Performance and Technical Studies

The training at LCDS is designed to produce highly skilled, creative and intellectually  curious dance artists, fully prepared for a career in the diverse and fluid world of contemporary dance. Students are empowered to engage critically with the profession, so that in time they can influence the future direction of their chosen artistic discipline. LCDS is a rich learning environment, where dance artists are nurtured as they develop, and encouraged to take ownership of their training and the direction of their careers.  All students also have the option to attend individual technique coaching and tutorial sessions. 

Students are placed in teaching groups appropriate to their skill and experience and  take daily classes in contemporary dance and ballet. Students on the South Asian  strand take Kathak or Bharatanatyam instead of ballet.

Our technical training at directly feeds courses in repertoire and performance studies where students learn solo and group work choreographed by professional choreographers. Performance and Technical studies are supported by classes in alternative techniques including body conditioning, the Alexander technique and the Feldenkrais method. During part two of the BA students may be able to take South Asian Dance. 

We view anticipating the needs of those who will represent the future of contemporary dance as vital, and our training reflects an awareness of somatics and biomechanics which is important for safe, sustainable practice. The courses also seek to reflect the influence of non-western dance forms on today's British dance scene. Third year and Certificate students can study Bharatanatyam or Kathak as an additional strand of their training in technique. 

Contemporary Technique Teaching

The delivery of contemporary technique is structured to balance consistency and diversity.  Students usually work for 5 or 10 weeks with the same teacher every day so that particular approaches can be explored in depth. The range of contemporary teaching encountered over the course ensures that our graduates are versatile, with the ability to apply their technical skills to new and varied challenges.  Cunningham-based technique provides a continuous thread through all three years of study, supported by release-based work particularly in the second and third years. 
Our palette of technique experiences is guided by the particular expertise and teaching
philosophies of the teachers we want to work with, and how these relate to the needs of a particular cohort, rather than by prescribing a predetermined number of terms per style.  Students build their physical stamina whilst engaging intellectually with the process of exploring physical principles, and projecting this understanding through the clarity of their performance. The course emphasises the need to work with appropriate attention to individual physical characteristics enabling students to reach their full potential.

South Asian Teaching

The South Asian dance strand of the LCDS  degree, now in its second year, was  developed in partnership with South Asian dance agency Akademi, and is unique in the  way that it offers vocational standard training in Kathak or Bharatanatyam, as well as  contemporary dance. Companies such as Angika, Akram Khan Company or Shobana  Jeyasingh Dance Company now require their dancers to be equally strong in both  disciplines. This course prepares students for a career as professional dancers, and  current South Asian students are already working with Shobana Jeyasingh and Sangkalpam. Students on this strand of the course will be given small group tuition in their chosen discipline of either Kathak or Bharatanatyam, and they will learn how to apply these techniques to their contemporary dance practice.

Ballet Teaching

Our ballet teaching is an integral part of the training. and is designed specifically to
support the development of contemporary dancers. In this respect it tends to be taught from the anatomical perspective. We do not teach the classical ballet repertory, instead ballet classes focus on the development of strong technique, strength, and artistic interpretation. Optional pointe work classes are available to students who are interested, and who have reached the required standard.

Choreographic Studies

Choreography and improvisation are a vibrant element in the life of the School. Choreography courses are structured in a developmental way throughout the student's period of study. All students begin by exploring the crafting skills needed to make choreographic work and then build towards substantial independent choreographic projects for those who want to pursue them.