International professional training course from 7 to 11 September 2026

“Mastery and finesse of the movement – Towards hand virtuosity .”
The hand as the driving force of puppetry. Work based on the Chinese glove puppet.
Training course conducted by Yeung Faï, a master of Chinese glove puppetry, assisted by Yoann Pencolé, puppeteer, artistic director, at the Théâtre à la Coque.

The Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Félix and the Théâtre à la Coque – Centre national des arts de la marionnette in Hennebont have joined forces to offer a professional training course.
Conceived and designed by the Théâtre à la Coque (TAC), this training programme benefits from the support and guidance of the Pôle for its implementation. This joint initiative illustrates a shared commitment to pooling skills, resources and expertise. By combining their approaches and resources, the TAC and the Pôle offer a demanding and stimulating training framework for professionals in the puppetry arts.

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PUBLIC CONCERNED
Professionals in the art of puppetry.

PREREQUISITES
– Professional experience in the performing arts.
– Professional experience on stage.
– Minimum language level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) in French and English.

ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
We invite you to inform us of any specific requests relating to a personal circumstance or a disability. We can then study the possibility of your participation. We can also find a suitable solution and implement the appropriate adjustments.

SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
This professional training, organised by the Théâtre à la Coque and the Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Felix, will be subject to a preliminary selection based on applications.
Trainees may be eligible for financial support by the AFDAS, based on individual application to be made when submitting their application for the training.

DATES AND DURATION OF THE TRAINING
Monday 7 to Friday 11 September 2026
5 days – 35 hours
Times: 9.00 am–1.00 pm / 2.30 pm–5.30 pm

TRAINING LOCATION
Théâtre à la Coque
3 rue de la Paix, 56700 Hennebont (France)

TRAINING LANGUAGES
English and French, minimum B2 level
in both languages.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
The group is made up of a minimum of 8 participants and a maximum of 16 participants.

COST OF THE TRAINING
550€ (self-financing)
950€ (Funded by an organisation: AFDAS or other funding)
Registred fee of 15€.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
31 May 2026

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TRAINING OVERVIEW
Chinese glove puppetry is an art form characterised by extremely precise movement. This professional training offers in-depth work on breathing, flexibility, dexterity, dissociation, fluidity and the musicality of movement, with the aim of developing a sense of presence, precision and virtuosity in the service of puppetry.
Through intensive daily training, inspired by traditional Chinese practices and enriched by Yeung Faï ’s contemporary approach, participants will explore the hand as a dramaturgical tool, capable of generating rhythm, intention, emotion and narrative.
Through the practice of Chinese glove puppetry, participants will acquire precise skills in hand movement, coordination and finger dissociation. These gestural tools are not limited to the glove: they are directly transferable and applicable to all other puppetry techniques, thereby enhancing fluidity, precision and expressiveness across all stage practices.

MAIN OBJECTIVE
To guide participants in developing their dexterity, precision and awareness of movement through the specific practice of Chinese glove puppetry, with a view to deepening the relationship between the hand, the body, movement and acting intent.
This professional training offers an immersion in the fundamentals of this technique while opening up a space for exploration of movement quality, stage presence and the construction of performance, in the service of contemporary puppetry.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
– Develop flexibility, endurance and precision in the hands, in direct connection with the body and breathing.
– Increase the fundamental principles of Chinese glove puppet manipulation: dissociation, coordination, impulse, rhythm and the musicality of movement.
– Learn and integrate several traditional choreographies from the Chinese glove puppet repertoire, in order to master their technical, rhythmic and expressive principles.
– Explore the links between inner intention, movement and the character’s expressiveness.
– Work on the quality of stage presence through economy of gesture and precision of movement.
– Understand how the specific constraints of the Chinese glove puppet foster creativity, dramaturgy and the composition of movement.
– Develop a keen awareness of one’s partner, the group and the space.
– Refine the ability to observe, analyse and self-correct movement.
– Explore the poetic, rhythmic and symbolic dimensions of puppetry movement.
– Experiment with performance in real-life situations during public presentations, in order to examine the relationship with the audience’s gaze, the delivery and the precision of the performance.

TARGET SKILLS
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
– Be familiar with technical fundamentals of Chinese glove puppetry.
– Develop advanced dexterity that can be applied to other disciplines.
– Create and perform a short sequence without dialogue.
– Develop a precise, clear and expressive movement score.
– Work solo and in pairs within a collaborative creative process.

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TEACHING METHODS
– Direct teaching through demonstration and repetition of movements and choreography.
– Daily physical training: core strength, muscle strengthening and posture.
– Progressive exercises: learning through breaking down movements into smaller parts and repetition.
– Individual work – writing with one or two hands, dramaturgy.
– Collective work – writing in groups.
– Rehearsals and public performances (outdoor and indoor).
– Constructive group feedback: highlight strengths and areas for improvement in writing.

ASSESSMENT
– Continuous observation by the instructor to monitor participants’ progress.
– Collective debriefing session.
– Individual self-assessment.
– Learning evaluation form.

RESOURCES PROVIDED
– Chinese glove puppets provided by Yeung Fai.
– Video materials – bibliography.
– Educational materials from PAM (Portail des Arts de la Marionnette).

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