PECOUR ACADEMY – BAROQUE DANCE IN PARIS – 4th EDITION IN 2026

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This Baroque dance academy offers in-depth work on the technical sources, the repertoires and the challenges of putting them into practice. It is aimed at an international audience by offering bilingual and intermediate-advanced to professional education. The schedule consists of morning technical classes and afternoon workshops with Irene Feste, Hubert Hazebroucq and Guillaume Jablonka.

FROM SATURDAY 22ND OF AUGUST AT 6 PM TO FRIDAY 28TH OF AUGUST 2026 AT 4 PM

THÈME: REPERTORY AND CREATION / DIVERTIMENTY CELEBRATES ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY

NEW :

  • Film projection and exchange with the choreographer Marie-Geneviève Massé on Tuesday 25th August 2026 at 3:45 pm
  • Performance of Candide ou le Ballet de l’Optimisme, 2026 creation by Company Divertimenty, Sunday 23rd August 2026 at 6 pm
  • Grant program by Dance & History e.V. for a dancer living in Germany and desiring to follow Pecour Academy 2026
  • 2 steps registration procedure : 30 places allocated on April 15th, 6 more on June 15th
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Since 2006, Divertimenty has been offering live performances and actions around the dance culture of the 18th century. The creations are fortified by current theoretical and practical research to anchor the contemporary aspect of the new baroque generation that the company embodies.

Educational organization

    For the morning technical class, each teacher offers different choreographies. Participants choose only one course and take it all week. The afternoon workshops are organized in two different slots (14:15-15:30 then 15:45-17:00), each participant chooses a workshop for the first slot and another workshop for the second slot.
Click on photos to read biographies

Irène Feste - Cie Danses au (Pas)sé : Dancer, choreographer and teacher specialized in early dance from the XVIth to the XIXth centuries. Her research focuses on the evolution of dance at the beginning of the XIXth century (Jean-Henri Gourdoux-Daux, Michel Saint-Léon) and in particular on the quadrilles of Jean-Etienne Despréaux (research supported by the CN D, the INHA and the BnF) and on his system of chorographical notation, la Terpsichorographie.

Repertoire worked with Irène Feste

    Variations on the tune « La Furstemberg » :

  • Entrée de mr Feuillet, stage dance for a man (FL/Ms05.1/15 LM-3020) : Consult the choreography
  • Les Contrefaiseurs contre-danse, danse de bal pour un homme et une femme par Louis Guillaume Pécour (FL/1702.1/01 LM-2200) : Consult the choreography

20 years of Divertimenty: these two dances have been presented several times in public on the occasion of Introduction to Baroque Dance

Content of the class with Irène Feste

Duet, solo, contredances… La Furstemberg is a popular tune that has been covered by several composers, including Henry Purcell and Michel Corrette. Pécour and Feuillet themselves were inspired by this music to adapt it into a duet and a solo, respectively. With its call-and-response and changes of direction, the duet is a true moment of complicity with one’s partner and allows for a wide range of interpretative possibilities. L’Entrée de Mr Feuillet, meanwhile, is a dance full of lightness and virtuosity, highlighting the dancer’s lower leg. We will take this opportunity to dance the duet to its original music, « Autre air pour la contredanse sur lequel elle a été dansée à l’Opéra » (Another tune for the contradance to which it was danced at the Opera), as provided by Feuillet in the publication of Ier Recueil de danses de bal pour l’année 1703.This same tune is used again for a contredanse called “Conter faiseur” in Jayme’s 1717 publication.

Guillaume Jablonka: His career as a dancer took him to the Ballet du Nord (Roubaix) where he met Jean Guizerix and Wilfride Piollet and then integrated their Barres Flexibles into his training and teaching. He discovered Baroque dance in the Cie l'Éventail by Marie-Geneviève Massé and later founded the Cie Divertimenty, for which he created Le Petit Chaperon rouge as a pantomime ballet (Pontoise Baroque Festival) and Les Coulisses du Ballet vénitien (Opéra Comique). In parallel, his research concerns the restitution of notated dances from the eighteenth century, notably the Ferrère manuscript. He teaches at the sports department of Sorbonne University and since its creation has contributed to the practical application of sources in the shows of the Théâtre Molière Sorbonne.

