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Dance centre Prague is one of the biggest and oldest organizations of contemporary dance in the Czech Republic. Formerly as an underground dance company, later under the patronage of Charles University and now as a non-profit-making company TCP organizes the following activities:

DANCE CONSERVATOIRE

It is an eight-year private secondary school for students aged 12 - 19.
The school was established in 1984 as an experimental workplace of Charles University. Among graduates of the school are dozens of dancers who work in Czech ensembles (Prague Chamber Ballet, National Theatre Ballet, Laterna Magika etc.) and abroad (Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Zurich, London, New York).

OVERVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL CONCEPT

"Dance Centre Prague - conservatoire" is an eight-year secondary school for students aged 12 - 19. Aptitude tests can be taken during 5th grade of primary school, or later in higher grades - for exceptionally talented students.

This new scheme of the conservatoire study of Dance Centre Prague has its roots in the 1960s and has been developed since then. Conservatoire management and its teachers have studied materials and educational programmes of various schools and dance centres. They have been trying to improve artistic education, make the whole process of education more effective and create a new graduate's profile - a professional dance artist "specialized in versatility". Teachers and students establish and develop contacts with other schools and dancers from abroad. The school ensemble has performed in most European countries, the U.S.A. and Asia. Approximately 20 percent of dance lessons in senior classes are taught by foreign teachers. Graduates of conservative are members of significant Czech dance companies (e.g. National Theatre Ballet, Ballet Prague) as well as members of foreign ensembles (in Berlin, Munich, Haag, New York).

The offer of this educational scheme appeals to those pupils, or more precisely - to those parents, who do not only put stress on the development of their child's talent but also on the quality of universal secondary education. The scheme enables students to get universal education focused on art and humanities and receive full secondary education in "dance art" at the same time. The aim is to bring up creative artists who will be able to develop new artistic qualities and possibilities of the dance genre in the new millennium. Graduates will be well prepared for their interpretational career as well as for further education at university and for creative artistic work.

Main features of the scheme:

  1. The proportion of theory (universal and special) to practise is quite balanced during the whole study.
  2. The ratio of classical ballet lessons to the other dance techniques gets more balanced during the study - from 80 to 50 per cent.
  3. As far as artistic and creative area is concerned, lessons are focused both on classical and contemporary repertory, or more precisely, on balanced use of taught dance techniques.
  4. Further activities are developed during the whole study to compensate physical and mental strain: sports, physiotherapy, relaxation programmes.
  5. Lessons of theory are focused on art, humanities and pedagogy. This can be later used for intellectual and professional development of students and their "painless" re-qualification after they have finished their active career.
  6. Foreign contacts at a school level are developed as well as individual contacts of foreign teachers and students. Some dance lessons are taught in English.

List of school subjects:
Compulsory school subjects:

DANCE CENTER PRAGUE- CONSERVATOIRE o.p.s., Pod ˇvahovem 463, 152 00 Praha 5
phone: (+420) 220 611 980, phone/fax: (+420) 220 610 308, fax: (+420) 220 610 306, e-mail: tcp@tanecnicentrum.cz