École Jeannine Manuel Gala @ Palais Garnier

In collaboration with École Jeannine Manuel, KNOW NATION contributed to a gala performance at the Palais Garnier, marking the 70th anniversary of the school and the 20th anniversary of its Foundation.

The evening brought together professional artists and students within one of Europe’s most historically significant theatres, situating education, performance, and transmission within a shared cultural space.

Context

The collaboration was initiated by Dominique Laulanné, Director of Maison de la Musique de Nanterre, where Daniel Proietto is an Associate Artist. Her invitation connected Know Nation with École Jeannine Manuel, creating the conditions for an encounter between emerging students and established performers.

For Know Nation, this marked a first collaboration with an educational institution, extending its work beyond performance and film into pedagogical and intergenerational contexts.

The Performance: From Above

Conceived by Daniel Proietto, From Above unfolded across the grand staircase of the Palais Garnier. The work explored questions of perception, visibility, and relationship — between audience and performer, institution and individual, observation and self-awareness.

The performance featured:

• Daniel Proietto

• Marion Barbeau

• Antonin Monié

• Kevin Delaney

• Saya Bringuier

• Students of École Jeannine Manuel

Rather than functioning as a staged spectacle, From Above operated as a choreographic situation — one in which movement became a means of orientation within space, history, and collective presence.

Pedagogical Extension

Alongside the performance, Daniel Proietto led a working session with students and collaborators, focusing on movement as a shared language rather than a technical hierarchy.

The session addressed:

• attention and presence

• relationship between professional and non-professional practice

• vulnerability and confidence in performance

• movement as a tool for dialogue and self-perception

This pedagogical dimension was conceived as an extension of the artistic work, not as a separate educational product.

Position within KNOW NATION

This collaboration reflects Know Nation’s approach to cultural work:

• placing artistic practice in dialogue with institutions

• protecting authorship and depth

• allowing learning to emerge through encounter rather than instruction

The gala at Palais Garnier stands as a documented moment where performance, education, and architecture intersected without hierarchy.

Credits

Concept & Choreography: Daniel Proietto
Performers: Daniel Proietto, Marion Barbeau, Antonin Monié
Creative Assistants: Kevin Delaney, Saya Bringuier
Students: École Jeannine Manuel

Venue: Palais Garnier, Paris
Initiated by: Dominique Laulanné (Maison de la Musique de Nanterre)
Presented in collaboration with: École Jeannine Manuel & KNOW NATION