Repertoire worked with Guillaume Jablonka

  • Entrée de cithe dancée par Mrs Blondy et marcel aux amours déguisez, by G.L. Pécour, on a tune by T. Bourgeois (FL/1713.2/36 LM-2780) : Consult the choreography

20 years of Divertimenty: this dance served as the basis for creation by Guillaume Jablonka for the choreography of the first air of the faunes in the 3rd act of Issé in 2017.

Content of the class with Guillaume Jablonka
This male duet is part of the 4-beat tunes mentioned by Feuillet in the treatise on cadance and including two dance steps per musical measure. Of high technical level, the key to successfully interpret it is the prioritization of steps between momentum and jumps, preparing balance and suspending rotations. Pécour arranged this dance for two exceptional dancers, Blondy and Marcel, depicting barbarian warriors in full recognition of the power of Love. Gaudrau who notates this dance goes up on stage at their sides in the ballet of the Amours Déguisés in 1713 at the Opera. The objective of this class is not to finish learning the whole dance at all costs but to leave the academy with acquired knowledge on relevant excerpts. The physical supports on oneself and imaginary in oneself proposed by the Flexible Bars Technique of Wilfride Piollet will support this progression throughout the work of dance.
Hubert HAZEBROUCQ is a professional dancer specialised in Early Dance (Renaissance and Baroque) since 1998, and the choreographer of the Company Les Corps Eloquents, founded in 2008. He aims to promote the early repertoires and to link the creation with innovative research. He is regularly invited to international festivals (Boston, Utrecht...) and prestigious heritage places (Versailles, Chambord...). He collaborates with several renowned musicians, including William Christie (Les Arts Florissants), Denis Raisin-Dadre (Doulce Mémoire), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment... As an independent searcher, holding a Master's degree with a dissertation on ballroom dancing about 1660, he publishes many academic articles. He teaches Early Dance among others at the Conservatoire Régional de Paris since 2021.

Repertoire worked with Hubert Hazebroucq

  • Saraband compos’d by Monsr Pecour and danc’d by Monsr. Marcell and Madlle Menais at Paris 1720 on a tune from Issé by Destouches (FL/Ms13.1/07 LM-7640) : Consult the choreography
  • Chacoon for Harlequin compos’d by Mr Roussau (circa 1728) on a tune from the comédie-ballet Le Malade Imaginaire by M.A. Charpentier (FL/1728.3s LM/[c.1728]-Cha) : Consult the choreography

20 years of Divertimenty: the chaconnes for Harlequin served as the basis for the creation of the scene ‘Arlequin et la nourrice amoureuse’ in Les Coulisses du Ballet vénitien and the Sarabande notated by Le Rousseau was re-staged during the production of Issé in 2017.

Content of the class with Hubert Hazebroucq
We will first practice Le Roussau’s 1720 manuscript version of the Sarabande d’Issé. This is a rare example of a choreographic score for which not only the performers but also the date are mentioned, and for which we can assume a strong connection to the dramaturgy of the scene in which it appears—in this case, a sleep scene. The notation shows two interventions, but we will focus on the second part. The composition, which belongs to the « serious style, » evokes dreams through numerous suspensions or oscillations, contrasted with rhythmic variations, within relatively simple spatial patterns. To highlight this specific expressiveness, we will focus on arm movements, the various qualities of « smoothness », and more generally on the musicality of movement, seeking a poetic, dreamlike effect. 
We will also be working on another short piece by Le Roussau, his Chaconne for a Harlequin. The two manuscript and printed versions of this choreography, quite similar, include indications of gestures, head positions, and postures related to the most typical steps for this character from Italian comedy, as highlighted in the dedication to the dancer Dupré. We will focus on connecting the various postures, the intentions behind the gestures, the playing of the mask and the liveliness of the steps to bring out the comic flavor of this dance, which belongs to the grotesque theatrical genre.
Christine Bayle brings her passions and multiple experiences to the first baroque movement : classical soloist dancer, and, after Achilles tendon transplants, piano dance class accompanist actress capable of singing, then performer, choreographer, director, teacher within Ris et Danceries with Francine Lancelot. Since 1983, with her two companies L’Eclat des Muses and Cie Belles Dances she obtains several Project Aids from the Ministry of Culture and regions for around fifty creations with numerous dancers she has trained. Numerous French and global articles and publications participate in her transmission, AFAA missions and regular courses and internships as well as at the DMA of the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional.-1983-2013- of Strasbourg for musicians, dancers, singers and actors. Her research brings out two styles from the beginning of the XVIIth century, partly linking Renaissance dances to belle danse thanks to several CnD ARPD aids. Member of ProDA, ACRAS, CIRRAS…

