LASALLE's dance faculty worked with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and National Arts Council of Singapore (NAC) to develop and manage a new Dance Talent Development Programme for Secondary 3 students. The programme aims to cultivate a life-long passion for dance and to provide students with access to quality training by professional dance companies and established local practitioners.
The pioneer batch of 200 students took part in workshops held over three days at LASALLE in June 2013, where they learned about diverse dance forms and what a dance career involves. Of these, 38 students were selected for a three-month attachment with a professional dance company of their choice, spending thirty hours in intensive training. In the final phase of the programme, these students came together at LASALLE to consolidate their learning and devise their own dance pieces, culminating in a graduation recital in March 2014.
By 2016, about 800 students are expected to have gone through the programme. “Being part of the inaugural Dance Talent Development Programme was a gratifying experience for me,” said Nikki Chee, a first year Diploma in Dance student. “I mentored secondary school students who took part in the programme and served as Assistant Stage Manager for their hour-long graduation recital. As a dance undergraduate, I was happy to learn about the behind-the-scenes work for a dance performance in a theatre. Working with different people, from the students to professional dancers, was an enriching personal experience for me.”
