PROGRAMME

Lecture Presentation

"Reflections on the total regeneration
of a post high school, professional dancers training program"

During the last two years Fay Nenander has been closely involved in the reform of the professional dancers three year training at Balettakademien - Ballet Academy, Stockholm, Sweden. Balettakademien is one of the leading dance establishments in Scandinavia and has arguably one of the broadest dance educations. This enables the graduates to find work in very varied fields and gives them greater job-security. It is this process of change which Fay Nenander hopes to impart to delegates at the conference. The school has recently acquired a new director and Fay Nenander works very closely with him as Senior Advisor, where her experience is, hopefully, of some benefit.

Presentation Overview

Many vocational schools dream of modernising their schedules to take advantage of recent research and expertise within dance education. But when confronted with all those hours of classes, those contracts for teachers and musicians, the promises made to students already in the program – it all seems impossibly complicated. Often, if change is made at
all, it is little here and a little there. Radical change in itself demands a certain climate to succeed; enthusiasm, drive, vision. Is radical change as complicated as it seems? Or is it more a question of the right climate and a “carpe diem” attitude? 

The presentation will describe the transformation of a relatively conservative, “traditional”, professional dance school into one which is now orientated towards both the implementation of reforms and many of the principles which have been discussed for decades within dance education. A school which has stepped out of the 20th century and is striding into the 21st.

The process of change will be addressed by detailing:
- the factors which indicated the need for change;
- the conclusions of the working group preparing the new curriculum;
- the process of convincing colleagues and students of the need for change. 

Further the presentation will compare the old and new schedules:
- where change was made and why;
- why most teachers’ contracts are shorter but technique classes longer;
- why no technique class occurs before 10:45;
- why breaks between classes are longer but lunch shorter;
- why music, artistic and physical studies have been expanded;
- why every student has a professional dancer as mentor.  

Reactions of staff and students and the national dance world, before, during and after the implementation of the new curriculum will be described. What has been successful, what less successful and why? How do the staff and students feel? Better? Worse? Why? After the first year, what adaptations are necessary and what conclusions (if any) can be drawn?