On a Saturday in May, the square in front of Reims Cathedral will no longer just be a place of passage: dozens of residents will move forward slowly. For the duration of a performance, the city will agree to take it easy.
Behind this project, choreographer Dimitri Chamblas collaborates with the Louis Roederer Foundation, which celebrates the 250 years of the Champagne House and its 15 years of patronage. With , they transform residents, dancers and non-dancers into performers in a spectacle of slowness.
Slow Show Reims: when the city goes into slow motion
The meeting is set for Saturday May 23, 2026, at 4 p.m., on the square in front of Reims Cathedral, for a performance lasting around twenty minutes. As noted by Audrey Bazin, artistic director of the Foundation, interviewed by France 3, before adding:
Audrey Bazin summarizes the intention of the project: then
A participatory performance for dancers and non-dancers
To support this project, the Foundation launched a call for participation from residents. Objective: to bring together around sixty people from Rémois and Rémois with varied profiles, with or without artistic practice. underlines Audrey Bazin.
During four workshops, from Tuesday to Friday before the performance, then a dress rehearsal in the Cellier of Maison Louis Roederer, each participant works on a personal gesture, inspired by their daily life. This movement is then stretched, slowed down to the extreme and tuned to the others to form a common work directed by Dimitri Chamblas. Everything is danced to music made from the sounds of Reims.
Louis Roederer Foundation: an anniversary open to the people of Rémois
For its 15th anniversary, the Foundation chose Reims as its open-air stage. explains Audrey Bazin. It claims a patron position close to the territory and the daily uses of culture.
says Audrey Bazin.
What is the Slow Show Reims?
A very slow, participatory dance performance, created with residents of Reims by Dimitri Chamblas.
When and where does the Slow Show take place?
Saturday May 23, 2026 at 4 p.m., on the square in front of Reims Cathedral, free access.
How to participate in the Slow Show as a resident?
You must be of legal age, available for four workshops and a dress rehearsal, then register online via the Foundation’s partners.
