Dance Spaces

FAIR-E Collective 
CCN Rennes and Brittany 

A storied institution for contemporary dance for the first 40 years of its history, today the National Center for Choreography in Rennes and Brittany is helmed by an innovative collective of e hip-hop artists. 

Known as the Théâtre Chorégraphique de Rennes et de Bretagne when it was inaugurated in 1978, it was first led by renowned Romanian artist Gigi Caciuleanu. The arrival of new co-directors Catherine Diverrès and Bernardo Montet in 1993 brought with it a new name and the label of CCN, which made it part of a national network of 19 arts centers across France that foster the production and touring of new choreography. When choreographer Boris Charmatz took over the space in 2009, he created the Museum of Dance, meant to preserve and showcase the art of movement. 

2019 marked a profound, innovative shift for the center: it was the first time hip-hop artists were given creative control of the institution, and there were eight of them: Bouzid Aït Atmane, Iffra Dia, Céline Gallet, Linda Hayford, Saïdo Lehlouh, Marion Poupinet, Johanna Faye (who departed in 2023), and Ousmane Sy (who passed away in 2020). This group, known as the FAIR-E Collective (its name a play on the English word “fair” and the French word “faire,” meaning “to do”) has a unique style of shared artistic direction – allowing each choreographer the freedom to create performances individually, while bringing them together to manage the organisation and further their joint mission of supporting up-and-coming hip-hop artists furthering urban dance culture. 

In this new episode of the “Dance spaces” series, Linda Hayford, Saïdo Lehlouh, Marion Poupinet and Iffra Dia tell us how they have transformed this institution according to their convictions and the needs of a field that had long been marginalized. They guide us through a tour of the two CCN buildings: St Melaine, in the center of Rennes, and Le Garage, in the city’s suburbs, where the future of hip-hop dance is being written. 

STUCK
Choreography: Mounia Nassangar
March 4 & 5 at Groove’N’Move, Geneva
March 4 to 11 at the Maison de la danse, Lyon
March 17 & 18 at Carré-Colonnes, scène nationale de St Médard en Jalles
March 26 at the Auditorium de Seynod
March 27 & 28 at the MC2, scène nationale de Grenoble
April 2nd at the Théâtre du Fil de l’eau, Pantin
April 3rd at the Orange bleue, Espace culturel d’Eaubonne
April 8 to 10 at Points communs, scène nationale de Cergy-Pontoise / Val d’Oise
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Shapeshifting et AlShe/Me
Choreography: Linda Hayford
March 17 & 18 at the Maison de la danse, Lyon

AlShe/Me
Choreography: Linda Hayford
April 15 to 17 in Kulturfabrik, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

From Scratch
Choreography: Iffra Dia
May 21 & 22 Théâtre Albert Camus, Maurepas
as part of the Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines's outdoor season

Témoin
Choreography: Saïdo Lehlouh
May 18 at the Parvis, scène nationale de Tarbes-Pyrénées
May 20 & 21 at La Comédie, CDN, Saint-Étienne

Battle des écoles
June 18 at the Blizz, ice rink in Rennes