ABOUT US

OUR STORY

Books on the Move began with the desire to create a traveling bookstore specialised in contemporary dance, performance and somatic practices for dancers to access a literature in lack of visibility.

Founded in Berlin, in 2008, by Agnès Benoit, the bookstore settled for the duration of one evening or for a whole festival in the capital dance venues, and very quickly started traveling everywhere in Germany. Over the years its catalogue in English and German languages expanded. From the start Books on the Move also functioned with an online store.

In 2013, Books on the Move leaves Berlin and settles in Bordeaux. It becomes a French non-profit organisation (association loi 1901) which allows for an expansion of its activities towards events and workshops around movement, writing, reading, language. Stéphanie Pichon, who informally had been part of Books on the Move’s adventure since the Berlin years, co-founded the non-profit organisation. From the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Books on the Move continues to travel everywhere in France and in Europe and develops workshops, conferences and events during its travels. Expanded BOM emerged.

THE TEAM

For many years Agnès Benoit shared her life between France, England, the United-States and Germany. Whether it be during her studies, teaching or presence on stage, sharing and reflecting around the moving body have always been her anchor point, playground… From her long practice of improvisation arises a series of interviews (On the Edge/Créateurs de l’Imprévu, Contredanse, 1997), as well as a multidisciplinary and experimental approach to language learning through movement.

Stéphanie Pichon crosses path with Books on the Move in 2008, in Berlin, where she is an independent journalist specialised in performing art and more specifically on contemporary dance. Back in Bordeaux since 2012, she shares her time between her writings as a journalist for theaters and companies, as a cultural mediator (conferences, encounters, teaching) and her implication in Books on the Move’s project for which she’s the co-founder.

Jeanne Dantin was a volunteer at Books on the Move for a few years, she then became the secretary from 2021 to 2023. Jeanne still works closely with Books on the Move, now as a consultant, as part of Antennes, a production and artistic projet development organisation, that she cofounded with Isabelle Ellul and Amance Riquois Tilmont.  

BOM booksellers : a group of about ten bookseller volunteers, all members of the non-profit organisation, roam theaters from the Bordeaux region and elsewhere in France and in Europe, with a selection of books, alone or at our sides.
Each year, we offer training sessions.

Nothing could happen without the commitment of our board:
Hélène Petitprez (president), Marie-Paule Leurs (treasurer), Jeanne Dantin (secretary).

OUR PARTNERS

Venues

L’ADC (Genève), L’Avant-Scène (Cognac), Centre national de la danse (Pantin), CCN Viadanse de Belfort, Dock 11 (Berlin), Espaces Pluriels (Pau), Glob Théâtre (Bordeaux), La Manufacture CDCN (Bordeaux), L’OARA (Bordeaux), Scène nationale l’Empreinte (Brive), TAP (Poitiers) Transcanal (Rennes)…

Festivals

Biennale Danse Emoi (Limoges), Biennale de la danse (Lyon), Camping (CND, Pantin), Close Encounters (Copenhague), DañsFabrik, (Brest), Extension Sauvage (Bretagne), Festival À Corps (Poitiers), Format (Ardèche), In Movement Festival (Brussels), Le festival international des Brigittines (Brussels), L1 Dance Fest (Budapest), Les Hivernales (Avignon), Mars Planète Danse (Cognac), Mimos (Périgueux) Notafe (Viljandi – Estonia), Panique au Dancing (Niort), Panorama Vidéodanse (Bordeaux), Résonance(s) (Pau), Trajectoires (Nantes), Trente Trente (Bordeaux), Waterproof (Rennes)…

Publishers

OUR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTS