Cultural action
The term “cultural action” is used to describe projects made to create links between people, artists and works of art. Cultural action brings together many different projects. Examples include:
- art workshops
- discussion sessions
- meetings with artists…
This page explains the cultural activities of Latitudes Contemporaines.
Note on plain language
To make our cultural actions accessible to as many people as possible, our texts are written in plain or simplified language.
At Latitudes Contemporaines, cultural action is very important. Latitudes Contemporaines wants everyone to be able to enjoy an artistic experience, discover shows and express themselves using art. So, every year, Latitudes Contemporaines organises projects with different people and places, for example :
DURING THE FESTIVAL
The Latitudes Contemporaines festival takes place in June in Lille and the surrounding towns. During the festival, the Latitudes Contemporaines team organises projects with the public.
→ Do you work for a school, social centre, association or works council? Would you like to organise your visit to the festival in June?
If so, please contact Sarah Bocandé Costuas, who will be delighted to help you.
Here is his email address: sarah.b@latitudescontemporaines.com
Vogue Fem workshop and Ballroom culture history:
There will be a Ballroom dance workshop on May 12th, from 6:30 PM to 10:00 PM at FLOW, Lille.
Kendall Mugler, a member of the dance association Vogue in Lille, will be leading a workshop on Vogue Fem and Ballroom culture. This session is a great opportunity to discover the dance style and its history. After the workshop, there will be a “practice ball” where everyone is welcome to come and watch.
It is free, you have to book your entry here.
Roller initiation with Comme sur des Roulettes
Sunday June 7 3:30 > 4:15 at the Gare Saint Sauveur
Before the Roller Disco on June 7th, there will be a workshop to learn how to roller skate! It is open to beginners, and skates can be provided for you.
It is free, you have to book here.
Impuls’son workshop with Marine Rivoire
On Friday, June 19th, from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM at maison Folie Wazemmes, there will be a workshop exploring sound and movement. It will be led by performer Marine Rivoire and dancer Claudine Polaud.
This workshop is sensory-inclusive, designed for both visually impaired individuals and sighted participants. The session will be followed by a presentation of Marine Rivoire’s work.
It is free, you have to book here.
Inner territories workshops – Movement and watercolor
On Saturday, June 20th, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the LaM Museum, artists Valeria Gonzales and Valerie Aqueveque are hosting a workshop combining watercolor painting and movement.
The workshop is titled “Inner Territories” (Territoires intérieurs). Each participant will recall a place they have journeyed through—a place with its own unique colors and movements. Together, participants will tell small, shared stories through their colors and gestures. The workshop is open to everyone.
It is free, you have to book here.
CRÉER
- schools
- secondary schools
- associations
- social centres
- medical and educational institutes…
Examples of cultural action projects carried out at the festival :
TO DISCOVER
The Latitudes Contemporaines team offers tours of the festival adapted to different audiences. Groups come to discover the festival and see shows they have chosen.
Groups can be, for example :
- schoolchildren
- people supported by a social centre
- people supported by an association, etc.
The Latitudes Contemporaines team also welcomes people to discover the festival team’s jobs and activities for a few days.
TO PARTICIPATE
Together with artists from the festival, the Latitudes Contemporaines team offers artistic workshops. The workshops are different every year. Sometimes the participants create a performance at the end. Sometimes the workshops are open to everyone, and sometimes they are for a specific audience (children, groups, etc.).
TO CREATE
A COLLECTIVE CREATION WITH NADIA GHADANFAR AND THE TEENAGERS ACCOMPANIED BY ALEFPA
Each year, a group of young people supported by ALEFPA (Association Laïque pour l’Éducation, la Formation, la Prévention et l’Autonomie) create a show with an artist. The show is performed at the opening of the festival. In 2024, director Nadia Ghadanfar is creating the show with the teenagers. Their creation can be seen on 7 June at Le Grand Sud.
With the patronage support of the Fondation de France
TO RAISE AWARENESS
The festival’s shows often deal with important current affairs. Sometimes it’s important to be able to talk about them after the shows. During the festival, the Latitudes Contemporaines team organises times to talk about these subjects. Artists and audiences are invited to talk together. Sometimes other people are also invited to take part: for example, specialists in the subject, associations, etc.
TO TALK TOGETHER
During the festival, the Latitudes Contemporaines team organises discussions about the shows. With the team from the dance journal Les Démêlées, we meet in small groups after certain shows to discuss them. Sometimes it’s the artists who come and meet the audience after the show. These moments of exchange help to forge links between people.
This year, the exchanges with Les Démêlées will take place on 20 June after Filles-Pétroles at the Théâtre de l’Oiseau-Mouche and on 25 June after Anda, Diana at the Maison Folie Wazemmes.
