Since the early years, innovation has been the only constant factor at NDT. With the arrival of Emily Molnar, Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) is treading new paths in creating the dance company of the future. With a new era, new leadership and a new building, new questions are therefore posed about what dance means today: why do we dance? The creation and presentation of (new) work play a major role in this, but education is also given a more central place under Molnar’s leadership. Since August 2020, Eva Monen has been leading the Talent Development & Education department, which, in close collaboration with her team, develops a new vision on the importance, form and diversity of dance education in which imagination in dance is central. In this article you will gain more insight into the vision and goals set by this ambitious department within NDT.

What do we do?

At NDT we develop educational projects in which the imagination and experience of dance is central. As cultural education makers, we create an approach for each target group that suits their experience world, challenges them, inspires them and establishes a relationship with the work of the dancers and choreographers of NDT. The expressiveness of the human body is the starting point as the most important instrument for creation. In line with NDT’s interdisciplinary approach, this often takes place in collaboration with audiovisual, music and visual artists.

In essence, we focus on developing cultural competences among all our participants. For children and youngsters in education, dance enthusiasts and dance students who want to become proficient in dance and for groups of people who have never come into contact with dance art before.

Our workshops, courses and projects focus on dance as a creative medium and demand imagination and dance pleasure from the participants, often related to a specific piece from NDT’s repertoire.

Take for example the NDT education apps that have been specially developed for teachers and children of primary education grades 3 and 4 and grades 5 and 6. The apps are based on selected works from the NDT repertoire: Parade by Crystal Pite, and Dreamplay by Johan Inger, and children learn to create dance themselves via the smartboard in their own classroom.

At Talent Development & Education we always establish a connection with the current dance repertoire of NDT, the choreographers and the rich tradition of the company, but also with the dancers of NDT 1 and NDT 2, the people from the technical department, and/or audiovisual department and the costume atelier.

In our educational activities we deepen the experience of the audience, during the introductions that are hosted prior to our dance performances. Or during the online Open Studio masterclasses around the live stream performances in which (upcoming) dance professionals from all over the world learn movement fragments collectively from the current dance repertoire and discuss the profession of being a dancer under the guidance of NDT dancers. In all our activities we ensure a sincere and meaningful connection between the repertoire and the person who sees and experiences it at that moment.

Dance connects

Dance has the special power to connect people. It is not without reason that people all over the world dance to celebrate their mutual connection! Moving together in groups gives a sense of belonging, creates energy between people and thus creates a feeling of happiness and security. A wonderful example of this was a group of adults during an introductory workshop in our studios, who learned to move together as one organism through contact improvisation in style of NDT’s associate choreographer Crystal Pite.

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