Walking across the 19th arrondissement, in the nearby neighbouring suburb of Pantin stands the Centre National de la Danse, the French national dance centre.
Built in the 1960s by architect Jacques Kalisz, initially as the new administration centre in town. However, the size of the building was deemed too large for purpose which resulted in several floors being abandoned and the building’s eventual degradation and closure in 1996.
Thankfully, unlike many brutalist buildings whose fate was sealed by the bulldozer, the building was renovated in 2000 by French architects and reopened as The National Dance Centre. Most of the concrete exterior was left alone, and while the interior is modern it still retains as much concrete as possible.
In total there are 11 dance studios, three of which are open to the public. The venue is also home to a library, classrooms, exhibitions rooms, a cinema and cafe. Some might say that while Kalisz was commissioned to build an administration centre, it’s like he always knew its real protentional was for something far greater.