Montpellier Danse: A Journey Through Memory at the Agora Cité Internationale de la Danse
The Agora, recently rebranded as the Cité internationale de la danse in Montpellier, launched its new programming on June 20, 2026, under the direction of Dominique Hervieu, Pierre Martinez, Jann Gallois, and Hofesh Shechter. The opening event, titled Histoires de danses, utilizes the site’s history as a former Ursuline convent and post-Revolutionary prison to present a curated collection of dance works that have shaped the region’s artistic identity.
Did You Know? The Agora site, now a hub for international dance, served as a prison following the French Revolution before being repurposed into its current cultural function.
Programming and Performance Highlights
The festival’s opening days, held June 20–21, 2026, featured a series of site-specific performances. Jann Gallois performed an excerpt from Impulsion, integrating personal history with mechanical and fluid movements. Other contributions included 7 by Dimitri Chamblas and Zoé Lakhnati, which incorporated amateur performers, and an installation by Christian Rizzo and Caty Olive titled 100 % Polyester, which uses fans to animate clothing in the absence of human dancers.
Music also played a central role in the programming. Babx and Benjamin Chaval curated an auditory experience paying homage to the festival’s history, featuring rhythmic structures inspired by Steve Reich’s Fase, a foundational work in the repertoire of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker.
Studio Residencies and Artistic Transmission
The festival utilized the facility’s studios to showcase both established and emerging talent. Dancers from the company Shechter II performed excerpts from In the Brain, while Mathilde Monnier’s Soapéra installation transformed a studio into an environment of soap bubbles and foam. Additionally, Fabrice Ramalingom and Salia Sanou presented works focusing on the transmission of dance history and the intersection of documentary and performance, respectively.
Expert Insight: The decision to move away from formal speeches in favor of a guided, multi-disciplinary tour of the convent reflects a deliberate strategy by the new directors to physically anchor the festival’s legacy within the architecture of the site itself. By linking the performance space to its historical past, the curators are likely attempting to establish a sense of institutional continuity that transcends the arrival of new leadership.
The Closing Portrait: ULYSSE MARION
The opening sequence concluded with ULYSSE MARION, a production by Dimitri Chamblas running from June 20 to June 22, 2026. This work features two soloists, Marion Barbeau and Ulysse Zangs, in a piece structured as two responding solos. Barbeau, a former first dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet, and Zangs, known for his work with the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, performed autobiographical movements that contrasted classical rigor with contemporary vulnerability. Future performances of the full repertoire of works by Hofesh Shechter are scheduled to take place at the Domaine d’O amphitheater in the following weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the new codirectors of the Cité internationale de la danse?
The site is led by Dominique Hervieu, Pierre Martinez, Jann Gallois, and Hofesh Shechter.
What is the significance of the location for the festival?
The Agora is located in a former Ursuline convent that later served as a prison after the French Revolution; the programming is designed to reflect this history alongside the festival’s own development.
What was the structure of the ULYSSE MARION performance?
The piece, choreographed by Dimitri Chamblas, consists of two alternating solos performed by Marion Barbeau and Ulysse Zangs, focusing on personal storytelling through movement.
How does the integration of site-specific history change your perception of a dance performance?