The Théâtre Capellia, the stage for our shows

A real auditorium, a real stage, real lighting: each year our students dance at the Théâtre Capellia. Here is the place that makes the show so memorable.

A fully-fledged theatre

The Théâtre Capellia sits on chemin de Roche Blanche, in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, at the gates of Nantes. Its red tiered seating, its large stage and its professional lighting change everything: dancing there is nothing like a demonstration in the classroom. The stage is vast, the light carefully worked, the audience settled in the dark. It is a setting made for performance, where each scene takes on another scale.

For a dance school, choosing a real theatre rather than a gym or a village hall is no minor detail. It means giving students the conditions of a real show: wings, entrances and exits, a curtain, spotlights. All these elements turn a year of classes into a show. Dancing on a stage designed for it, with the distance of the audience and the depth of the stage, teaches the dancer to fill the space differently than in a studio, where the eye reaches only a few metres.

Why this place matters to the students

For many children, it is the moment when the year's work makes sense. Stepping onto this stage, feeling the nerves, hearing the applause: that is a formative experience, and a memory that lasts. And with us, every student dances, from movement awakening to adults.

The stage teaches what no class can pass on: concentrating despite the emotion, remembering your choreography under the audience's gaze, giving your best at the right moment. These are gains in confidence that reach far beyond dance and that children carry within them long after the final bow. We talk about it at greater length in our article on stage nerves.

What happens in the wings

Behind the few hours of performance lie months of preparation: choreographies learned from the autumn, the choice of costumes and lighting, run-throughs to link the whole show together. On the day, the students discover behind the scenes: the wait in the wings, the mutual help between dancers, the joyful jitters before going on. To go further, discover our article behind the scenes of the annual show.

An evening that brings families together

The show is also a gathering for loved ones. Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters fill the seats to applaud their dancers. Seeing your child alone on a big stage, lit and self-assured, brings a rare emotion, a pride shared by the whole family. That is what makes the show the high point of the season.

Attending the show

The show takes place each year at the end of the season. Bookings are made at the studio or at the theatre box office. All the practical information (access, dates, arrangements) is gathered on the Show page. We advise you to book without delay, as the auditorium fills up quickly, carried by all the families coming to applaud their dancers. The theatre is easy to reach by car from Nantes, with parking nearby.

Dancing on this stage next year

All it takes is signing up for a class: the stage is part of the learning from the very first year, whatever the discipline chosen, from ballet to contemporary, by way of modern jazz and street jazz. To find out where to begin, try find my class. The first trial class is free, all year round.