Students graduating from NSCD’s BA (Hons) Dance (Contemporary) programme in July 2019 have already gone on to secure numerous contracts with global companies, as well as progressing to further study and developing their practice through independent projects.
Below is a brief look at what the 2019 cohort have been working on since graduation:
Michèle Benz has secured a contract with La Faktoria in Pamplona, Spain, and joining balletLORENT this year are Laura Booth and Ellen Vollmer. Iolanda Portogallo is working with Gianluca Vincentini’s Möbius Dance.
VERVE 18 alumna Ruby Portus cast three NSCD graduates in her piece for the Sadler’s Wells Young Associates production Together, not the same: Bar Groisman, Marit Meløe and Harriet Batty. Bar also took part in Protein Dance’s outdoor project (In)Visible Dancing over summer, while Harriet joins Black Box Dance Company as an apprentice and Marit takes part in Dans5 in Oslo, a dance project platforming freelance dance artists.
Ania Jurek joined EXIM Dance Company, performing work by Adam Benjamin, in 2018. Annie Kelleher, who previously performed in lecturer Joseph Mercier’s Desperate Gestures as part of Encounters Festival and Glittoris at Live Art Bistro, continues to work with Joseph on his research into queer presence, as well as creating and performing her own freelance work.
Joining VERVE20 are Lou Ditaranto, Charlie Hogan, Lucy Martin, Mollie Sutcliffe and Meg Pennington. Along with 9 other dancers, they’ll travel the UK and Europe performing works by guest choreographers Botis Seva, Lali Ayguadé, Mari Carrasco and Douglas Thorpe.
Gaining placements through NSCD’s Professional Placement Scheme for the 2019/20 academic year are: Harriet Batty (Black Box Dance Company), Elly Welford (Motionhouse), Reece Marshall (Company Chameleon), Dominic McAinsh (tanzmainz), Jessica Rose Nixon (Phoenix Dance Theatre), Paulina Porwollik (Candoco Dance Company), John Robinson (2Faced Dance Company) and Lisa-Sofia Ziemann (Company Chameleon).
Gabby Sanders will perform and tour with EDGE Dance Company through London Contemporary Dance School’s MA programme, and has also set up registered charity Let’s Dance to develop more accessible performance opportunities for young people in the UK. Wenwen Wang joins Joss Arnott’s postgraduate company Emergence through the MA Dance Performance and Professional Practices programme at the University of Salford.
Marla King joined National Dance Company Wales as an apprentice through London Contemporary Dance School’s Master’s programme. After graduating, Ellie Marsh worked as a rehearsal director for Matt Nicholson at the National Youth Ballet and shadowed Alan Vincent as rehearsal director for New Adventures’ Romeo and Juliet - she also joined National Dance Company Wales as an apprentice.
Joining Scottish Dance Theatre as apprentices this year are Genevieve Reeves and Matilda Bjärum. Elena Peschechera is completing her Master’s at London Contemporary Dance School while working as an apprentice at Danish Dance Theatre Company in Copenhagen, and Oliver Robertson joins James Wilton Dance Company as an apprentice.
Developing their practice through teacher training and freelance work are Jodie Chan, Savanna Ramnarine, Tristan Harris, Abigayle Holt, Ashlin Huck, Joke Swennen, Lydia Herbert, Beth Connellan, Ellie Grice, Sarah Swift, Zoe Tankard, Mathilde Ytterstad, Marcus Francisco, and Riccardo Pastore.
