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Identity and independence — it’s the crux of every performer who strives to cement their footprints in the performing arts. Professional dancers aren’t just pioneers in the craft of movement alone. They are storytellers, risk-takers, and confident leaders who are changing the world through every step and beat. They are innovators who shape their choreographies to bring attention to societal causes that are most important to them. They are the visionaries of a future that’s made better through creativity and thought.
In Europe, change-making dancers find a home at London Contemporary Dance School, based out of The Place. Since 1969, it’s been producing the next generations of “thinking, speaking” dancers who aren’t limited to one mode of performance. Students here dive head-first into interdisciplinary programmes designed to grow versatile performers who aren’t afraid to express and lead themselves and others through the art that they create.
It’s a primary goal that students build that sense of agency and trust in themselves as artists at LCDS, and it’s the reason why their alumni have gone on to dominate performing arts scenes around the world. They’re award-winners, company managers, circus performers, artistic directors, and movement coaches. When crossing and weaving new styles together, they’re confident and competent – all because they started their careers in a place where ideas were exchanged, skills were challenged, and learning was guided by globally renowned teachers, lecturers, and guest artists.
In the MA Dance: Performance programme, just one of the selection of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees offered at LCDS, students are geared up for a lifetime of success. Faculty members continuously work with current industry performers to evolve the programme so that it reflects the real world. After all, the performing arts scene is ever-changing. Whether it’s on stage or on the street, in eccentric garments or t-shirts and jeans, in front of an audience or a high-tech camera — students dance through intensive training to build their adaptability.
In the MA Dance: Performance programme, students build leadership skills through real-world projects and settings. Source: London Contemporary Dance School
Spanning over 12 months, the experience is split into three units: Encounters, Contexts, and Portfolio. To aspiring dancers, it offers the best of many worlds. The creative exploration granted to an artist as a freelancer, but with the security of a support system at LCDS. You’re growing with your artistry, and as a professional who’s staying ahead of the game with skills that means you’ll be undeterred by new challenges and trends.
The first unit is all about new beginnings. You’re building the foundation for your career by working on diverse projects that involve researching, creating, and sharing dance performances. Here, the doors are open for you to explore your identity through your art, and it further develops when you’ve got ample room to collaborate and exchange ideas with LCDS’s community of 250 students from all over the world. Through this intensive training period, you’ll understand the fundamentals of performance across various mediums.
Collaboration sits at the heart of LCDS. With connections to industry leaders across contemporary dance and more, being able to innovate with people who are just like you is what colours your experience with a global perspective. It’s the chance for you to see the world from angles you’ve never thought of, and build a stronghold of leadership abilities.
Just several months back, the MA Dance: Performance students worked with the internationally-recognised Benjamin Jonsson, an LCDS graduate himself. He’s a world-class choreographer and movement director who’s spread his name across luxury brands in fashion, artists like Little Simz and FKA twigs, top editorial publications, and more. Together with LCDS students, Jonsson produced a short dance film, HERD(mentality), which explores personal identity within group mentality.
Students at LCDS have access to a wide range of facilities, including 10 spacious dance studios, a 288-seat theatre, and more. Source: London Contemporary Dance School
The second unit is all about expanding your skills through professional development. After the foundation’s built, it’s time to grow your versatility. In this unit, the skills you garnered from the first unit get contextualised in projects often curated by industry-active professionals. Here’s where your work finds meaning — through various stages and sites, you’ll use your research skills to emulate themes in your choreography that are meaningful to you.
Enter the third unit, where everything comes together in a self-directed period of real-world activity. Taking place over the summer, this is the unit where everything you’ve learned as a dancer comes full circle. Not only are you able to decide for yourself where you’d like to go with your career trajectory, exploring the international opportunities that the dance world has to offer through residencies, placements, workshops and festivals, but you also have the individualised support of an industry mentor and an individual tutor on the course team. They’ll guide you to unlock your utmost potential in an upbeat environment that prioritises your success first and foremost.
Creative liberty at LCDS is why they’re crafting the future of dance by growing brilliant, risk-taking minds who are ready to conquer the professional industry. If you’d like to join their acclaimed alumni roster, watch the short film below to gain a deeper insight into what makes MA Dance: Performance at LCDS a cut above the rest.
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