Mille Plateaux Associés

Founded in 1998 by the artists Geisha Fontaine and Pierre Cottreau, Mille Plateaux Associés is a French art structure engaged in choreographic creation, dance research and art theory. The name is a reference to the thousand stages (“plateaux” in French) they would like to cross, but also to the philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari.

Geisha Fontaine and Pierre Cottreau combine artistic creation with theoretical reflection about dance and performing arts.

Since 1998, they have created many choreographic pieces including: Lex, a subversive pamphlet focused on the place of the actor-dancer in the job market; Je ne suis pas un artiste, a twelve-hours-long choreographic series around the concept of beauty; Une pièce mécanique, a performance for two dancers and twenty-five mobile sculptures designed by the visual artist Dominique Blais; Ne pas toucher aux oeuvres, an original work with dancers using their bodies responding to very special instruments played by musicians on stage : fire weapons.

Each project explores, most of the time with a good sense of humour, a question the choreographers have no answer for: What is a good dancer? (Lex), What is beauty? (Je ne suis pas un artiste), What is the movement? (Une pièce mécanique), etc.

All the projects become an opportunity to discover new choreographic shapes and promote a more active approach of the spectator.

The choreographers often work with people from different artistic areas such as dance, visual arts, contemporary music, film, etc.

The creations are presented both in France and in foreign countries (Austria, Algeria, Japan, Argentina, Chile, etc.).

Geisha Fontaine and Pierre Cottreau also take part in the cinematographic area, especially with their evolutive movie Millibar.

In addition, they are involved in many cultural and teaching actions.

Mille Plateaux Associés is supported by multiple public institutions: Région Ile de France, Département du Val-de-Marne, Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, Institut Français, Ministère des Affaires étrangères. Several partners have broadcasted or co-produced at least one of our creations such as Centre national de la danse, Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin – CCN de Mulhouse, Briqueterie – CDC du Val-de-Marne, Tanzquartier Wien (Autriche), ADC (Genève), Institut Français de Tokyo-Japon, CCF Oran (Algérie), Festival Faits d’Hiver – Paris,  Scène Nationale La Passerelle (Saint-Brieuc), , Scène Nationale La Halle aux grains (Blois), Art Danse Bourgogne/CDC, Le Cube, Uzès Danse/CDC, Pôle sud (Strasbourg), La Chartreuse – Centre national des écritures du spectacle (Villeneuve lez Avignon), CCN Jean-Claude Gallotta – Grenoble, Centre d’art contemporain Parc Saint-Léger, le Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, etc