ALL YEAR LONG
Throughout the year, Latitudes Contemporaines creates cultural action projects in the regions. Each year, the projects are different. Each project involves an artist and a partner organisation.
A partner organisation could be, for example :
- a school
- a social centre
- an association
- a home for the elderly…
Léa Garcia manages these projects as part of the Latitudes Contemporaines team.
Here is her e-mail address:
lea@latitudescontemporaines.com
CURRENTLY:
Traverser, © Natalia GoJa
WITH THE FESTIVAL DES SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONALES :
In autumn 2025, three artists created a show with young people. The artists are Tchina Ndjidda, choreographer, Nadia Ghadanfar, director, and Charles Duytschaever, musician. They led workshops with students from the Lille Conservatory and young people in exile. Together, they created a show featuring music, theatre and dance. The show is called Traverser (Crossing) and is about encounters, solidarity and collective energy.
Several associations participated in the project: Singa and La Cimade, Latitudes Contemporaines, the Lille Conservatory, the Festival des Solidarités Internationales and the Migrant’Scène festival.
LINKEDIN, AT THE GRAND PALAIS :
In November 2025, choreographer Florent Attuoman held dance workshops with young people from Lille and Oignies. Together, they created a show about the bonds that bring us together. The show is called Linkedin. It was presented to the public on 14 November 2025 at Lille Grand Palais for the national congress of the UNHAJ association.
Linkedin, © Latitudes Contemporaines
FOR 15 YEARS, IN COLLABORATION WITH ALEFPA:
Since 2009, Latitudes Contemporaines has been working with ALEFPA to help young people in need of support. This collaboration is designed to help young people find their place in society, at school and in their future careers.
There are three parts in this collaboration:
- Each year, before the festival, Latitudes Contemporaines invites a group of young people to take part in artistic workshops led by an artist. The young people reflect on and create a show together with the artist. Their show is presented at the start of the festival.
- During the festival, another group of young people learn about the jobs of the people who organise the festival. The young people discover the different jobs by taking part. They help set up the stages, cook the meals and welcome the artists and the public. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the cultural professions.
- During the festival, several groups of young people go to see shows at the festival. The Latitudes Contemporaines team accompanies them. The groups discover the shows together and discuss them with the festival team.
An event and a documentary to celebrate 10 years of collaboration
In 2019, Latitudes Contemporaines celebrated the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with ALEFPA. To mark the occasion, a documentary was made by Lille-based video-makers the Collectif des Routes. The documentary shows several moments from the festival. The documentary also features interviews with a number of people who took part in the project. We see young people who have grown up and remember the workshops and the festival.
A FEW PAST PROJECTS
WITH ALI MOINI :
Ali Moini is a choreographer. This means that he puts on dance shows. In his dance, he plays with what can prevent movement. At the end of 2023, he held dance workshops with elderly people. During the workshops, the people danced, paying attention to what their bodies could do. Ali Moini did the workshops with people from the Van Gogh residence in Croix. This residence is run by the ALEFPA association (Association Laïque pour l’Education, la Formation, la Prévention et l’Autonomie).
Ali Moini is a choreographer, but he also works with musicians. For one of his shows, he invented musical instruments with a musician. These instruments make sounds when you hold them in your arms. Ali Moini has set up workshops to use these instruments with people with disabilities. To create these workshops, Latitudes Contemporaines and the association Signes de Sens organised a day to reflect on universal musical practice. In 2024, he ran several workshops with children from the Institut Médico-Éducatif La Pépinière in Loos.
MACHO MAN
In 2021, Latitudes Contemporaines presented MACHO MAN, a documentary theatre project by Spanish company Heartbreak Hotel. MACHO MAN is about violence against women. As the subjects of MACHO MAN could provoke pain, fear or anger, associations were present after the show. With the associations, the Latitudes Contemporaines team set up a resource area. This is a place where you can find information on violence against women and how to combat it.
We have also created this resource area on a web page: it is available here in French.
More info on MACHO MAN and its partners in Lille and Arras here.
TIGHT, A COLLECTIVE CREATION WITH STUDENTS FROM THE LYCÉE SONIA DELAUNAY IN LOMME
In 2023, pupils at the Lycée Sonia Delaunay took part in several artistic workshops on hip-hop culture and costume design. The Lycée Sonia Delaunay is a secondary school in the town of Lomme where students can learn the fashion and textile trades. The workshops were led by three artists:
- Solen Athanassopoulos, a choreographer and dancer
- Marion François, a costume designer
- AL20, a singer, rapper and musician
Together, they presented the show TIGHT to an audience at the lycée on Thursday 13 April.
Partners:
– Lycée Sonia Delaunay, Lomme
This project was financed by the Région Hauts-de-France.
A LOOK BACK AT PAST EDITIONS OF THE FESTIVAL
