A real highlight of Dance Consortium’s Spring 2022 tours is NDT’s virtual workshop on 5 March. This free workshop, is open to confident dancers aged 16 +, can be enjoyed whether or not NDT 2’s tour is performing at your local Dance Consortium venue. It’s one of many engagement opportunities designed to connect audiences with world-class companies.
Access to international performers is at the heart of what we do so planning starts early with our international companies. Discussions with Netherlands Dans Theater’s Learning team in Holland began six months ago; with Acosta Danza we picked up on the success of learning and engagement for the Covid-curtailed 2020 Evolution tour.
With limited time in each city, the challenge for Dance Consortium is to design workshops and engagement opportunities around busy rehearsal and performance schedules.
Hosting workshops on stage allows audiences to share the stage with artists. During NDT 2’s tour, budding dancers and community groups will learn from company dancers in nine on stage workshops. In Norwich this includes adults from Norwich Theatre’s weekly over 50s ballet classes, in Nottingham budding young dancers from Take 1 Studios take the stage, and in Canterbury it is dance students from Canterbury Christchurch University.
NDT’s virtual workshop at 10-11.00am on Saturday 5 March is a brilliant way for people across the UK to connect with the tour. Live from NDT’s HQ in The Hague, NDT artists will lead a bite-sized repertory workshop featuring Johan Inger’s vibrant latest creation IMPASSE which explores concepts of peer pressure and is described by The Guardian as “a thrilling mixture of swagger and challenge.” Participants will experience a warm-up, learn dance language from current repertoire and put questions live to NDT artists in a Q&A.
For Acosta Danza’s 100% Cuban tour, a series of open rehearsals offer a window into the daily training regimes and life on tour for this company which fuses contemporary, ballet and Afro-Cuban dance styles.
Post-show Q&As on the first night in each city is a chance to ask Acosta Danza and NDT 2 performers about the ideas and hard work to bring productions to the stage. For those studying and exploring dance in greater depth, Dance Consortium’s free insight notes are packed with background information and analysis, discussion prompts and practical creative tasks to follow up at home or in the dance studio.
Working closely with member theatres, Dance Consortium’s engagement programmes encourage audiences to grow their knowledge and love of dance. We look forward to connecting in person or virtually through our events and resources this Spring.
Book now for NDT’s virtual workshop on Sat 5 March
Download NDT 2 resource notes for students and teachers
Download Acosta Danza’s 100% Cuban resource notes for students and teachers
