Performance is one of the basic components of the SNDO programme and runs like a thread throughout the four years, connecting all the separate components. Performances programme and festivals take place in every academic year.  

The students are stimulated to make performance work that challenges existing perceptions, emphasizing on innovation and experiment in the field of choreography.  

Besides emphasis on experimentation significant attention is given to the relation between process and the outcome. The student is expected to establish process which is faithful to the concept and research questions, guide their team, cooperate and inspire the production and technical team, give and receive the feedback during and after the process as well as to reflect on their choices and locate these into wider contexts of art and society.

In addition to own creations the student contributes to the production of performances of their peers and to the discussions and evaluations of all performances that take place in the study programme. Each year the students get to undergo the process from conceptualizing the ideas and doing own continuous research to entering a structured production process which consist of: production and PR strategy meeting, dry run, building day, cue to cue, technical rehearsal, general rehearsal, performance and cleanup of studios, rehearsal spaces and venues. In preparing the programme, besides attention to individual work, students are expected to think through the curatorial choices and overall evening programme.  

Each performance period is followed by the Re-view session with an external guest re-viewer, artistic director, mentor and the whole class. The advisers, performers and crew of each student are invited and welcome to join the re-view session.  

During SNDO Friday Afternoon, the student is given the opportunity to show work in progress, open rehearsals, sketches, ideas or present parts of research. If desired by the student after presentation there’s room for discussion with everyone present.

The SNDO performance programme consists of:
SNDO Friday Afternoon: every Friday at 13.30 – each student is obliged to present minimum 2x during their 1st study year and minimum 1x during their 2nd study year. There is no limited maximum; students are welcome and expected to make presenting of their ideas, drafts, research and rehearsal processes a regular part of their artistic practice:

  • Performance in FIRST YEAR: 10 minutes max (shared programme in studios 602 and 609 in Block 5)
  • Performance in SECOND YEAR: 20 minutes max (shared programme in studios 602 and 609 in Block 4)
  • Performances THIRD YEAR : Autumn semester Dance Theatre performance, advised length +/- 30 minutes (shared programme in the Dance stage at ATD); Spring semester SNDO/MTD/UC performance programme, advised length +/- 30 minutes (shared programme in Veem House for Performance)
  • Performances FOURTH YEAR: Spring semester shared programmes in Theatre Frascati and Veem House for Performance. June Graduation festival in Theatre Frascati. 

Performance proposal
Each performance programme is preceded by student writing the project proposal, which is in agreed timeline, submitted to the production/PR coordinator and mentor. For studio and Dance theatre performances the project proposal follows a simple and straightforward form sent out by the production and PR coordinator. It contains questions relating to content and production aspect of the concept. For the collaboration with MTD and UC, SNDO 3 students follow a more extensive process of formulating the idea, motivation, describing the methodology, besides elaborating on how the scenographic or other technical and production elements relate to concept.

In the fourth year the project proposal is based in the subsidy application form of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK). Often times young artists get intimidated when they encounter these subsidy request forms and procedures. The exercise in the fourth year is to allow for that encounter to happen within the school where guidance and feedback can be given by the team.

Crewing
Each performance programme (besides SNDO Friday Afternoon) is produced with guidance of SNDO production and PR manger and mentor. Besides them, in the first and second study year a technical person from ATD technical team accompanies the programmes. For the Dance Theatre programme students work closely with the production and technical team of ATD. For the programmes in external professional venues SNDO hires freelance light designers and production manager to support the programmes. These are professionals from the filed and each has their own style and way of working. At all times SNDO production and PR coordinator remains a connective tissue.

Next to these, all performance programmes are supported by fellow students. The so-called crewing is an integral part of the study programme. Each student of the 1st,2nd and 3rs study year is obliged to crew two times a year. The crew is guided by production coordinator and they (the crew) take care of tasks such as guiding the audience, filming the programme, running lights and sound, and building up, changing sets between the works and building down of the performances. The performing students take care of catering or financial compensation for food for the crewmembers during the performance days. The crewing is mandatory. In exceptional cases when a student can’t fulfill their duty, they are obliged to inform the production coordinator in timely manner (minimum four weeks ahead) as well as to organize their replacement. The crewing schedules are coordinated and communicated by the production coordinator.

SNDO Friday Afternoon is meant for technically and productionally low-key presentations. The coordination is in the hands of the Friday Afternoon curatorial team.











Delen