• Drama

In line with a tradition dating back to the XVIIth century, with Molière and Racine - a tradition kept alive through the interwar years and after the Liberation - the vitality of French theatre owes a lot to the great directors who influenced its development. Thanks to them and to a new generation of playwrighters which emerged in the 1980s, the theatrical arts in France have been nourished continually.

Today, the French theatrical scene is rich and various, from Molière to Hugo, from Aragon to Claudel, from Anouilh to Durringer. Paris has nearly 130 different theatres offering French and foreign first productions; hundreds more may be found throughout the provinces.

There are as many as 44 national drama centres, 250 theatre companies with state contracts and 599 subsidized theatre companies. All in all, the number of independent companies tripled during the 1980s, and now stands way over the thousand mark. Finally, many theatres have been opened, modernized or restored these past years, whether in Paris or in the provinces (Bordeaux, Lille, Nice, etc.). Seventy “national theatres” supported by the state and local authorities, stage multidisciplinary productions in a contemporary vein.

To go on the stage you can either take classes in a national drama centre or join an amateur drama company. You will find a list of drama centres and companies on the CNT or the FNCTA websites (see addresses below).

If you want to become a professional actor, you will have to go through one of the three national schools:

      - Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique de Paris ( www.cnsad.fr )

      - Ecole supérieure d'art dramatique du Théâtre national de Strasbourg ( www.tns.fr )

      - Ecole nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre ( www.ensatt.fr )

If you want to take part in a drama training, you should check the CNT website.

• Dance

As in music, the formerly hard-and-fast borders separating classical from modern are becoming increasingly blurred. Practices are under continuous evolution. However, if you want to take dance lessons, you will still need to choose between classical and contemporary dance. Classical dance is a typically occidental practice. Classical dance is an constructed organization of the body in the space and it has been a long tradition in France. But the last twenty years have witnessed the birth of a large number of companies that have cast a whole new light on the art of choreography. Maurice Béjart reinvented dance, and those who have followed in his wake have left their mark on it. In France, dance has also benefited from the work of foreign choreographers. Established in 1998, the Centre national de la danse (National Dance Centre) works to encourage creativity, the dissemination of works and training and research in choreographic culture and dance-related professions. On its website (see links below), you will find many information about dancing in France and a directory of dance companies. If you are not yet a professional, you can take dance lessons in one of the thousands private dance shools. You can find a list of dance schools on the Yellow Pages (www.pagesjaunes.fr) or in your Youth Information Centre. The best school if you want to become a professional dancer is the Paris Opera Ballet. This school has become one of the foremost dance academies in the world. There are two other famous dance academies in France:       - the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris ( www.cnsmdp.fr )

      - the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Lyon (www.cnsmd-lyon.fr) > picture.

• Circus and street performances

The circus, which constitutes another branch of the performing arts, has taken on a new life. Companies such as the Cirque Plume, Archaos et le Cabaret équestre Zingaro (Archaos and Zingaro equestrian troupe) have transformed the genre and several schools have been set up. The Cirque Gruss has taken up the torch for traditional circus skills, which it is anxious to preserve. Street performance is a new artistic practice. The originality of its shows and of its relationship with the audience has made it increasingly popular. Some festivals are now dedicated to street performances, like in Aurillac or Morlaix. Every possible information on circus and street arts is to be found on this website:www.horslesmurs.asso.frSource: Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Picture: © F. de la Mure / Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs