Thanks to the experience and the expertise of its staff, the Escola Livre de Dança da Maré offers exceptional classes to local residents of all ages. Directed by choreographer Silvia Soter, the school also hosts classes for the broader general public so as to open up the neighbourhood to the city. A training programme, Nucléo, welcomes fifteen or so young adults from the Favela da Maré for four hours from Monday to Friday, with the chance to pursue the cursus over several years.

Since 2011, the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès has supported the continuing education programme developed within this socially engaged project dedicated to the transmission of artistic skills. The Foundation played a role in the renovation of the school’s building and has also contributed to teachers’ salaries and bursaries for students. In a sign of the strong links forged at the school, former students return to give introductory classes in contemporary dance to the next intake. 

In 2018, the students in continuing education reinterpreted May B by Maguy Marin. As a young dancer, Lia Rodrigues participated in the original version of May B in 1981 before returning to her native Brazil. The piece is based on demystifying gestures that range from the subtle to the more essential and expressive, and emerges as a particularly sensitive vehicle for transmission between young dancers, amateurs and professionals. 

Also in 2018, as part of its New Settings programme, the Foundation supported the production and presentation of a new piece by Lia Rodrigues in Paris. The political situation in Brazil played a decisive role in the creative process of this work, entitled Fúria, where the ten dancers translate a sense of to the stage.