The TAP (86) and the Moulin du Roc (79)
These two cultural platforms are a must for anyone interested in the performing arts in the broadest sense: contemporary and classical music, opera, classical and contemporary dance, theater, circus, digital arts and more. Their dazzling programming resonates beyond the borders of the Poitou region, as they host and co-produce convoys of internationally renowned artists. The TAP in Poitiers, for example, is renowned for its dance events - the Vienne region, a breeding ground for contemporary dance, is home to a multitude of groups, including Les Clandestins, the company of choreographer Odile Azagury, Carolyn Carlson's sidekick, and the daring and exciting À Corps festival. Niort also has its own national stage, the Moulin du Roc, leader of the Niort cultural season and distinguished for its dramaturgical choices (www.lemoulinduroc.fr). You can also take a look at the 3T in Châtellerault, three stages for theater, dance and music (www.3t-chatellerault.fr).
Heavyweights of current music
Punks, dance-hall reggae fans and Berlin clubbers will be squatting on this activist counter-culture scene-gallery-fanzinotheque-cantine, the Confort Moderne (Poitiers), an unmissable alternative and experimental platform since its creation in 1988. Sonic Youth, Lee Scratch Perry and NTM have all set the place alight: that's how deliciously eclectic the menu is (www.confort-moderne.fr)! In Niort, head for CAMJI, part of two racy festivals: Rise & Fall, a local Hellfest devoted to metal and punk; and Nouvelle(s) Scène(s), a springboard for rising stars of international indie music (www.camji.com). Sound adventurers will want to check out Parthenay's Diff'art (https://sallediffart.com), or Poitiers' popular Republic Corner (big names at small prices). And don't forget Carré Bleu (jazz but not just jazz), well known to music lovers. And for those who prefer big shows to underground venues, check out the Arena Futuroscope (www.arena-futuroscope.com).
Constellation of festivals, all year round
Your city and country stops are bound to be punctuated by festivals of all kinds, to be enjoyed with the whole family and often... free of charge. Between classical music and historic monuments, you'll be stunned by the Royal Abbey of Celles-sur-Belle (79), organizer of the prestigious Estivales d'ArtenetrA international festival, the Souffle et Lumières du Baroque festival (www.abbaye-royale-celles.com), in the Vienne region, at the Soirées lyriques de Sanxay, or the revival, since 1999, of this Gallo-Roman theater with its exceptional acoustics (https://operasanxay.fr). On the jazz front, escape to the Gâtine region around Parthenay and the "Le Jazz bat la campagne" touring festival, an amusing series of musical commandos sent to the four corners of the bocage (www.lejazzbatlacampagne.com), as well as to Melle and its Boulevard du jazz. Alongside the famous Expressifs (Poitiers), you'll find a host of theatrical, circus, fairground and poetic events in the Deux-Sévriens: the Ah? festival in Parthenay, Le Nombril du Monde in Pougne-Hérisson (a whole universe to explore with the whole family, built on imagination; www.nombril.com), and the Au Village festival in Brioux-sur-Boutonne (http://festivalauvillage.fr). Cultures and music from around the world are also on the program: get away from it all at Rêve de l'aborigène, in Airvault (www.lerevedelaborigene.org), and at RIFE, in Saint-Maixent-l'École, the Rencontres internationales folkloriques enfantines (www.rife.asso.fr).
