Mains d’Oeuvres is a fantastic venue and resource for fledgling artists. Located just north of Paris in the suburb of Saint Ouen, it could be likened to the alternative creative spaces for interdisciplinary arts in Brooklyn. It caters specifically to young companies, helping them get on their feet through various residencies and administrative aid. Here is an excerpt from their mission statement:
Mains d’Oeuvres is a space for creation, research and exchange, a laboratory open to experimentation and to all kinds of questioning. We welcome projects that are danced or not danced, pro or con, immediate or derisive; projects that are singular in their research and that attempt to (re)question or rethink society and the art of choreography.
We are here to bring to life creations that will draw their inspiration from the texture of the body, the soul and the times; we are here for hybrid projects that blur the boundaries between the arts; for projects that are more of conviction and less of seduction.
We are less interested in purely aesthetic or purely physical dances, nor are we interested in those that don’t say anything, don’t question anything, that don’t bring anything to the foreground.
It’s a place to keep an eye on…
