I am incredibly excited to begin a new chapter as a professional dancer in training at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. I am delighted that I am going to be able to see myself improve every single day with the help of experienced choreographers and performers, although i know it will be a challenge. Pushing myself beyond my limits and reaching the very top is all I look forward to. I love seeing results and NSCD will help me to become the dancer that I’d like to be, and most importantly, I will always give it 100% because as ACE taught me..”get stronger, dance for longer!”
I am ready to embark on this new journey, I’m nervous, in a good way, but I’m definitely ready for this challenge and I will embrace every moment.
Ines Kanyinda
Having recently been introduced to ACE Youth in September 2014, I immediately warmed to the dancers and the leaders and I then knew that I wanted to go onto further education and train in dance.
Being offered a place at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, just seven months after joining ACE Youth, meant a lot to me, as this highly credited and influential school were willing to accept me in my early stages of my journey. The offer came in the form of a glimmer of hope, which will propel me to go on to become a stronger dancer, ready for the future.
I owe gratitude to ACE for building up my strength in preparation for the audition, in particular to Iona Waite who closely mentors ACE Youth and Gail Parmel for her constant encouragement. Being welcomed into a dance community not only at ACE but at Northern School of Contemporary Dance ensured me that dance is a journey one can take alongside the comfort of others. I hope that the existing and future members of ACE Youth go onto further education because it is simply an amazing opportunity.
Grace Williams
On the 18th February I had my audition at The Northern School of Contemporary Dance. This was my third audition so I was already aware of the audition process, but there was a lot more pressure for me to do well because this was the school I wanted to go to. I was told how the day was set out because Chanelle (who trains at NSCD) told me about her audition experience. There was a ballet class, contemporary class, then solos, and afterwards there was a improvisation class, interviews and a physical exam. I was feeling confident about my solo as I had help from Iona and I knew that I could show my strengths in the contemporary class, but ballet was what unnerved me because I hadn’t had much training, but on the day it went better than I expected and the whole day went really well. I made sure I was attentive and I really listened to what the teacher was instructing us to do, in particular the improvisation class. It wasn’t like a set piece of choreography to follow so it’s important to listen and understand the essence of the movement and dynamics, speed and direction the teacher wanted. I met some really nice people and learnt a lot about conservatoire training. I’m really excited to be attending NSCD in September.
Chelsea Gordon
I am very excited to be starting the BA Honours degree course in contemporary dance at NSCD. I am currently in my final term on the foundation course at NSCD and I am enjoying it more than I ever imagined. I always dreamed of going to dance school and it is still strange to be walking into a building where everybody walks around in socks and sits in strange positions on sofas. I have learnt so much so far about my body and most importantly ‘how to work’…How to work and push my body little by little each day to reach its full potential. I was more nervous this year at my audition than last year, I think that was because I have experienced the school and the training and was 100% sure I wanted to spend the next 3 years training there. I knew I wanted to be a dancer before I came to Northern but after doing the foundation course I’m even more sure that this is the career for me!
I am now looking forward to my end of year show and excited to start my degree level training in September!
Chanelle Harris
My audition at Northern School of Contemporary Dance was such an amazing experience. I found the atmosphere so creative, homely and welcoming, the teachers were also friendly and encouraging.
The day consisted of ballet, technique, solos, creative, then interviews. I was extremely lucky to get to the final stage, as the competition was incredibly high. I know at NSCD l will be pushed, nurtured and supported to become a strong, knowledgeable dancer and I can’t wait to start!
Rickay Hewitt-Martin