Meeting with the dancer and choreographer Marie-Geneviève Massé

Tuesday, August 25th from 3:45 pm to 6:30 pm

This session will alternate moments of video archive viewing and discussion around the interpreter journey of Marie-Geneviève Massé within Ris et Danceries under the direction of Francine Lancelot, and as a choreographer within the Compagnie de Danse l’Eventail that she directed for 40 years.

About ten seats for the screening with Marie-Geneviève Massé are on sale at a price of €15 per person by following this link: link to come

Christine Bayle brings her passions and multiple experiences to the first baroque movement : classical soloist dancer, and, after Achilles tendon transplants, piano dance class accompanist actress capable of singing, then performer, choreographer, director, teacher within Ris et Danceries with Francine Lancelot. Since 1983, with her two companies L’Eclat des Muses and Cie Belles Dances she obtains several Project Aids from the Ministry of Culture and regions for around fifty creations with numerous dancers she has trained. Numerous French and global articles and publications participate in her transmission, AFAA missions and regular courses and internships as well as at the DMA of the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional.-1983-2013- of Strasbourg for musicians, dancers, singers and actors. Her research brings out two styles from the beginning of the XVIIth century, partly linking Renaissance dances to belle danse thanks to several CnD ARPD aids. Member of ProDA, ACRAS, CIRRAS…

Afternoon workshops

Time slot 14:15-15:30 : Historical Dance by Soria and Baroque Pavane (I. Feste + G. Jablonka) OR Baroque Dance Composition Workshop (H. Hazebroucq)

1 Historical dance according to the theory of Henri de Soria (1860-1914)
« At the age of eleven, I was dancing in high society salons. […] The minuets and gavottes were choreographed by Mr Pluque and Mr de Soria, a mime artist at the Opera who ran a private dance school. » Le Ballet de ma vie, Cléo de Mérode. Henri de Soria (dance teacher, organiser of the Opera’s children’s balls, etiquette teacher at the Conservatoire) published theories on early dances such as the Pavane Médicis, the Menuet de la Reine and the Gavotte-Marly, which we will discover during the workshop.

The baroque Pavane
Even if the title refers to a renaissance dance with slow tempo, the two pavanes that we have in Feuillet notation must be played quickly according to the musical sources. It’s an opportunity to review some habits or automatisms.

2 Baroque Dance Composition Workshop: From Recomposition to Creation
How to use the vocabulary of Baroque dance—its motifs, figures, and modes of expression—to recreate dances in a relatively historical style, or conversely, to develop it as material for contemporary composition. We will work more specifically on the logic of cell recomposition and the construction of groundworks, in close relation to the music, initially focusing on a dramaturgy of characterization. We will begin with examples of compositional processes that I have had the opportunity to apply to the creation of shows, particularly around the figure of Harlequin, but also for a noble duet and for an Entrée of Statues. Proposals for extrapolation and displacement will also be explored, emphasizing the articulation between recomposition, contextualization, and the enactment of meaning. The goal for each participant will be to create their own dance starting from shared material and appropriating Baroque rules of the game

Time Slot 15:45-17:00 : La Nouvelle Forlane / Master-Class (I. Feste) OR The Twenties (1520-1720) (G. Jablonka + H. Hazebroucq)

3 1826 Waltz, Dance Book TB anniversary
Theme of the 1920s: Dance Book TB 1826, a manuscript containing traditional social dances (quadrille, minuet, gavotte, Irish and Scottish dances, waltz, etc.) and traditional theatrical dances (pas de deux, pas de trois, pas de quatre, Russian dance, Cossack dance, etc.). The waltz occupies an important place in this manuscript, with no fewer than four choreographies involving between two and eight dancers. We will work on one of these waltzes.

