Promoting Culture for All
Two Major Partnerships Bridging Culture and Youth Transmission
Through its partnerships with Hugo Marchand pour la Danse and the Association pour le Rayonnement de l’Opéra de Paris (AROP), the AXA Foundation for Human Progress is committed to making culture accessible to everyone.
We support projects that eliminate geographical, social and economic barriers to the arts. By backing ambitious and inclusive initiatives, we foster encounters between outstanding works and audiences that are often far removed from them. In doing so, we promote equal opportunity, personal fulfillment, and social cohesion.
Using Dance to Spread Culture Across France
In collaboration with Hugo Marchand pour la Danse, we support the ambitious cultural decentralization project “Les Etoiles au Château” which brings exceptional performances by seven principal dancers from the Opéra de Paris to historic châteaux. These venues are transformed into artistic settings for a weekend, with single tickets available for just €13.
Last year, 7,800 people attended; and for 2026, three weekends are planned, including at Chambord. By using dance as bridge to create connections, inspire wonder, educate, and foster collective experience - and sometimes even heal-, this initiative aligns with our goal of supporting artistic risk-taking and cultural innovation to address social, educational and economic issues.
Opera as a Tool for Empowerment and Equal Opportunity
Through the “Dix Mois d’École et d’Opéra” (DMEO) program, developed in collaboration with the Paris and Versailles education authorities, we promote the arts among younger generations. Each year, 1,000 students from priority education zones - and, since 2022, from the Centre-Val de Loire, Normandy and Corsica regions - follow a two-year, tailored pathway, from preschool to the final year of high school.
This program combines artistic workshops, meetings with professionals, access to performances, guided tours and an introduction to careers related to opera. Through this partnership, we reaffirm our shared values including art as a means of social cohesion and transmission.