Carnets Bagouet

Les Carnets Bagouet is a French association loi de 1901 (non-profit association) created in April 1993 by former dancers and collaborators of the Compagnie Dominique Bagouet, following the death of choreographer Dominique Bagouet on 9 December 1992. Bagouet was one of the leading figures of the nouvelle danse française (new French dance). Rather than continuing to exist as a company without its choreographer — as the Martha Graham or Alwin Nikolais companies had done — the dancers chose to transmit what they had inherited from Bagouet to new generations of dancers. The association was formed jointly by Liliane Martinez, then co-director of the company, the family of Dominique Bagouet, and former dancers, in response to the many companies that immediately requested permission to add certain Bagouet pieces to their repertoires. Among the nine founding members were members of Bagouet's family (his brother and sister), former dancers such as Michel Kelemenis, and an artistic collaborator. The name "Carnets" does not refer primarily to written archives but to the bodies of the dancers themselves, who preserved the memory of the choreographies they performed and from which Bagouet created his works. It also evokes a notebook of notes, observations and fragments of ideas — something not immediately graspable, in the process of being built, like the association itself. The association's mission evolved over time. Initially focused on "living" transmission of the repertoire to new audiences and dancers, it carried out remountings of works or excerpts by dancers from various structures, pedagogical projects, and the constitution of an archive collection. In the early 2000s the association experienced internal difficulties, with several resignations and a questioning of its objectives. A 2004 seminar, "État des lieux", critically reviewed its work since creation. From that period the association opened up to artists and researchers beyond Bagouet's former dancers, and in 2005 it defined itself more as a resource centre, less centred on remountings. Governance is collective and open. Philippe Cohen, director of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, was its first president from 1993 to 1998, followed by journalist Jack Ralite from 1998 to 2009. Since 2020 Isabelle Launay has presided. The association is organised around three poles: an artistic council (formerly "cellule de réflexion"), a pedagogical college created in 2005, and a board of directors. Olivia Grandville was a member of the artistic council from 1993 to 2001, organising remountings of Jours Étranges and So Schnell for the Dance Theatre of Ireland, the Opéra de Paris and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. The association maintains a website (lescarnetsbagouet.org) that archives texts, resources, transcriptions, transmissions and audiovisual documents. In 2023 it marked its 30th anniversary, with Papiers de l'Imec written by collaborators. Its 2026 programme includes Laurent Pichaud's LA COUR DES ANGES, created 6 June 2026 at the Festival d'Uzès; transmission of excerpts of NECESITO for the Insada group in Valencia as part of Danse en Amateur et Répertoire du CN D; and prefiguration of a new adaptation project of the piece FANTASIA SEMPLICE, created in 1986. This experience of passing on a contemporary choreographic heritage after the disappearance of a choreographer and his company was pioneering in France.

