ARTEVENTIA reunites with PAL/SECAM for the 40th anniversary of the CNAC in Châlons-en-Champagne
A renewed collaboration at the service of an exceptional creation
Some artistic collaborations are self-evident, as they are based on the same sensitivity to vision, rhythm, and emotion. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Centre National des Arts du Cirque, ARTEVENTIA reunites with PAL/SECAM for a new creation presented in Châlons-en-Champagne, as part of an exceptional anniversary evening organized by the CNAC.
This return to collaboration is part of a demanding artistic dialogue, where visual writing and the dramaturgy of special effects fully contribute to the power of live performance. For ARTEVENTIA, accompanying an artistic signature like that of PAL/SECAM means defending a certain idea of creation: precise, soulful, contemporary, and always designed to serve meaning.
The CNAC celebrates forty years of history and influence
Founded in 1986, the National Circus Arts Centre will celebrate in 2026 four decades dedicated to passing on knowledge, creation, and the promotion of contemporary circus. Based in Châlons-en-Champagne, the CNAC has established itself over the years as a leading institution, in France and internationally, in training circus artists and developing new forms of stage writing.
To mark this anniversary, the CNAC is offering the public a grand festive evening at the La Marnaise site on Friday, April 10, 2026, with a program designed as a living journey through forty years of history, memory, and creation. This celebration brings together performances, archives, exhibitions, tours, and artistic interventions in a single movement: reviving the spirit of the place while affirming its contemporary vitality.
PAL/SECAM imagines a new creation to relive 40 years of circus arts
On the occasion of this anniversary, PAL/SECAM presents a new show designed specifically for the event. True to its universe, the artistic duo offers a form for which it is known, at the crossroads of image, memory, and performance, inviting the public to relive forty years of circus arts in Châlons-en-Champagne.
As part of this evening, the creation takes on a particular resonance. It does not only celebrate an anniversary date: it summons the traces, gestures, imaginaries, and metamorphoses that have shaped the history of the CNAC. By articulating archives, space, visual narrative, and the evocative power of performance, PAL/SECAM delivers a proposal that promises to be sensitive, immersive, and spectacular.
A natural extension after Combustion
This new chapter naturally extends the collaboration already underway between ARTEVENTIA and PAL/SECAM around Combustion, a show for which ARTEVENTIA provided the special effects design.
With Combustion, PAL/SECAM developed a strong reflection on the pyrotechnic imaginary, the collective fascination with fire, and representations of power, by summoning a dense, contemporary, and critical visual language. ARTEVENTIA’s contribution was part of this artistic requirement: making special effects not just a simple spectacular ornament, but a true writing tool at the service of the show’s interpretation.
This first collaboration confirmed a rare affinity between two universes that share a taste for strong forms, soulful images, and meaningful setups. Reuniting with PAL/SECAM today, as part of the CNAC’s 40th anniversary, gives this continuity a very special significance.
The design of special effects as a stage language
Through this new collaboration, ARTEVENTIA once again affirms its vision of performance: special effects only have strength when they fully participate in the overall dramaturgy of the work.
In a context as symbolic as the CNAC’s anniversary, this requirement takes on its full significance. It is less about accompanying a celebration than revealing its memory, emotional charge, and collective power. The work of designing special effects finds its full meaning here: enriching the spectator’s experience, intensifying the stage presence, and giving the creation a deeply embodied visual dimension.
An event not to be missed in Châlons-en-Champagne
With this anniversary evening, the CNAC offers the public much more than a commemorative moment: an invitation to experience forty years of artistic adventure in a spirit of celebration, transmission, and creation.
The presence of PAL/SECAM, combined with ARTEVENTIA’s perspective on special effects design, promises a powerful moment, matching what the CNAC represents in the live performance landscape. A rare event in Châlons-en-Champagne, where the history of contemporary circus will meet the power of visual writing designed to leave a lasting impression.
Practical Information
Date: Friday, April 10, 2026
Location: CNAC – La Marnaise Site, Châlons-en-Champagne
Evening hours: from 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM
Access: free entry, free event, some tours by reservation
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