4 The Twenties (1520-1720)
The Basse danse took on a new form in the early 16th century, diverging from its 15th-century Franco-Burgundian version, both in the composition of the choreographic « measures » and in the music. It is the most frequently mentioned ball dance of this period. (Sources Arena 1528, Jacques Moderne, Thoinot Arbeau c.1595)
Arena, Ad suos compagnones studiantes : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k71525c/f89.item
In Apologie de la danse 1623 François de Lauze describes the recently established suite for opening the ball, including the « branles simple, branle gay, branle à mener, branle double de Poitou, de Montirandé », and the gavotte, all circle  or chain dances from which we will learn some excerpts. The careful description of the movements reveals the evolution of the style, paving the way for the belle danse through the stylization of the steps as much as the refinement of movement.
Apologie de la danse : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1040284n
Dezais 1st contredanse book 1725-26: the 1720s are a marking bridge between the age of the finishing belle danse and that of the triumphant countrydance. The choreographies of Dezais reflect this, in particular the minuet at 4 La Carignan.
https://haab-digital.klassik-stiftung.de/viewer/image/352318066X/3/LOG_0000/

Dates and schedule

  • Sa Aug.22nd 2026 6 pm : welcoming and collective dancing time
  • Sun Aug 23rd till Thu 27th : 10 am-6 pm technical class, workshops, talks
  • Fri Aug 28th : 10 am-1 pm classes then public presentation gathering all participants at 2 pm
  • Optional convivial moments : dinner on the banks of the Seine…

Suggestion out of the proper content of the Academy:

  • a performance of Candide or the Ballet of Optimism, creation 2026 of the Company Divertimenty will take place on Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 6 PM at the Auguste Théâtre, 6 impasse Lamier 75011 Paris, M°2 Philippe Auguste. The tickets will soon be on sale, a preferential rate of €18 will be offered to participants from the Académie Pécour.
Emploi du temps général Académie Pécour 2025

Training locations and access

  • Micadanses, 15, 16 et 20 rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 75004 Paris : we will train in three different studios MayB, Noces et Biped.
  • Public transport access : Metro 7 Pont Marie or Metro 1 St Paul, easily accessible also over Châtelet-Les Hallesstation then a 10 minutes walk.

These studios are easily accessible by Châtelet-Les Halles, the main metro and RER exchange station, for those who would choose accommodation far from Paris and therefore cheaper.

If you have troubles finding an accomodation (prices or availability), please contact us and we will try to find a solution.

The area has supermarkets and fast food options for easy and convenient lunches. It is possible to eat outdoors to enjoy the neighborhood or indoors in case of rain.


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Cost of Training

  • Registration fee : 60 € obligatory to validate the registration and non-refundable
  • Educational fee : 290 € 

Accommodation and meals are the responsibility of the participants. For advice, do not hesitate to contact us.

Funding Program with Dance & History e.V.

The association Dance & History e.V. has its headquarters in Germany near Munich and supports research in historical dance as well as the dissemination of knowledge in this field. She chose to offer to a young dancer residing in Germany financial aid allowing him/her to come to attend the Pécour Academy 2026: this program marks recognition of the quality of the training offered by Divertimenty.

It is necessary to apply for registration with Divertimenty by ticking the dedicated box on the form and also to complete an application with Dance & History e.V. if you think you meet the necessary requirements.

Read the program conditions in German or the program conditions in English.

To register for Pecour Academy : new 2 steps registration procedure

1st step: Allocation of 30 places in April 2026

Fill out and return the registration application form before April 15, 2026: 30 places will be allocated by the teachers of the Académie Pécour and the people concerned will receive an acceptance email no later than April 30, 2026. Those who have not been selected in the first step will automatically be candidates in the second step and will also receive an email in this regard.
One of these 30 places is reserved for a young dancer based in Germany wishing to benefit from the award program offered by Dance & History e.V.

