ABOUT US

CCDS offers professional one-year education programmes for career oriented contemporary dancers.
The Pre-education programme has existed since 2005 and the Post-graduate progamme since 2012.

At CCDS our goal is to educate the strongest dancers in the world! Read more about the school on our website.

fredag den 20. januar 2012

Student profile: Jesper Nilsson


I come from Rydsgård, Skåne, Sweden. I started dancing, mostly breakdance and street dance, when I was 11 years old. At age 16, I auditioned and was enrolled in the three-year Dance Artist education at Lund School of Performing Arts. I had taken quite a few workshops previously with various choreographers and dancers from all over the world. I had also performed in the musical; Fiddler on the Roof which was set up in Lund, Sweden and danced in opening shows and promotional commercials for a radio station in Sweden.

Since my enrolment in CCDS I have continued to live at home in Sweden and take the train to Copenhagen every day; A journey that takes about one hour.

It's very exciting being a student at CCDS because of the ever-changing schedule of different guest teachers coming in! I love it! And you really get the good individual constructive criticism that you want and need to be able to change and achieve an insane amount of improvement in just one year.

I wanted to study at CCDS because it offers an opportunity to receive really good individual coaching and great tools to improve in a very short space of time. It really gives you a great awareness of your body and what you need to warm up and be able to do your best!

During my study year at CCDS I expect to gain a higher level of maturity in my way of moving and thinking when I dance and to develop an even higher level of technique and flexibility than I already have.

After this year I plan to audition for Modern Dance Theatre, Island Academy of the Arts, Khio and SEAD.


Jesper Nilsson, 2012


Dance scholarships!


Some of our students have to seek financial funding to support their living costs as students. Our experience has shown that it is worthwhile putting some effort into researching and applying for dance scholarships.


Two of our current students Jesper Nilsson and Michelle H. Flagstad applied and were awarded scholarships for their work in 2011. Both Jesper and Michelle are hard-working, dedicated and very structured students. We are really proud of them! 

Jesper Nilsson is from Sweden. In the summer/autumn of 2011 he applied for and received two scholarships in support of his dream to become a professional dancer. The first scholarship was a 1.000-euro, cultural scholarship from his hometown, called Skurups Kommuns Kulturstipendium. The second one was a 500-euro scholarship from Rune Ljungdahls Stiftelse.

Michelle H. Flagstad is from Norway. Unfortunately, the Norwegian student financing system does not support Michelle’s education at CCDS. Michelle researched into different funds and applied for several scholarships. As a result she was awarded 20.000 NOK from G9alt fond by Sparebank1 as well as a 15.000 NOK scholarship from Tom Wilhelmsens Stiftelse to develop as dancer. Michelle says she is very grateful for the support, and for the fact that dancers are able to get scholarships - not just musicians, artists and athletes. 

torsdag den 12. januar 2012

School life

Check out these great videos made by one of last years graduates, Lisa Nielsen!

 

CCDS PART 1 from Lisa Nilsson on Vimeo.



CCDS PART 2 from Lisa Nilsson on Vimeo.

Life after CCDS

We asked one of last years graduates Lisa Nilsson to write a few words about her new life in Stockholm, studying at Balettakademien. Here is her letter:


Dear Morten and Lotte,

I am on the train heading home to Halmstad for the Christmas break. This Friday I completed my first term at Balettakademien in Stockholm.

Last week we did studio performances for all the students at the school, including the three year-groups of contemporary dance students, the preparatory dance line students and the street dance students. We showed two choreographies we had learned between the autumn break and Christmas. My class was divided into two groups; one group had contemporary choreography classes with Lee Brummer and the other group had jazz with Jan Åstrøm.
We also had the option to show our own choreographic work, which we worked on in our free time during the autumn period. Student who wanted to show their work in the performance signed up for an audition. 6 works were then selected for the showing. I danced in a piece choreographed by my friend Annika, who also composed and played the music live at the performance! Cool!

The year at Balettakademien is divided into 4 periods where you switch teaches and some of the classes. We have ballet, contemporary and jazz every week. Other classes vary between street, composition, improvisation, acrobatics etc. We even have choir classes and theatre every week. 


Our school days are from 9 to 5 every day. We generally start off with either theory classes (dance studies, injuries prevention, nutrition) or physical studies (body rolling, strengthening, fitness). We have 2-3 technique classes a day and each class is typically an hour and three quarters long.

We usually have the same teacher during a whole period and most teachers are permanent staff that returns each year. We don’t have many external teachers, as I would like and this is one of the main differences compared to my year at CCDS. The good thing about it is the sense of continuity and routine in our daily work. I usually start my day in the school gym, where they have fitness bikes as well as gym and stretching aids. 

My experience is that the school is very physical and that I have developed during the autumn term. I try to live in the moment and to make the most of each day. I am stretching these days to maximize my body’s potential and I can really feel it. There is not as much focus on creativity at the school, but I am actually functioning really well right now, working primarily on my physicality.  Perhaps this will change with time.
I think I might even audition for Danshögskolan in the spring and see if I get further than last time and to try something new.

Stockholm is a small world and it is obviously a safe bubble for me. This might be a problem when you graduate and no longer belong to the safe environment of the dance class.
Everything surrounding my life at the school is good. I live with Annika in a really nice apartment, 300 meters from the school, half an hour’s distance from my family. 

Perhaps the best circumstances under which to focus on my dance, but perhaps I am too safe this way?

I would love to come to Copenhagen soon; perhaps to follow a day at CCDS or take a class with you for inspiration. 

Hugs Lisa