Choreographer François Chaignaud looks back on his works, which are being revived as part of the Festival d'Automne and were written in collaboration with artist Théo Mercier, butoh dancer Akaji Maro, dancer and artist Cecilia Bengolea, beatboxer Aymeric Hainaux, harpsichordist Marie-Pierre Brébant and artist and stage director Nina Laisné.

From underground car parks to grand stages, from ballet pointe work to baroque dance steps, from South American laments to medieval plainchant, François Chaignaud unravels the fabric of dominant narratives to bring out the accents of another kind of music – celestial or wild.

In conversation with Emmanuelle Huynh, artist and workshop leader at the Beaux-Arts de Paris.

A 2003 graduate of the CNSMDP, François Chaignaud has danced for numerous choreographers (Alain Buffard, Boris Charmatz, Emmanuelle Huynh, Gilles Jobin). Since his first piece in 2004, he has conceived of dance as a global expression, his work marked by the articulation of song and dance, but also by a deep connection to history, both in his creations and in his collaborations (with Jérôme Marin, Marie Caroline Hominal and Théo Mercier). From 2005 to 2016, he created several notable shows with Cecilia Bengolea, which were presented internationally.

In 2021, he founded mandorle productions, affirming an artistic approach based on cooperation with numerous artists, including Nina Laisné, Marie-Pierre Brébant, Akaji Maro, Dominique Brun and Sasha J. Blondeau. He also creates pieces for large groups of performers: Soufflette in 2018 and t u m u l u s in 2022, then In absentia in 2024, with Geoffroy Jourdain. He recently created the shows Mirlitons, in collaboration with Aymeric Hainaux, and Petites Joueuses, presented in the medieval Louvre; both works are scheduled to be performed as part of the Festival d'Automne in 2023 and 2024. In 2026, François Chaignaud was appointed director of the Centre Chorégraphique National de Caen en Normandie. He is an associate artist at Chaillot – Théâtre National de la Danse in Paris, as well as at the Maison de la Danse and the Biennale de la Danse in Lyon. His work has been presented at the Festival d'Automne since 2011.

Photo credits: © Laurent Poléo Garnier