What does dance hold for children and young people?

This Atelier invites artistic teams, cultural organisations, and institutional partners to engage in a collective reflection on how dance can involve young people in an active cultural experience.

Through a cross-border exchange of perspectives, participants will explore how dance can deepen young people's engagement in cultural life and what new civic possibilities it opens.

The Atelier approaches this topic through two complementary lenses:

• The first is young people as audiences: how do artistic practices and creative choices shift when children and young people are treated not as secondary spectators, but as the primary audience?
• The second is young people as active participants in artistic processes: on stage, in research, and in programming and decision-making.

Combining expert talks, project presentations, artistic perspectives, and shared reflection, the Atelier is developed in close connection with BIG, the International Production and Dissemination Hub for Dance for Young Audiences led by Le Gymnase.

Preliminary Programme

The Atelier takes place during the Forever Young international festival dedicated to dance for young audiences (12 November – 13 December 2026), led by Le Gymnase in Roubaix.

Sunday, 29 November (optional)

17:00  – Festival performance (Preview) : Pop Up – AmieAmi (Le Gymnase)

Monday, 30 November: Creating for Young Audiences

Morning – Arrival of participants

10:00 – Festival performance: Pop Up (optional) (Le Gymnase)

14:30 – Welcome coffee

15:00-17:00 – Creating for Young Audiences (La Condition publique)

International panel exploring artistic approaches to creating dance for children and young people.

17:00 – Coffee break

18:00 – Walk together to the venue

19:00 – Festival performance: Un virage pour Jacky – Magda Kachouche (La Piscine)

Tuesday, 1 December: Children as Active Participants

10:00 – Festival performance: Pop Up (optional) (Le Gymnase)

10:30 – Welcome coffee (La Condition publique)

11:00-13:00 – Children as Active Participants (La Condition publique)

Discussions on involving children in artistic creation, research, performance and programming.

13:00–14:30 – Lunch (La Condition publique)

14:30–15:00 – Danse tout terrain (small group experience)

15:00-17:00 – LOOP 10th Anniversary: Looking Forward

A collective reflection on the first ten years of LOOP and future perspectives for dance for young audiences, including accessibility and international cooperation.

17:00-17:30 – Danse tout terrain (second session)

17:30 – Walk together to the venue

18:00 – Networking aperitif (Théâtre de l’Oiseau-Mouche)

19:00 – Festival performance: Am I Real – Jihyé Jung (Théâtre de l’Oiseau-Mouche)

Wednesday, 2 December: Dance, Citizenship and Empowerment

10:00 – Welcome coffee (La Condition publique)

10:30-12:30 – Artist Pitch Sessions (La Condition publique)

Presentation of new artistic projects and works in development.

12:30–14:00 – Lunch (La Condition publique)

14:30–16:00 – Dance, Citizenship and Empowerment (La Condition publique)

Panel discussion exploring dance as a tool for participation, inclusion and cultural citizenship.

16:30 – Festival performance / creation by Silvia Gribaudi (La Condition publique)

This Atelier is proposed by the EDN YOUNG Working Group, which brings together EDN members, partners, and experts to develop community-engaged approaches that strengthen young people's cultural participation across Europe.

How to attend?

To register your interest, please complete the form at the link below.

Register before: 30 September 2026

EDN travel support

EDN offers travel support for a limited number of participants from the network’s YOUNG working group, EDN member organisations and their associated freelance communities. If you are not a member of EDN and would still like to apply for the EDN travel support, you can reach out to an EDN member organisation near you.

The travel reimbursement cannot exceed the maximum travel contribution amount, as calculated here, and includes 2 per diems at 40€ per day. 

EDN books and covers up to 3 nights of accommodation at B&B HOTEL Lille Roubaix Centre Grand-Place for up to 7 participants.

A participation fee of 150€ will be invoiced to the participant or their organisation. If a cancellation occurs less than 7 days before the activity, the participation fee will not be refunded.

Travel support can include a top-up from EDN's Green Travel Programme to cover additional costs of slow or low-impact travel.

To offset additional access needs, participants can apply for a top-up from EDN's Accessibility Travel Programme.

Selection criteria for EDN travel support

In cases where the number of applications exceeds the available travel support, allocation is based on the following criteria, in order of priority:

• Even participation frequency among EDN member organisations.
• Balanced regional or geographical representation of participants.
• A limit of one support allocation per member organisation.

How to participate without EDN travel support

It is possible to join the Atelier without receiving EDN’s travel support. Attendance is free of charge. Check On-the-Move's Mobility Funding Guides or get in touch with your local Creative Europe Culture Desk to explore ways to fund your trip.

Contact

For questions about the Atelier, contact Christoph at christoph[at]ednetwork.eu

This Atelier is proposed by the YOUNG Working Group, in the frame of Embodied Transformations, EDN's EU-funded network project.