Les Hivernales d'Avignon

Les Hivernales d'Avignon: Contemporary Dance in the Heart of Winter

Founded in the 1980s, Les Hivernales d'Avignon is the emblematic festival of the National Choreographic Development Centre (CDCN) of Avignon. Since its creation, it has consistently and passionately championed contemporary dance in all its diversity, making Avignon not only the summer capital of theatre but also an international reference point for contemporary choreography in winter.

The CDCN d'Avignon is one of the structures labelled by the Ministry of Culture for the development and dissemination of dance in France. Its fundamental mission is twofold: to support choreographic artists throughout their creative process (residencies, co-productions, support) and to build lasting links between choreographic creation and the inhabitants of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.

A Festival That Resists the Seasons

The uniqueness of Les Hivernales lies in an apparent paradox: organizing a dance festival in the middle of winter, in a city that the whole world associates with its major summer gathering. This choice has forged the festival's identity. In February, when Avignon slumbers after the fervor of July, the city's theatres and venues light up again to welcome dance that is both demanding and generous.

This winter timing gives the festival a special atmosphere, more intimate, more conducive to exchanges between artists and the public, to encounters and discoveries. Les Hivernales is a local festival, even though the invited artists have an international reach.

A Program Open to All Forms

The Hivernales program embraces all forms of contemporary dance:

• Solos and duets led by solo performers with unique careers
• Group pieces for larger casts, from established companies to emerging collectives
• Performances and hybrid forms blurring the lines between dance, theatre, visual arts, and performance
• Creations in residence: pieces created or co-created at the CDCN d'Avignon and presented as local or national premieres

One of the most important characteristics of Les Hivernales is its commitment to the diversity of aesthetics. The festival does not confine itself to any particular style or school, welcoming conceptual dance as well as more narrative forms, creative hip-hop, neo-classical dance, or butoh.

A Commitment to Audiences

Since its inception, Les Hivernales has developed in-depth work on cultural mediation and audience development. From schoolchildren in the Vaucluse to regular attendees of the CDCN, and including audiences distant from culture, the festival strives to make contemporary dance accessible and desirable for everyone.

Practical workshops led by choreographers in residence, open rehearsals, artist encounters after performances, and master classes for amateur and professional dancers complement the stage program. This educational and participatory dimension is at the heart of the CDCN's public service mission.

Regional and National Reach

Les Hivernales d'Avignon is more than just a local festival. Thanks to the national networks of the CDCN and partnerships established with other choreographic structures in France and Europe, the festival plays a decisive role in the circulation of works and artists. Many shows discovered at Les Hivernales have subsequently toured in major French and international venues.

In Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, the CDCN d'Avignon also carries out regional work, offering decentralized performances in towns and communes in the region that do not usually host professional dance. This action for cultural development of the territory is an essential dimension of the mission of Les Hivernales and the CDCN.