Scottish School of Contemporary Dance
Encyclopedia
The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance is a dance
and performing arts
school affiliated with the Dundee College
.
It offers a four year training from foundation level and prepares students for careers as dance performers, choreographers
, and community artists. The School is relatively small (approx 100 students) and has close links with a variety of professional artists, including the Scottish Dance Theatre
, and Thomas Small director of Smallpetitklein.
It grew from an existing successful one year foundation course based at Dundee College
which was started in 1991 by Peter Royston
. The second and third year of training were added in 1998 and 1999. A successful bid to the National Lottery
allowed the college to build a facility at its Kingsway campus, comprising dance studios and a theatre. Building began in 2001 and "The Space" was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth
as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations
in 2002.
The College also successfully applied to the National Lottery for a Dance Artist from the Scottish Arts Council
to develop a community programme which would utilise the facilities at non-training times. Market research was undertaken to determine the potential for a small touring venue.
The school offers training to professional level focussing on technique in Graham
, Cunningham
and release technique
s with a strong ballet
development. The school seeks to nurture students choreographically and creatively and invites specialist lecturers such as Richard Alston
, Stephen Petronio
, and Sean Feldman.
Performances in the theatre have included those by the Scottish Ballet
, the Scottish Dance Theatre, The X Factor
, Stephen Petronio, and David Hughes.
In September 2008 the school welcomed its first BA Hons degree students. This one year completion degree addition to the 3 or 4 year training is validated by Northumbria University and allows students to achieve levels of professional training previously only available in conservatoires in England.
Patrons are:
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
school affiliated with the Dundee College
Dundee College
Dundee College is a further education and higher education college in the city of Dundee, Scotland and was established in 1985 by the merger of Dundee College of Commerce and Kingsway Technical College....
.
It offers a four year training from foundation level and prepares students for careers as dance performers, choreographers
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
, and community artists. The School is relatively small (approx 100 students) and has close links with a variety of professional artists, including the Scottish Dance Theatre
Scottish Dance Theatre
Scottish Dance Theatre is a British contemporary dance company based at Dundee Repertory Theatre, Scotland.-The company:Scottish Dance Theatre is led by Artistic Director Janet Smith, who is a vital contributor to its choreographic repertoire...
, and Thomas Small director of Smallpetitklein.
It grew from an existing successful one year foundation course based at Dundee College
Dundee College
Dundee College is a further education and higher education college in the city of Dundee, Scotland and was established in 1985 by the merger of Dundee College of Commerce and Kingsway Technical College....
which was started in 1991 by Peter Royston
Peter Royston
Peter Royston is a dancer/ choreographer/teacher/director.A successful career as a ballet dancer was followed by a choreographic career initiated by Scottish Ballet Director Peter Darrell who chose a workshop piece Steps to ..? for the company repertoire. This was followed by several commissions...
. The second and third year of training were added in 1998 and 1999. A successful bid to the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
allowed the college to build a facility at its Kingsway campus, comprising dance studios and a theatre. Building began in 2001 and "The Space" was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
in 2002.
The College also successfully applied to the National Lottery for a Dance Artist from the Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
to develop a community programme which would utilise the facilities at non-training times. Market research was undertaken to determine the potential for a small touring venue.
The school offers training to professional level focussing on technique in Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
, Cunningham
Merce Cunningham
Mercier "Merce" Philip Cunningham was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of the American avant-garde for more than 50 years. Throughout much of his life, Cunningham was considered one of the greatest creative forces in American dance...
and release technique
Release technique
Release technique is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of different corporeal practices that emphasize efficiency of movement. Emphasis is placed on breath, skeletal alignment, joint articulation, ease of muscular tension and the use of gravity and momentum to facilitate movement.Release...
s with a strong ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
development. The school seeks to nurture students choreographically and creatively and invites specialist lecturers such as Richard Alston
Richard Alston
Richard Alston may refer to:*Richard Alston *Richard Alston , Australian High Commissioner to the UK and former Australian senator...
, Stephen Petronio
Stephen Petronio
Stephen Petronio is an artistic company founder/director, choreographer, and an American dancer based in New York City.Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 20, 1956. Petronio received a B.A. degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he began dancing in 1974...
, and Sean Feldman.
Performances in the theatre have included those by the Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet
Scottish Ballet is the national ballet company of Scotland and one of the four leading ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet, English National Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet...
, the Scottish Dance Theatre, The X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
, Stephen Petronio, and David Hughes.
In September 2008 the school welcomed its first BA Hons degree students. This one year completion degree addition to the 3 or 4 year training is validated by Northumbria University and allows students to achieve levels of professional training previously only available in conservatoires in England.
Patrons are:
- "The Space": Brian Cox, David BellamyDavid BellamyDavid James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
- The Scottish School of Contemporary Dance: Stephen Petronio