The Dance & Creative Wellness Foundation and the Ballet Preljocaj are pleased to invite you to the 3rd edition of the Dance & Creative Wellness international Forum.

KEYNOTE  SPEAKERS:

Tim Joss (UK) – Chief Executive & Founder, Aesop – Arts Entreprise for a Social Purpose – Dance to Health programme
Begoña San José (Fr) – Clinical Psychologist, Head of health partnerships and business development, Axa France
David Pickering (UK) – Former soloist, Dance Educator, Creative Learning & Participation department, The Royal Ballet, London
Pr. Grégory Ninot (Fr) – Université de Montpellier, Director Platforme CEPS, non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs)

Join us for a day of challenging ideas, sharing, inspiration and concrete actions – a coming together of French and other European professionals from across the dance and health sectors. We encounter specialists from healthcare innovation, dance & health best practice examples from Ballet Preljocaj and from the UK, as well as sustainable business models, to expand the circle of influence of dance and facilitate partnerships, providing a platform for cross-sector dialogue in our commitment to promote public health and quality of life.

Our 2016 and 2017 Forums, partnered by Dutch National Opera & Ballet and Staatsballett Berlin, focused foundationally on “What?” – What do we as the dance community want to achieve with dance and health? And importantly “How?”

If health is now “the ability to adapt and self manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges” as Machteld Huber defined it (2011), then this year, in the creative heart of the Ballet Preljocaj, we anticipate the trend towards ‘non-pharmacological interventions’ and move our focus beyond dance and specific pathologies such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis or for Special Needs where dance is flourishing, to focus on the role of dance and particularly creativity, to promote health and wellbeing for larger populations, addressing such global challenges as the adult mental health epidemic and the demands of aging.

Our increasingly digital and virtual activity, stretches and over stimulates mental capacity with its focus on cognitive dexterity – combined tragically with an overly sedentary lifestyle, it disturbs natural, life-sustaining rhythm, disembodying and distancing human beings from their own, unique, inner resources to maintain the balance of the organism and sustain health. With its capacity to generate enjoyment, to engage individuals, re-embodying the physical, the mental and the emotional, promoting self-awareness and self-adaption, Dance has enormous wisdom to offer and an essential role to play in promoting health for all.

Together with specialists from diverse fields we develop strategies for our sector to respond to growing trends and expand our vision of a sustainable future, validating dance as preventative health and as a targeted healthcare intervention.

We look forward to your enriching input and perspectives to further the essential role of creative dance in individual wellness and global health.
Please note that the Forum, being an international event, will be conducted in English.

All best wishes,

Ballet Preljocaj
Nicole Saïd, Director
Youri Aharon van Den Bosch, Deputy to the Artistic Direction

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental state includes subjective well-being, perceived self-
efficacy, autonomy, competence, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one’s intellectual and

The Dance & Creative Wellness Foundation was created with the invaluable support of Dutch National Opera and Ballet to validate dance as a viable preventative health intervention and a powerful route to lifelong creativity and wellbeing.

The Ballet Preljocaj, National Choreographic Centre subsidised by Ministry of Culture and Communication – DRAC PACA,Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, Bouches-du-Rhône Department, Aix-Marseille Provence Metropolis / Aix Regional Territory, City of Aix-en-Provence, supported by Groupe Partouche – Casino Municipal d’Aix-Thermal, Individuals and companies sponsors, and private partners.

Practical Information :
BALLET PRELJOCAJ – PAVILLON NOIR
National Choreographic Centre
530, Avenue Mozart 13100 Aix-en-Provence – France
Tel : +33 (0)4 42 93 48 00
Parking : Méjanes or Rotonde