Dance

Ready for the dance floor?

There are countless occasions when we dance spontaneously and naturally. One of them is when we listen to music. Dancing is an immediate, instinctive action that allows us to free ourselves, become aware of our bodies, express our emotions and forge bonds with other people.

The Dance exhibition offers a joyful, jubilant, creative and spontaneous experience for a family audience, inviting visitors to enjoy a shared moment. The Cité des sciences et de l’industrie has designed the exhibition to encourage visitors to observe, imitate and experiment with different movements. Visitors also get the chance to discover the wide array of dances, from hip-hop to the waltz and disco, and learn about choreographic culture.

Get your body in motion with the core movements of dance!

The exhibition has chosen to approach dance with three verbs that express the fundamentals of all dance practice: Turn, Jump and Come together. The visit is divided into three parts: mash-up videos with dance extracts linked to each action verb, zoom elements that offer a different perspective on each topic, and choreographed routines designed by professional dancers and choreographers.

Dancing is about using our bodies to create, from our little toes to the ends of our hair. Three action verbs shape the exhibition. They comprise three essential actions, central to dancing: Turn, Jump, and Come together.

Turn

Turning involves moving around a circular space, either individually or in a group, like we do in circle dances. This experience creates a feeling of unity and group dancing. Visitors can take part in dance circles that range from hip-hop to traditional African dances.

Jump

We jump to express our feelings of joy. With the actions of pushing off, hanging in the air and landing, visitors can try out different jumps, observe their movements in slow motion and explore the mechanism behind various jumps, from classical dance to tap dance.

Come Together

We also dance to create bonds with other people, to experience shared moments with family or friends. Every 30 minutes visitors are invited to take part in a choreographed dance. The group dance is the climax of the exhibition and features dances from three different eras: the Branle, waltz and disco dancing.

Highlights

Mash-up videos: universal, trans-historical and multi-cultural montages.
Digital tools: original installations for visitors to interact with the exhibition.
A choreographed dance invites visitors to join in every 30 minutes.
The dance installations are designed in collaboration with dancers and choreographers.
A family exhibition that gets the body moving.
Instructions that ensure everyone can dance, regardless of their physical or cognitive capacities, age, culture and relationship with dance.
A joyful and immersive visit that helps everyone to simply let go.

This project has been accredited by Paris 2024 as part of the Cultural Olympiad.