Director for 41 years, Jean-Paul Montanari leaves the Montpellier Danse festival

Jean-Paul Montanari dirigeait Montpelier danse depuis 1983. Midi Libre – JEAN MICHEL MART

He informed the board of directors of his desire to assert his retirement rights on October 1, against the backdrop of the rapprochement between Montpellier Danse and the National Choreographic Center.

This Tuesday, April 9, the board of directors of Montpellier Danse, gathered in a general assembly in the presence of representatives of the Montpellier Metropolis, the Occitanie Region and the Ministry of Culture under the presidency by Didier Deschamps, took note of the decision of Jean-Paul Montanari, director, to exercise his retirement rights on October 1, 2024. This decision, which was expected, comes in a context of reflection on the project of the & rsquo;Agora, international city of dance.

The Ministry of Culture and the Montpellier Metropolis have indeed mandated Didier Deschamps to lead a reflection on a new organization of this unique place in Europe dedicated to choreographic creation that is the ;Agora, international dance city, bringing together the two associations, Montpellier Danse and the National Choreographic Center. 

Jean-Paul Montanari has been running the festival for 41 years. He took over as general director in 1983, two years after the birth of the Montpellier Danse International Festival, in 1981, where he assisted Dominique Bagouet.