 

2nd step: Allocation of 6 places in June 2026

In order to overcome the uncertainties of availability of certain candidates, six places are reserved for late registration requests received until June 15, 2026. The professors of the Académie Pécour will choose six candidates who will be informed no later than June 30, 2026. Candidates who cannot be offered a place will receive an email of registration on the waiting list and will be notified if a place is liberated by any withdrawal..

 

Fill out the form by clicking on the button below and mention your choices of morning technical classes and afternoon workshops. The teachers reserve the right to make you another proposal based on different requests. If your registration is confirmed, the payment terms will be specified. For candidates that the professors do not know, please attach a CV and a link to a video where you are seen dancing.
Access the online application form

Some pictures from the last edition with « Celebrating Pierre Rameau and Anthony L’Abbé for the 300th anniversary of their publications » as theme (credit Matthieu Camille Colin) :

Why this academy ?

    Baroque dance is reaching an increasingly large international audience and is gaining ground in more and more different countries. However, once at a certain level, it is often difficult for amateur and professional dancers to continue to progress due to the lack of advanced students to fill local classes. This academy proposes to gather for a week these dancers in demand of a high level work provided by quality teachers.

Why referring to Pecour ?

    Guillaume Louis Pécour was a key figure in the dance world around 1700. He succeeded Pierre Beauchamp as ballet master to the court and Opera. Both his ball dances and his ballet entrées are transcribed by Feuillet into the Chorégraphie notation system and Pierre Rameau receives from him a public approval for the content of the publication Le Maître à Danser. Pécour is the keystone of the dance building in the Baroque era. It then seems relevant as a reference for a baroque dance academy in Paris.
Since 2006, Divertimenty has been offering live performances and actions around the dance culture of the 18th century. The creations are fortified by current theoretical and practical research to anchor the contemporary aspect of the new baroque generation that the company embodies.

Why these trainers ?

    The trainers are all professionals of the Baroque world in activity and with a recognized career. They are particularly distinguished by their involvement in practical research activities around baroque dance.

Which prerequisites ?

    This academy is aimed at participants with a technical level in baroque dance from intermediate/advanced to advanced/professional.

What outfit to learn ?

    The teaching team expressly requests a pair of adapted dance shoes with wide heel. (for example Cabaret model of the brand Sansha at 28 to 35 € per pair). The rest of the outfit should be soft and comfortable but not too loose at the legs so that teachers can correct students.

What is baroque dance  ?

    What is now called «baroque dance» is the result of some fifty years of research into the restitution and putting on shows of the academic dance of French origin practiced in the 17th and 18th centuries.
divertimenty_separateur
La danse est un art du divertissement qui permet de percevoir le monde autrement. Divertir baroque, c’est ouvrir l’imaginaire contemporain …
L’étrangeté du baroque n’est pas une fatalité. Voir, goûter, toucher cette danse est la mission que vous nous confiez et que nous nous attachons à remplir …
Tous les curieux ont le droit de se former à la danse baroque à leur niveau. Apprendre à connaître et ressentir cet art du corps noble et académique …
Les traces écrites de la danse au XVIIIe siècle sont sources d’un mouvement global de travail en studio : nous tâchons de restituer et surtout de mieux …
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A lire aussi :

SHOWS BY DIVERTIMENTY

Concert dansé

Concert dansé

Caract’airs à danser

Caract’airs à danser

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About the compagnie

Since 2006, Divertimenty has been offering live performances and actions around the dance culture of the 18th century. The creations are fortified by current theoretical and practical research to anchor the contemporary aspect of the new baroque generation that the company embodies.

Contact

contact at divertimenty.org

Choreographer
Guillaume Jablonka
+33 06.62.52.50.28

Administrative contact
Vanessa Colas
+33 06.42.87.00.62

 

Mentions légales

Directeur de la publication : Martine Ravaine

Réalisation : Rachel COUDRAY pour POLIPHILIA – 2014

Hébergement : OVH

Crédits photographiques : Mélanie Foucault, Christophe Perricon, Valérian, Poliphilia, Alice Bloch (Opéra comique)

SIRET : 507 739 662 00033

APE : 9001 Z

Licence d’entrepreneur du spectacle PLATESV-R-2021-013023

Organisme de formation professionnelle 11 92 17047 92

Charte de confidentialité

 

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