The training alternates regular basic courses and practical workshops with guest artists.
The course progresses gradually around three main axes:
- The technical and training axis, the aim of which is to develop and maintain the dancer's physical capacities and aims at the dancer's autonomy in this area. It is based on the anatomical potential of the body, its infinite possibilities of movement and its ability to learn, develop and integrate new capacities, rather than on the learning of historical dance styles and techniques or particular artistic currents.
- The artistic practice axis, where the dancer is considered as an active participant and involved in the choreographic process, bearing real responsibility for the work. The training encourages inventiveness and a taste for experimentation, commitment to research, curiosity and the creative spirit of the dancer, based on an intense and elaborate physicality. It aims to stimulate the integration of the dancer's bodily, sensory and intellectual dimensions (holistic approach), in order to develop his or her conscious and intuitive creativity. It sees dance as an art form open to other disciplines such as theatre, music, visual arts and new technologies.
- The theoretical and reflexive axis, in which theoretical courses and workshops are given throughout the course in order to encourage the circulation between practice and reflexive approach. During the last semester of the course, students carry out a Bachelor thesis comprising a practical and a theoretical part allowing a contextualization and a critical perspective of their artistic approach.
The Bachelor in Contemporary Dance is structured in different modules: Technical Dance/Training, Creative Development, Theory and Body Studies, Artistic Practice, Interdisciplinarity and School-to-work Transfer.
Language requirements
The Manufacture is located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (Romandie), so the language of everyday life is French. The languages of instruction are French and English. Students are not required to be bilingual to be admitted, however they are encouraged to start studying the missing language as soon as they confirm their enrollment at the Manufacture and they are expected to acquire a very good command of the other language during their first year of study.
Danseur·euse
