Activities for secondary school

For secondary school students, we offer a combination of activities focusing on modern dance and NDT. All activities are designed to introduce students to the art of dance. Our objective is to teach them that dance should be experienced not just by watching it and reflecting on it, but also by moving yourself and using your own creativity.

During the school year 2022-2023 we welcome school classes on Wednesdays and Fridays to participate in NDT Experience: a program based around a workshop in which the creation process takes a central place. The program begins and ends in your classroom with materials that can be used independently. For the workshop you will come to our theater Amare in The Hague, where you will work in the theatrical setting of our Blackbox.

Preparatory assignment at school

Prior to the workshop, you will be introduced to NDT and the dancers by means of a short PowerPoint. You are also prepared for the workshop that you will attend.

The workshop in Amare

During the workshop, you come into contact with modern dance and see fragment from NDT’s repertoire. The focus of the workshop is on the process that the dancers go through with a choreographer when creating a new piece. You will experience this process by moving a lot and by creating yourself. This way, you discover how a choreography exists.

The aim of the workshop is to give you insight into the different layers that dance consists of. During the workshop we work on different learning outcomes:

• You can explore and improvise alone or together with (movement) assignments.
• You can structure the results into a repeatable composition that consists of various dance aspects.
• You can present a (existing) dance alone or together with others.

The workshop is with these learning outcomes in line with the final exams of all levels in secondary education.

Final assignment at school

After the workshop, you process the activity by means of a card game. With this card game, you stimulated to look back on the workshop, reflect on your personal contribution and experience and you are challenged to think further about dance as an art form.

Together we can look into the possibilities to expand NDT Experience with the activities below. These activities can also be requested separately from NDT Experience. The content is adapted to the level of the visiting group.

• Welcome in our house

Be welcome in our house! You will discover Amare as you are taken through different areas in our theater. You will hear how the (still recent) construction of the theater went, and what special features can be seen in the building.

• A look behind the scenes at NDT

Walk along our studios, where the dancers are having a ballet class or are rehearsing for a new program. You get to see and hear what everyday life is like at NDT, and wat a dancer’s day look like.

• Meet one of our employees

Do our dancers ever get stage fright? What is it like to work in a costume department? And just how big is our stage? During a meeting with an employee from NDT, students are given the opportunity to ask any questions they like about our company.

• Experience a dance performance          

As you take your seat in the audience, the noise of chattering voices dies down, making way for an expectant silence… Let the dancers on stage inspire you and marvel at their visible strength, concentration and technique.

For questions or comments regarding our offer for secondary education, please contact the Talent Development & Education department at +31 70 88 00 146 or education@ndt.nl.