The chaufferie
A space for creation and residencies
Since 1993, La Chaufferie (literally, “Boiler Room”) has been the working and creation space for the Compagnie DCA.
Since 2021, with support from its new public partners (the DRAC Île-de-France, the Île-de-France region and the Caisse des Dépôts), residencies called Accueils-Studio were offered to young companies based in the Île-de-France area, in order to help them develop their onstage vocabularies. To that end, in 2022, 23 groups were welcomed here, of which 6 received co production support from regional cultural structures (including Espace 1789, International Choreographic Encounters of Seine-Saint-Denis, Danse Dense, Danse Élargie, Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, le Pôle Cirque d’Antony – L’Azimut, Initiatives d’Artistes en Danses Urbaines – La Villette and L’Étoile du Nord)
Designed and built in 1952 by the architect André Lurçat, this former thermal plant was used to heat the city of Saint-Denis.
In 1993, at the invitation of Patrick Braouezec, the then mayor of Saint-Denis, Philippe Decouflé and the Compagnie DCA took over the space which had been phased out by the city. Major renovation and reconstruction then took place, transforming this large concete cube into a theatre.
The building is 700 m2 [7535 sq. ft], and it is organized around a stage space of 200m2 [2153 sq. ft], equipped with a full lighting grill and catwalks. A dance studio of 80m2 [861 sq. ft] was also created as part of this construction, complete with dressing rooms and bathrooms and a workshop/ storage area for sets and props. Administrative offices were also added. All of this made La Chaufferie into a valuable tool for company activities.
Territorial projects
The Compagnie DCA has implemented a number of socio-artistic collaborations in the Seine-Saint-Denis area.
These territorial projects involve both the dancers from the Compagnie DCA, as well as the companies hosted in residencies at La Chaufferie, offering a wide range of aesthetic choices and ideas, ranging from contemporary dance to the tango, and including the ‘popping’ style and electro music and dance.
In 2022, in workshops and participatory events, the Compagnie DCA brought in over 800 participants from around the region (kindergartens, elementary and high school students, handicapped or disadvantaged adults) in nearly 200 hours of events (workshops, screenings, visits, trips to see performances).