CCNN Ambra Senatore

The CCNN (Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes) is a place where dance is created, shared and passed on. It was founded in 1992 and directed by Claude Brumachon and Benjamin Lamarche. For 23 years, this duo has shaped the CCNN’s artistic identity around the search for ‘gesture that is right, necessary and not gratuitous’. Their work, characterised by physical and emotional dance, has always focused on human relationships, the group and solitude, themes also shared by Ambra Senatore.

Director of the CCNN since 1 January 2016, the Italian dancer and choreographer creates works that speak of the collective and weave links between people. Human relationships are at the heart of her approach. In her work, everyday life is ‘observed with a magnifying glass’, shifted and turned upside down. A fan of surprises, cuts and repetitions reminiscent of the cinema, Ambra Senatore re-composes reality in the manner of a film-maker. In Italy, she trained with R. Castello and R. Giordano, with whom she soon collaborated. As a performer she worked with J. C. Gallotta, G. Rossi, G. Lavaudant and A. Tagliarini.

In the early 2000s, she created collaborative pieces while completing a doctorate in contemporary dance. In 2004, she began writing choreography with solos, which she performed until 2009, and then with group pieces, affirming her hybrid style that combines dance, theatre and profound humanity. As director of the CCNN, Ambra Senatore promotes a generous and inquisitive style of dance (site-specific creations in public parks, markets, schools, museums, heritage sites, railway stations, etc.), which she sees as a means of sharing and getting to know oneself and others.

The CCNN is a place where everyone can experiment: professional dancers and amateurs alike, children and adults, everyone can find something to get them moving and explore their dance.

As a place for creation and hosting, the CCNN supports six to eight companies in residence each year, and organises events such as Primavera – jour de danse, the Trajectoires Festival and the Curious Thursdays, enabling the public to discover dance in all its forms.

The CCNN is also inextricably linked with the Capucins chapel on rue Noire. Built between 1873 and 1875, this building, inspired by Italian Romanesque art, was part of a former convent occupied by the Capuchin friars for a century until 1984. Bought by the city of Nantes, its park became public and the building first hosted exhibitions before becoming the Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes in 1992.