Amsterdam: Postgraduate program

The recently-founded Dancer Stage Academy (DSA) in Amsterdam is offering a postgraduate program from September 2005. Artistic directors Valerie Valentine, a former ballerina with the Dutch National Ballet and founder of the Amsterdam-based studio Dance Street, and Yehuda Maor, former director of San Francisco Dance Theater and developer of the Maor Placement Technique, came up with the idea of an exclusive private school that focuses on classical ballet after spotting a gap between existing education programs and professional practice.

Their aim is to guide dancers aged 16 to 24 years in their search for experience and work, offering personal advice during training, preparing dancers for auditions and creating opportunities to gain stage experience, including the chance to perform with their own Dancers Stage Ensemble (DSE) that will consist of the Academy’s five most talented pairs of students. As well as techniques, the dancers are taught how to take care of their bodies in order to avoid injuries and prolong their prospective dance careers.
Two courses are offered: “Professional Dancer” and “Emerging Young Choreographer” (limited to 5 places per year). For dancers with potential ...