Les Carnets Bagouet was created in April 1993, a few months after the death of choreographer Dominique Bagouet on 9 December 1992. Bagouet was one of the leaders of the nouvelle danse française. When he died, the dancers of his company did not wish to continue existing without the choreographer, as the Martha Graham or Alwin Nikolais companies had done, but instead aspired to transmit to new generations of dancers what they had inherited from him. Because many companies immediately asked to be able to add certain Bagouet pieces to their repertoires, Liliane Martinez, then co-director of the company, the family of Dominique Bagouet, and former dancers decided jointly to create the association Les Carnets Bagouet, in order to reflect on and jointly manage the future of Bagouet's heritage. Among the nine founding members were members of Bagouet's family (his brother and sister), former dancers such as Michel Kelemenis, and an artistic collaborator. The initial idea of the dancers was to transmit, as bearers in their very bodies of the traces of Bagouet's work, the repertoire and pedagogy of the choreographer. This engendered many questions, notably about what should be done with the choreographer's work, what should be transmitted and how. These reflections gradually evolved the association's objectives and missions. It was first decided that the Carnets should not simply "conserve" Bagouet's repertoire but also transmit it to new generations of spectators and dancers in a "living" way. The initial idea thus became more precise, and while deepening their collective reflection on questions of the memory of Bagouet's work and contemporary choreographic heritage, the Carnets implemented various types of projects: remountings of works or excerpts by dancers from various structures, pedagogical projects, and the constitution of an archive collection. In the years 2000–2002, after multiple experiments, the Carnets Bagouet experienced a certain malaise: several resignations occurred and their objectives and actions were considerably called into question. By bringing to each project a response adapted to context, the Carnets evolved their approaches. A seminar, "État des lieux", was organised in 2004 to reflect on their evolution and to study and critically examine what had been achieved since their creation. From this period, whereas the association had until then almost exclusively welcomed former dancers of Dominique Bagouet, it opened up to other artists and researchers. The Carnets then preferred to leave a greater degree of freedom to new generations in remountings, who appropriate Bagouet's dances through the various archives made available to them. In 2005, the Carnets Bagouet defined themselves more as a resource centre and less focused on remountings and on the desire to keep Bagouet's work alive. This experience of passing on a contemporary choreographic heritage after the disappearance of a choreographer and his company was pioneering in France. The name "Carnets" does not allude to written archives but first to the very bodies of the dancers, who preserved the memory of the choreographies performed and from which Bagouet would have created his works. The name also evokes a notebook on which notes, observations, fragments of ideas and reflections are found — something not immediately graspable, in the process of being built, like the association. The functioning of the Carnets is intended to be collective and open, leading its members to debate, discuss, criticise, even question methods and objectives, to confront other dancers and organisations, and to interrogate their approach and its consequences. Philippe Cohen, director of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, was its first president from 1993 to 1998, before giving way to Jack Ralite, journalist and president of the association from 1998 to 2009. Since 2020, Isabelle Launay has presided over the association. The Carnets Bagouet are then organised around three poles of competence: an artistic council, formerly called "cellule de réflexion", a pedagogical college created in 2005, and a board of directors. The objective of the artistic council is to reflect on the methods and actions implemented by the association, to gather the various archives and to transmit Bagouet's heritage. Responses are provided collectively and each decision is validated by the board of directors. Olivia Grandville was notably a member of this artistic council from 1993 to 2001 and organised there the remountings of Jours Étranges and So Schnell for the Dance Theatre of Ireland, the Opéra de Paris and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. Each member carries out other activities, each being an interpreter, choreographer or pedagogue. The association maintains a website, lescarnetsbagouet.org, whose new version offers consultation on phone and tablet; the old site is conserved and the writing and digital archiving work carried out by Anne Abeille and Marion Bastien has been absorbed and augmented. It presents works, projects, research and past and future experiences: reference texts and existing resources as well as more recent or unpublished content — transmissions, transcriptions, and links to new audiovisual documents, sometimes archival. In 2023, for the 30th anniversary, the Papiers de l'Imec were written by certain collaborators. For 2026, the association announced multiple projects: LA COUR DES ANGES by Laurent Pichaud, created 6 June 2026 at the Festival d'Uzès; transmission of excerpts of NECESITO for the Insada group in Valencia as part of Danse en Amateur et Répertoire du CN D; and prefiguration of a new adaptation project of the piece FANTASIA SEMPLICE, created in 1986.

• Death of choreographer Dominique Bagouet

• Creation of the association Les Carnets Bagouet by former dancers and collaborators

• Philippe Cohen becomes first president (until 1998)

• Jack Ralite becomes president (until 2009)

• Period of internal malaise with several resignations and questioning of objectives

• Seminar "État des lieux" critically reviews the association's work

• Creation of the pedagogical college; association defines itself more as a resource centre

• Isabelle Launay becomes president

• 30th anniversary; Papiers de l'Imec written by collaborators

• Creation of LA COUR DES ANGES by Laurent Pichaud at the Festival d'Uzès

A pioneering French resource and transmission body for contemporary choreographic heritage, operating as a collective, open association.

• Remountings of Dominique Bagouet's works and excerpts

  Remountings by dancers from various structures, including Jours Étranges and So Schnell for the Dance Theatre of Ireland, the Opéra de Paris and the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève.

• Pedagogical projects

  Transmission of Bagouet's pedagogy to new generations of dancers.

• Archive collection

  Constitution of an archive collection and digital resources, including work by Anne Abeille and Marion Bastien.

• Transcriptions and audiovisual documents

  Transmissions, transcriptions and links to new audiovisual documents, sometimes archival.

1. 1Les carnets Bagouet | Accueillescarnetsbagouet.org
2. 2Carnets Bagouetwikidata.org
3. 3Les Carnets Bagouetfr.wikipedia.org