Location is now closed with no re-opening date.
The following article is left as-is for historical and archiving purposes.
Elephant Paname Cultural Centre in Paris
In a fully restored Napoleon III mansion house, you will find a cultural centre that incorporates different forms of arts, including exhibitions, dance, music, lectures, shows, performances, gastronomy and much more, with workshops, dance lessons, rehearsal rooms, etc also available.
About the Elephant Paname
The Elephant Paname was established by Fanny Fiat, a former opera dancer and her brother Laurent Fiat, a visual artist, who wanted to incorporate all different forms of art into one cultural place where people could learn, enjoy and ultimately experience new things.
The location chosen was a mansion house in between the Place Vendome and the Palais Garnier Opera House, which needed a major amount of renovations after the building had been modified over the years including false ceilings being ripped out.
And what they discovered was a rich and historical interior from the Napoleon III era, which meant that renovations took over two years to complete in order to bring the building back to its former glory, yet still being able to add modern and high tech equipments to incorporate the dance studios, exhibition spaces, plus much more.
You will find the overall mansion incorporates living and discovery space in two separate wings that are connected by a courtyard, which has a glass covered dome, so you can enjoy a unique atmosphere with its grandeur, whilst bridging the gap between arts and general public.
Now, as we have mentioned there are different exhibitions held throughout the year, such as one that was running during April and May 2015 called the Play of the Brilliants, that focused on light and emotions through different aspects, whereas in May 2018 there was a stage show called Bollywood Fusion and one of the concerts was called L'Instant Lyrique.
However, different workshops are also held, and one of these is called Dance Like Beyonce, yet there are also numerous different classes that you can attend by prior reservation such as Yoga and Pilates.
But on top of this, there are also dance lessons available by independent and qualified teachers, so you could learn Latin, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Tango and Contemporary, through to Ballet, Modern, Oriental and Tap, but not forgetting classes such as Self Defence with the Krav Maga system that is suitable for all and designed for real life situations.
And you may be pleased to know that there are also dedicated mens and womens changing rooms available with spacious showers, lockers and hair dryers, etc.
Cafe EP
We cannot finish talking about the Elephant Paname without mentioning that there is a cafe called the Cafe EP, which took over from a gourmet restaurant in Paris called Goust.
The Cafe EP was designed by Fanny and Laurent Fiat to provide a place where students could relax in different areas of the cafe that is classed as a hidden cafe in Paris, which is located on the 1st floor of the Elephant Paname and has different areas such as a lounge area along with a bar area and traditional style cafe tables to enjoy a snack.
Whether it be platters of cold cuts or cheeses directly from organic or artisan producers, through to a salad of the day or a quiche of the day, literally changing every day and made on site, or a slice of cake, this is a great place to enjoy lunch or have a snack when experiencing the Elephant Paname.
Visiting the Elephant Paname Cultural Centre in Paris
The Elephant Paname exhibition rooms are open on a Tuesday through to a Sunday from 11am to 7pm, however, last ticket sales are one hour prior to closing time and all vary in cost, and often have to be booked in advance due to the limited number of places available. With this in mind, the ticket office and the boutique are open at the times mentioned above.
Whereas the dance studios are open on a Monday through to a Saturday from 9:30am to 9:30pm and on a Sunday from 10am to 7pm, yet we would like to point out that these are only accessible by prior reservations, and often directly with the dance or class teacher.
However, we would also like to mention that Elephant Paname is closed on certain National French holidays such as 1st May, 25th December, etc and the opening times can vary depending upon the type of event, such as a specific concert or show that may not start until 8pm for instance, yet you may be pleased to know that the place is accessible to the disabled.
As for the Cafe EP, this is open from noon through to 5pm on a Monday to Friday, yet it is closed at weekends and all other times, but if you wish to find out more information or make a booking then you can contact this cafe in Paris via telephone on +33 (0) 1 49 27 83 36.
Now when it comes to getting to this cultural centre, you will find the Elephant Paname located in the 2nd Arrondissement close to many different tourist attractions such Palais Garnier the original opera house, and unusual entertainment venue of the American Dream, plus the famous Place Vendome for instance.
So when it comes to reaching here via public transport in Paris, you will find that the nearest Metro station is the Opera stop serving lines 3, 7 and 8 whereas the nearest RER train station is the Auber stop serving line A.
Yet there are numerous different Paris buses that stop near to the Elephant Paname, which include the lines 20, 21, 24, 27, 29, 39, 42, 52, 66, 68, 81, 84, 94 and 95, along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via Lines N15 and N16. But a little further away and you could utilise the Madeleine Metro station that serves lines 8, 12 and 14.
