Les Hivernales dance festival Avignon

Les Hivernales is a contemporary dance festival that takes place every year at La Manutention , 4 rue escalier Ste Anne. Dance has its own moment of glory in February, when Les Hivernales dance festival is scheduled in the officially sponsored Avigon extravaganza. The summer in Avignon is not to be missed as Avignon has been the pillar of summer festivals for decades, although the emphasis has traditionally been on dramatic theater and musical theatrical expressions but the Hivernales festival is aimed at celebrating the art of dance which is spectacle in itself. The Hivernales dance festival has aimed for several years to make up for the lack of dance in theirown unique space, La Manutention. As with all the other summer events, only contemporary and modern dance works are presented in the two fold programming of the Avignon Extravaganza.

The Hivernales dance festival commences in the mid week of February and lasts for around 6 to 7 days. Despite the brutal winter chill that stirs Avignon in February, leaving the medieval papal city freezing in the winter chill, the Hivernales dance festival emerges successful in keeping the city's blood pumping with a plethora of workshops and premieres all celebrating the art of "Singing and Dancing!"

The Hivernales is a contemporary dance festival that takes place annually at venues in and around Avignon. Over 350 dance companies have participated in the event since its creation, and it draws 10,000 spectators and 400 trainees every year. The "in" performances of the Hivernales held in the courtyard of the Faculté des Sciences feature big names in the field of choreography like Catherine Berbessou, Kublaï Khan and the Spanish-born Blanca Li with her Macadam Macadam, Mathilde Monnier, as well as South American dance-theater groups & it also presented solos by renowned creators, including Kader Belarbi, étoile of the Paris Opera, coordinated by Karine Saporta.

The festival's programming fabricates itself around various themes, offering not only shows but also courses, exhibitions and projections. The 2007 event includes everything from Bollywood, capoeira, hip-hop and African dance to ballet, salsa and ballroom dancing.

During the Les Hivernales dance festival it is dance and dance alone that reigns supreme in all spheres of Avignon city. Dance echoes in the ancient stone walls that surround Avignon. Dance could be seen and heard at all hours of the day. It also offers a platform to the budding dancers to present their skills and interchange their creative ideas with other dancers, students, and choreographers participating in this event.