MAC Créteil — Festival of Movement Arts

The Maison des Arts de Créteil: a national stage in the heart of Val-de-Marne

The Maison des Arts de Créteil (MAC) is a national stage located in the heart of Créteil, the prefecture of Val-de-Marne. Since its creation in the 1970s, it has established itself as a reference venue for performing arts in the Parisian suburbs, hosting dance, theater, circus, and multidisciplinary performance creations in a modern 600-seat theater.

The MAC has a special relationship with dance: it is one of the historic partner stages of the Centre chorégraphique national de Créteil and collaborates closely with La Briqueterie, CDCN of Val-de-Marne. It is in this context that the 2025-2026 season, led by the new director Julie Sanerot (in office since September 2025), gave birth to the festival “Perpetual Movements”, a highlight dedicated to the arts of movement.

Perpetual Movements: the festival of movement arts

The Perpetual Movements festival is the MAC's response to a clear ambition: to make the Créteil theater a reference center for dance and body arts in Île-de-France. Conceived as an event anchored in the MAC's season while developing its own identity, it offers a concentrated program of dance, circus, and performance shows over several weeks.

The programming of Perpetual Movements is distinguished by its desire to break down disciplinary boundaries: the shows presented often mix dance and circus, dance and live music, dance and digital arts, reflecting the practices of contemporary creators who no longer confine themselves to a single artistic category.

A partnership with choreographic centers

The festival relies on a dense network of partnerships with choreographic institutions in the region: the Centre chorégraphique national de Créteil and its artistic director, and La Briqueterie in Vitry-sur-Seine. These partnerships make it possible to offer long residencies to invited companies, organize meetings with artists, and develop outreach projects for schoolchildren and residents of Val-de-Marne.

A hidden cabaret: short forms and intimacy

As a counterpoint to the major shows, the festival develops a “hidden cabaret” component offering short forms, solos, and intimate performances in unconventional spaces at the MAC or its surroundings. This component opens the stage to emerging artists and experimental forms that would not have a place in the usual programming slots.

The MAC, an institution serving the territory

Beyond the festival, the MAC conducts intense activity throughout the year in service of the cultural life of Val-de-Marne. It offers artistic practice workshops, artist residencies, school programs, and a diverse program of theater, dance, circus, and music. It is a pillar of the territory's cultural policy, working in close collaboration with the City of Créteil, the Department of Val-de-Marne, and the Île-de-France Region.