Conservatoire for Dance and Drama

The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama comprises eight internationally renowned schools specialising in dance, drama or circus arts. These are: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School; Central School of Ballet; Circus Space; London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art; London Contemporary Dance School; Northern School of Contemporary Dance; Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

One of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama’s key aims is to increase and secure access to training for the most talented students regardless of their background. In order to achieve this, the Conservatoire strives to improve public awareness and understanding of vocational, conservatoire-level training in dance, drama and circus arts. The examples listed below are only a sample of the many programmes and activities that the Conservatoire schools offer.

In addition to these, a crucial component of the Conservatoire’s policy of access and widening participation is its commitment to auditioning every applicant who meets the individual school’s criteria. This means that around 12,000 individuals are seen by the Conservatoire schools each year during the auditioning period for around 400 undergraduate places and in some 19 different centres including cities in Japan, Spain, Switzerland and Italy, as well as London, Bristol, Leeds and New York. This remains a central pillar of access to Conservatoire programmes.

Our current relationships with London schools

• Central School of Ballet runs a wide programme of outreach work to encourage and broaden participation in dance. As well as working in schools and offering workshops, Central also runs an Associate School which includes a thriving Junior School and an Associate programme as well as adult evening classes

• Circus Space runs Youth Circus activities including an extensive in house programme for children aged 3 upwards and their families 

• London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art runs an annual Stage Management & Technical Theatre Open Day, as well as regular on-site Careers Q&A sessions for prospective students. In collaboration with Aimhigher, the Academy also arranges a movement workshop for Year 12 & 13 students from Hammersmith & Fulham each June

• London Contemporary Dance School offers an unmatched range of dance activity for children and young people from age 5 upwards. Young people have the chance to join our youth dance companies, after school dance clubs, classes and summer programmes

• Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance currently works with a local Nursery and Primary School, 2 days per week, coaching 4 groups of 30 students, the aim of which is to teach, promote and encourage dance making and dance musicality  

• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art works closely with regional organisations and schools to attract the maximum number of applications to our courses from all areas of the population. For the past five years RADA has been working in partnership with the Prince’s Trust helping to support their XL programme in schools by delivering drama workshops

Contacting us

W www.cdd.ac.uk/about/widening-participation

For contacts in each of our Schools please click on the  above.