Is UK Contemporary Dance Up To Scratch?

This essay will be exploring the opinion and views on British Contemporary Dance Training. I have chosen to write about this issue because I am going to begin my professional dance training in September at London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS). Major UK contemporary dance companies such as Akram Khan Company, DV8 Physical Theatre and Hofesh Shecter Company say that the standard of training in the UK is not good enough. I will also be discussing different attitudes towards dance training and why some choreographers believing the standard of dancers is falling.

These choreographers have targeted their criticism at Trinity Laban, London Contemporary Dance School and Northern School of Contemporary Dance. These are the top three schools in the UK for contemporary dance training and are listed on the best schools in the world for their high standard of training. Well DV8's Lloyd Newson disagrees as he says, "Unfortunately the students, more often than not, lack rigour, technique and performance skills. I have spoken to ten other British dance companies who share this view." So what is going wrong with the training? If more than three major dance companies agree with this then maybe this is something we should consider. Contemporary dance is such a vast and open genre of dance; it takes into consideration all styles of dance and is very open to interpretation of the individual.

Veronica Lewis, principle of London Contemporary Dance School says, "London Contemporary Dance School prepares its students for lifelong careers in dance. The contemporary dance landscape in the UK has developed beyond recognition over the last ten years and the knock-on effect of this has been manifest in the greater breadth of artistic skills that todays' students must acquire." Kenneth Tharp, chief executive of The Place agrees and says, "How do you prepare a young dancer for everything that's out there?"

My next view comes from Hofesh Shecter as he says, "It's disheartening when it comes to auditions to see these UK students with potential and enthusiasm consistently outclassed by fitter, stronger and more versatile counterparts from Europe, Asia and the USA." Shechter also says that the issue "starts with a complete lack of high quality, professional contemporary dance training for school age children in the UK and continues into a passive approach to addressing this already existing disadvantage head on at undergraduate level." This concerns me, as I do not know if I will be getting the right training in September.

Well Anthony Bowne disagrees and says, "Trinity Laban is the UK's number one dance school (Guardian) and we're also in the top three across the whole of higher education for the employability of our graduates – and for good reason."

"Half of our dance students come from Europe and the rest of the world, and they come because we provide a world class contemporary education. We're a bit baffled that these choreographers would be in any doubt of this – particularly as they are choosing to employ Trinity Laban graduates in their current productions." I personally feel that maybe the courses that are on offer at the conservatoires need updating but then I also feel that the schools work hard and succeed at making sure the dancers are pushed to their own individual level; they are not being taught how to join the Hofesh Shecter Company.

The choreographers also point out that between 31 and 35 percent of contemporary dance graduates find paid employment as dancers or choreographers. This was compared to the Juilliard School in New York with a 90 percent employment rate. This statistic shocked me at first but then I realised that USA has a much bigger population than the UK, therefore meaning more dancers and more opportunities. This leads back to Bowne's point that dancers from all over the world come to London to receive world class training in contemporary dance.

As a contemporary dancer ready to begin training, I feel happy and satisfied that LCDS will provide me with the right tools to have a career in dance. I believe that the points the choreographers made are extremely valid but I feel that they should provide examples of what they would change/develop instead of just attacking the three schools – they do not train the dancers to join your company.

Contemporary dance training in this modern age has certainly changed since the 80's and 90's; it is more tranquil and sensitive. But is this damaging the soul of contemporary dance? Luke Jenning's wrote an article for the guardian complaining that dancers have become too sensitive and delicate about their own training. He says that dancers are becoming lazy as the teachers do not push them as he was pushed when he trained at LCDS.

Newson, Khan and Shecter have said that the correct performance skills, technique and tools are not given to the dancers. With over 150 graduates in the UK each year, they says that they're failing. Neil Nesbet of the online dance magazine Article 19, who damns them as "incredibly arrogant". Matthew Bourne too defends the overall standard of UK-trained dancers, but admits that of the past hundred dancers he has employed, only five came from the contemporary dance conservatoires. Jasmin Vardimon, a director-choreographer who is widely known for her physical theatre productions says, "There's a lack of theatrical skills; the schools don't give them the tools. They're not versatile enough." What is going wrong with the dance training in the UK?

Arthur Pita also says that it is not how it used to be, saying that it used to be "classes driven by passion and intelligence. It was like being in church." Not anymore apparently. A choreographer visited LCDS and watched a audition graduate class, his views were very clear, "The attitude was so lackadaisical it was laughable. They looked like they couldn't be arsed. And once the project was up and running there were constant problems with absenteeism. One student requested compassionate leave to recover from the emotional trauma of learning my work." This personally upsets me because as a dancer I am beyond passionate about my training and take advantage for all the opportunities I have, it is distressing to hear that people on the other end of the spectrum are not displaying this in front of guest choreographers and teachers.

Ian Garside, a former Laban student, believes it was the teachers' too-soft, hands-off approach. "As a dance student, you need a kick up the arse. And we didn't get one. I felt I was never going to reach the heights I aspired to." I agree with this statement but I also believe that dancers should do that for themselves, otherwise why are you paying £27,000 for a three-year course you are not passionate about?

It is a hard subject to argue with, but I agree that a dancer needs to help themselves with their own training. As Bowne says, "Doing steps for Matthew Bourne doesn't appeal to the majority of our graduates." I agree that each dancer is an individual and that everyone works at a different level, but at the same time I do believe that the energy and passion that some dancers have is not enough for professional dance industries.