Contemporary Youth Dance Company

Applications for the 2023/24 academic year are now open.

The Contemporary Youth Dance Company meets weekly to develop their understanding of contemporary dance technique, develop their creative and choreographic dance skills while creating work for performance throughout the year. 

Dancers will meet weekly at Wallace Studios where they will work as an ensemble. Each session will start with a technique class to focus the dancer’s mind and body in preparation for the rest of the day.

Following this, the Youth Company will create material from tasks and stimuli developing an understanding of choreographic tools and devices. Dancers will work in collaboration with each other, as solos artists and as an ensemble to build choreography directed, supported and guided by our experienced contemporary dance lecturers.

During the year the company will create and rehearse choreography for performance events and have the opportunity to work with guest artists to increase their skills and knowledge.

The Contemporary Youth Dance Company is an auditioned company open to all dancers from Primary 7 to S6 who have some experience in dance training. Dancers will be streamed into the appropriate level during the audition process. This Youth Dance Company is ideal to supplement the study of students who are working towards SQA qualifications in dance.

Join us for our open day on Saturday the 6th of May 2023.  

Auditions take place on Saturday the 27th of May 2023.

For more information please contact juniorsdance@rcs.ac.uk 

The Contemporary Youth Dance Company will be led by Junior Conservatoire contemporary dance lecturers Bridie Gane and Giulia Montalbano.

Giulia Montalbano

Graduated with a First-Class Honours Degree and Postgraduate from London Contemporary Dance School. Giulia is a full time dance teacher of ballet , floor-barre and contemporary dance, including Cunningham, Release, floor work and Skinner release, Contact Improvisation and Partnering work.

Her current teaching experience includes teaching to people with a disability, children from 0 to 11 years, youth groups and adults as well as with companies training for professional dance in Scotland. These include: 

Scottish Dance Theatre; Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Macrobert Stirling; YDance, Horsecross; Nurseries and Primary Schools around Scotland; Dance Base; CityMoves; Fife Youth.

Her career has been enriched with additional international experiences as performer including: Cora Bissett (Grit); Scottish Dance Theatre; Rambert Dance Company (Dane Hurst); Alan Danielson (Limon Dance Company); Jo Strogmen (Sweden); Victor Qujada (Canada); Hofesh; Liv Lorent; Fleur Darkin; Maura Morales (Germany); Shumpei Nemoto (Japan); Matthias Kass (Switzerland); Eliot Smith Dance; Janice Garrett (USA); Company Idem (Switzerland); Rep of Shioban Davies (London); Richard Alston (Ceremony of Carols); Rob Heaslip ( UK/Ireland); Henri Oguike; Shaper/Caper and Chordelia Dance Company (UK).

Giulia worked with Rosie Kay as dance leader for 5 soldiers and as a choreographer for the premiere of the new show from Marc Brew, as choreographer for Youth engagement, in Dundee.

She is currently Dance Development Officer for Aspire Dundee, Dance Tutor for Junior Conservatoire of Contemporary Dance at RCS of Glasgow and Artistic Director of Fuora Dance Project.

Bridie Gane

Originally from Bristol, Bridie trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds before moving to Berlin, Germany, to develop her career as a choreographer and performer.

During her three year stay in Berlin, Bridie’s solo choreography BIM BAM BUM won the title of ‘The Best German Dance Solo’ at Euro Scene Leipzig’s competition, and a further two awards at ‘3..2..1..dance!’ competition at Krakow dance Theatre (2013). 

In 2016 Bridie relocated to Glasgow. She was commissioned by Dance Base, Edinburgh, to choreograph Bonnie and her Splashmob, an intergenerational diving-themed Flashmob for the European championships 2018 and Dance Base, involving, Lothian Youth Dance company and PRIME, Dance Base’s semi-professional 60+ dance company. Bridie’s recent choreographic work ‘The Sylph, The Vixen and The Bombshell’ worked with a cast of dancers of ages ranging from 15 to 60 years. It was funded by Creative Scotland and was performed at part of Dance Base’s Fringe programme 2019. Bridie is an associate artist with Dance Base.

Bridie has also worked closely with Lyra in Edinburgh as a choreographer for their young company’s production ‘This way up’  and more recently was invited to work as a lead artist with their youth dance group’s performance commission 20-21. 

As a teacher Bridie encourages her students to be creative and have fun with contemporary dance technique, with a particular focus on floor work and release technique, improving coordination, strength and stamina along the way.  

We want to make the performing arts as accessible as possible.

Anyone who faces financial barriers to participate in the Junior Conservatoire can apply at any time, whether at acceptance to a course or during the course, for a bursary or scholarship.

Please take the time to refer to this bursary and scholarship criteria.

For anyone who requires a bursary or scholarship please email JuniorsDDPF@rcs.ac.uk or Juniorsdance@rcs.ac.uk and you will be sent an application form.

We will try to support as many students as possible to attend the Junior Conservatoire training and therefore may not be able to cover full student fees.

These funds are currently supported by the generosity of individuals and charitable trusts including:

• James McAvoy Drama Scholarship
• Agnes Allan Bursary
• Bill and Margaret Nicol

Dancers should be in primary 7 for the start of the academic year 2022- 2023.

Dancers should have some experience in dance training and an interest in expanding their dance vocabulary and performance skills.

The Contemporary Youth Dance Company is open to any current students or young people who dance to audition and meet the standard required by the audition panel.

Students who apply for the Contemporary Youth Dance Company will participate in a group audition during which time the dancers will be streamed into the appropriate level of company.

More information on the audition format for 2023/24 entry will be sent nearer the time.

Audition date- Saturday 27th May 2023.

TERM DATES (22-23)

Student Induction – 20th August 2022

Term 1- 27 Aug- 16th December 2022 (no sessions from 8-21 October)

Term 2- 7th January- 31st March 2023 (no session 11-17th Feb)

Term 3- 15th April- 16th June 2023

Performance opportunities – TBC

Dance Showcase- June 2023

Christmas Spectacular- December 2022

Other potential performances- Bridge Week, Youth Arts Fest, Leavers ceremony

Term Dates (2023/2024)

Term 1

Student induction- Sunday 20th August 2023

Term 1 starts – Saturday 26^th August 2023

Mid term break- 14-27^th October 2023

Term 1 finishes- Friday 15^th December 2023

Term 2 starts- Saturday 6^th January 2024

Mid term break- 10^th-16^th February 2024

Term 2 finishes- Friday 29^th March 2024

Term 3 starts- Saturday 13^th April 2024

Term 3 finishes- Friday 14^th June 2024

FEES

£1700 (TBC 2023/24)