Dance students undertake placements with Candoco

During their placement students have the opportunity to take company class with our professional company, observe rehearsals and speak to Candoco’s dancers and Artistic Co-Directors. In addition, they can take part in one of our Monday or Tuesday evening youth classes. Following their placement, students write a short piece about their experience, providing an insight into what they learned, what they enjoyed and what they will take away with them. You will find some of their thoughts below.

We worked on using flow and momentum, seeing if the dancers can use less effort to perform the same movement and how this changes the quality. This was linked to rehearsals for Set and Reset/Reset; a re-staging of Trisha Brown’s renowned Set and Reset. Following this class, I could then see how the quality of movement was applied in rehearsals for the piece. I could also see how this style of class work is evident in the practice I undertake in class, looking at certain qualities in movement and exploring this in an investigative way.

Becki Baldwin, second year Dance student at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

The company created a vibrant and warm welcome in the space for the participants that came to observe and dance, speaking to us to make us feel safe and wanted there in the space… I felt so privileged just to be in the space with such a high level company with high standards, seeing how they move as a company was like they have always danced together for years and years so this made me think of how the artistic director picks the members with a lot of thought to produce the chemistry the company needs so they perform as a team. It has made me think to push myself and have no limits and that the passion is the main element you need to dance, whatever body you have you can still produce incredible work. It has made me want to pursue inclusive dance further and audition for this company one day in the future.

Nathan Matthews, postgraduate Dance student at Plymouth University

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