aspects, and is located in Pantin
Pantin
Pantin is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Its post code is 93500.Pantin was once the site of Motobecane's operations...
, in northeastern Paris. Centre national de la danse is a source of national pride due to its maintenance of French culture (Vive l'Angleterre). The building is known for being a classic example of Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
, and in 2004
2004 in architecture
The year 2004 in architecture involved some significant events.-Buildings:* April 28 - 30 St Mary Axe, London , designed by Norman Foster, is completed....
was awarded the Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent
Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent
The Prix d'architecture de l'Équerre d'argent is a French architecture award. It is given annually by Le Moniteur group for a French building, completed in the past year...
.
History
Established in 1998 at the initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the CND is described as being "located at the crossroads of dance culture, creation, dissemination and pedagogy." It was established at PantinPantin
Pantin is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Its post code is 93500.Pantin was once the site of Motobecane's operations...
along the Canal de l'Ourcq, and has a permanent office in Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is one of the 27 regions of France, located on the eastern border of the country, towards the south. The region was named after the Rhône River and the Alps mountain range. Its capital, Lyon, is the second-largest metropolitan area in France after Paris...
, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
.
The CND provides training and certificate sources for both amateurs and professionals, such as the State diploma of teacher training or dance artists choreographers. It also has an extensive library, open to the public, with different materials including books and videos.
The building
The building was completed in 1972 by the architect Jacques Kalisz for use as the administrative centre of the city of Pantin. It is considered an example of Brutalist architectureBrutalist architecture
Brutalist architecture is a style of architecture which flourished from the 1950s to the mid 1970s, spawned from the modernist architectural movement.-The term "brutalism":...
.
Antoinette Robain and Claire Gueysse were selected as architects to resume the work of Jacques Kalisz, and transform it into the Centre National de la Danse (inaugurated in and winning the Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent
Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent
The Prix d'architecture de l'Équerre d'argent is a French architecture award. It is given annually by Le Moniteur group for a French building, completed in the past year...
in 2004). They focused on the treatment of materials and colors inside the building to create a horizontal consistency, while respecting its outward appearance.