In 2025-2026, the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles is offering a new series of themed days entitled ‘Focus on’, mainly aimed at conservatoire teachers, but also open to any artist interested in the topics covered. These training days provide an opportunity to deepen one's knowledge of a specific subject, with a view to integrating it into one's professional and teaching practice, and then to take advantage of the link established with the CMBV on this occasion to continue to explore the subject in greater depth.
This training course is offered to dance teachers, regardless of their main speciality, to (re)discover the specificities of French baroque dance, which is at the origin of the classical dance tradition. Focusing mainly on practical applications and presentations of ancient iconography, this day will allow everyone to appropriate and reintegrate these concepts into their classical and modern dance teaching.
French baroque dance, codified at the court of Louis XIV and transmitted in particular through Feuillet's treatise on notation, constitutes a rich and subtle body language. This workshop offers an immersion in this choreographic universe, through a physical, sensory and pedagogical approach designed for today's dance professionals. Led by Robert Le Nuz, dancer, teacher and movement specialist, the workshop combines choreographic practice, functional analysis and discovery of the style. The focus will be on coordination, musicality, movement ornamentation, the dynamics of weight transfer and precision of support. The fundamental principles of baroque dance (sarabande, menuet, courante, etc.) will be explored in relation to classical and contemporary techniques. The aim is to enrich current practice by reviving an ancient vocabulary, opening up new perspectives on verticality, space, expressiveness and the intersection of styles and eras.
Objectives
- Explore the specific musicality of Baroque dance, closely linked to the rhythms and ornamentation of the repertoire.
- Promote the adaptation of ancient techniques to modern and classical practices in order to enrich participants' physical vocabulary.
- Encourage an innovative pedagogical approach, enabling teachers to integrate Baroque principles into their teaching.
Trainers
Robert Le Nuz, teacher of classical and baroque dance, and lecturer in Functional Analysis of the Body in Dance Movement (CNSMDL)
Thomas Leconte, researcher and editorial manager (CMBV - CESR)
Robert Le Nuz, teacher of classical and baroque dance, and lecturer in Functional Analysis of the Body in Dance Movement (CNSMDL)
Robert Le Nuz, a qualified physiotherapist (1996) and ballet teacher (DE 2004), trained with Wilfride Piollet, Jean Guizerix and Stéphane Prince. Discovering baroque dance thanks to figures such as Marie-Geneviève Massé, Françoise Denieau and Béatrice Massin, he has collaborated since 2005 on numerous baroque opera and ballet productions — Cadmus et Hermione, Amadis, Don Juan and Les Noces de Figaro — as a dancer and choreographic assistant. As a performer with the Compagnie L'Éventail, he has toured Europe with leading baroque choreographers and has also worked with D. C. Colonna (Nordic Baroque Dancers), Gudrun Skamletz and S. T'Hooft (Corpo Barocco). Passionate about movement analysis, he teaches the Flexible Bar Technique, Functional Analysis of the Body in Dance Movement (AFCMD), and anatomy applied to dance at institutions such as the CNSMD in Lyon, the CRR in Boulogne and Saint-Étienne, and the CND in Paris. He also trains professionals and publishes his reflections on the transmission of baroque movement, combining stylistic rigour, body awareness and musical sensitivity.
Thomas Leconte, researcher and editorial manager (CMBV - CESR)
Thomas Leconte is a researcher at the Research Centre of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, where he is also editorial manager of heritage collections. His research focuses mainly on social, religious and court music of the Grand Siècle (functions, repertoires, musical practices, identities). In addition, his historical, theoretical and practical knowledge of 17th and 18th century orchestral and choral writing frequently leads him to reconstruct the missing parts of works in the repertoire. He is currently working on a project (research, reconstruction, edition) on Lalande's Symphonies pour les Soupers du roi. He regularly collaborates with professional ensembles as a scientific advisor (concerts, recordings).
Training arrangements
- In-person workshop only
- Workshop conducted in French (discussions possible in English)
- Assessment methods: self-assessment and satisfaction questionnaires
- Alternating between theory, practical exercises and discussion time (questions and answers)
Programme
- Conferences
- Time for discussion
- Time for practice and training
- Time for socialising
Participants
- Classical or modern dance teachers
- Workshop open to performers wishing to learn or deepen their knowledge of baroque dance, subject to availability
Maximum 16 participants
Prerequisites
- Active dance professionals
- Future professionals in training - currently enrolled in higher education (bachelor's, master's) or equivalent
Repertoire studied
Discussions with the trainer after registration, prior to the workshop
Pricing conditions
Prices for a Theme Day (online payment via the payment link sent upon acceptance of the application):
Full fee covered: depending on coverage (contact the training centre administration for a quote)
Maximum individual contribution: €100 including VAT
Maximum individual contribution for students (up to 26 years old): €40 including VAT
For permanent or temporary employees, CMBV workshops may be covered under continuing professional development programmes (Afdas, employers, etc.).
Services included in the price:
- Access to CMBV premises (instrument tuning if necessary)
- All teaching costs (instructors, instruments, etc.) for the duration of the course
- Active participation in workshops
- Provision of documents and sheet music
- Loan of instruments, or access to instruments, if necessary
The following remain the responsibility of the trainees:
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation expenses (meals and lodging)
Registration
To register, please complete the form available via the link below. You will receive confirmation of your registration no later than two months before the start of the workshop.
Accessibility
The classrooms and teaching spaces are accessible to people with reduced mobility. For any disability requiring adaptation of the teaching, please specify this when registering: this information will be forwarded to the CMBV disability officer, who will contact you if necessary.
Registration deadline: 15 December 2025
