An off-shoot of the former Ballet Royal de Wallonie, the Choreographic Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Centre Chorégraphique de la Fédération Française Wallonie-Bruxelles) has taken a radical turn towards contemporary creation.

Frédéric Flamand, its director from 1991 to 2004, made it a leading institution on an international level. It has been run by Vincent Thirion, General Manager and Artistic Director, since 2006 and there are three associate artists: Michèle Anne De Mey, Thierry De Mey, and Pierre Droulers. This new management set up an open project – a broad association of artists with an interdisciplinary dimension – centred on artistic work shared with choreographers and artists from the French-speaking Community but also from the international scene, while maintaining a continuous interaction with audiences.

While the creative work of the three artists/directors lies at the heart of the activity of Charleroi Danses, the Centre offers custom-made residencies in accordance with the specific requirements of the artists. The activities of Charleroi Danses take place in Les Écuries of Charleroi and at La Raffinerie in Brussels: including the production and touring of the work of the artists/directors and residents, and the programming of various events such as the dance Biennale.

Charleroi Danses offers a year-round Training Programme for professional dancers in the form of classes and workshops, and it organises master classes and ‘laboratory spaces’ led by the various creative artists of the Centre. In collaboration with the schools, Charleroi Danses has also set up a programme of artistic workshops under the ægis of the D.A.S. (Dispositif d’Accrochage Scolaire) in Brussels as well as a series of interventions for dance appreciation with the schools of the Hainaut region of Belgium.