FEDORA - Empowering the Next Generation of Contemporary Dance: FEDORA at the 88th Jeudi du mécénat

Jeudi du mécénat 2026 i

Empowering the Next Generation of Contemporary Dance: FEDORA at the 88th Jeudi du mécénat

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12 March 2026

Paris / France

Industry News

On 12 March 2026, our Director Edilia Gänz took part in the 88th “Jeudi du mécénat”, a series of events organised by the Ministry of Culture (France) that bring together philanthropists, cultural professionals and institutions to discuss and promote cultural philanthropy and support for the arts.

This edition “Supporting Contemporary Dance through Philanthropy” gathered philanthropists, cultural leaders and artists to explore how philanthropy can better support contemporary dance and the artists shaping its future.

During the roundtable “Le mécénat au cœur du parcours artistique : la professionnalisation des artistes”, Edilia Gänz presented FEDORA’s vision of philanthropy as a driver of artistic development and international careers. Through the FEDORA Prizes Biennale and a network of more than 130 cultural institutions across nearly 30 countries, FEDORA supports emerging artists in transforming creative ideas into projects capable of circulating across Europe. Philanthropy in the living arts allows Prizes like the FEDORA-VAN CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize, supported by Van Cleef & Arpels in collaboration with Opera Europa to bring to the stage productions that reimagine dance for the 21st century, encouraging the rethinking of how ballets are created, produced, and delivered and nurturing innovation and creativity of dance by supporting new experimental dance creations created by promising teams of emerging artists with the ambition to reach international audiences.

She also highlighted how the FEDORA Prizes process itself contributes to the professionalisation of artists, from structuring a project application and pitching to an international jury to engaging audiences through crowdfunding campaigns.

Several internationally recognised artists have benefited from this support early in their careers, including Sharon Eyal, Hofesh Shechter and stage director Ted Huffman, a 2019 FEDORA Opera Prize laureate who has recently become Director of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

The panel brought together speakers representing different perspectives from across the cultural and philanthropic ecosystem. Contributors included Bernard Le Masson, founder of Fonds Haplotès; Mathis Nour, General and Artistic Delegate of ACEAC; Émilie Szikora, Co-Director of the Centre Chorégraphique National d’Orléans – direction Collectif ÈS; and Claire Visentini, Director of Philanthropy at Groupe Caisse des Dépôts. Together, they explored how philanthropic support, institutional partnerships and artistic accompaniment can help structure professional pathways for contemporary dance artists.

88e Jeudi du mécénat : Mécéner la danse contemporaine

The Philanthropy Mission organised the 88th Jeudi du mécénat on Thursday, 12 March 2026, a morning of discussions and exchanges dedicated to philanthropy in support of contemporary dance. The event took place at the Institut national d’Histoire de l’Art (Auditorium Jacqueline Lichtenstein).

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