Preparatory Course

• Improvisation, composition, choreography, repertoire, master classes, acting for dancers, lessons specifically for presentation and empathy on stage, creating your own dance, developing musicality, stage presentations, developing your own dance material, developing your own dance production, offering location performances. Classes for artistic development take place weekly, stage and studio presentations several times a year.
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• → Class 1 and 2 (age 8 and 9): total 2.25 hours per week
• → Class 3 (age 10 and 11): total 3.5 hours per week
• → Class 4 (age 11 and 12): total 4.75 hours per week
• → From grade 5 (age 12-18): a total of 6.25 hours per week
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• The stated number of hours of lessons per week does not include extra projects, rehearsals, watching performances, etc.
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• The dancers receive feedback several times a year, sometimes by means of a written report, sometimes during a personal conversation. In March/April it will be checked whether the dancer can continue to the next class the following season.
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• For a future in the dance profession, you must have sufficient talent and suitability. Whether this is indeed the case, the subject teachers of the Preparatory Course determine by means of an audition. During an audition, the existing talent is tested, which must offer sufficient development opportunities. Young people who are already going to secondary school can do so with this preparatory training at VMBO, HAVO or VWO level.
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• During an audition we look at:

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• Physical fitness
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• → physical capabilities
• → motor skills / coordination
• → medical fitness
• → dance technical skills
• → musicality
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• Artisticity
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• → natural sense of movement
• → creativity
• → expressiveness
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• Working posture
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• → motivation
• → absorption capacity
• → perseverance
• → processing the exercise material
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• Dancers aged 12 years and older must undergo a medical examination by a physiotherapist.
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• In principle, admission is always for an entire season, regardless of the assessment in December/January. Sometimes a student is accepted conditionally until Christmas. In this way, entry into the Preparatory Course is easily accessible, especially for younger dancers, because a choice for the entire season does not have to be made yet. In addition, if in doubt after an audition, the training can give a child the opportunity to develop.

• You can receive a good dance training, while you can go to the primary or secondary school of your choice
• Starting with the Preparatory Course is easily accessible. Young children gradually increase the number of hours per year. It gives them the opportunity to investigate whether working with dance in this way is something for them.
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• You dance with peers who love dance as much as you do. You often make friends for life.
• You will be taught by teachers who have all danced professionally and are passionate about sharing their experiences with you
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• In addition to technical lessons, there is plenty of room for gaining stage experience and developing your creativity
• You will receive regular feedback in the form of a report, so that you know what you can work on again
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Class 1-2

Class 3

Class 5-10

Extra discount

Medical examination costs

• €50 (takes 30-45 minutes) This examination takes place from class 5.

• Open lessons are organised several times a year for parents/family/friends.
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• These are studio performances where the dancers can create a dance themselves or show a preview of a performance they are working on.

• The preparatory course focuses a lot on learning to create dance yourself. In addition, all classes work with a dance maker. There is a different program for each class.
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• Stage program per class:

• Class 1-2: dance in the student performance of DansHuis Haarlem
• Class 3-4: are invited to create their own work for an Open(Dance)House and dance in the student performance of DansHuis Haarlem
• Class 5-6-7: in addition to their own performance with classes 8-10, they collaborate on an extra project, for example with a choir, orchestra or at a special location
• Class 8-10: dancers create their own performance with dance group The Next Move led by a professional choreographer
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• → Dancers from Class 9 or 10 can join as aspiring dancers with Dansgroep Haarlem

• Dance group The Next Move was founded in 2024 and consists of dancers from the highest classes of the preparatory training. The Next Move brings performances created by a professional (guest) choreographer in close collaboration with the dancers. They think along about the concept and also create dance material themselves.
  
  The performance is performed several times and ideally makes a small tour of various theaters. Danshuis Haarlem has a collaboration with theater de Schuur, among others, which programs such performances. Dancing in The Next Move prepares the dancers well for their next step towards a dance education at home or abroad.
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• The Next Move in theater De Schuur with 'Heartbeat'. Photo: Rutger Vos

• → The costs for primary school students are €20
• → Dancers from Danshuis Haarlem can follow the audition for free.
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• → The costs for an audition week are €50
• → Dancers from Danshuis Haarlem pay €35.00