History
The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (CDD) was established in 2001 to secure the future of some of the UK’s best vocational training establishments. It receives funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. CDD is a new kind of higher education institution, made up of a number of affiliate schools which enter into a partnership with CDD to deliver high quality vocational training in dance, drama and circus arts.
Mission
CDD’s mission is “to advance the art forms of dance and drama by preparing students for sustainable careers as artists; the Conservatoire aims to attract the most talented students, who are selected for training irrespective of background, and to sustain its affiliate schools’ excellence and leadership in training and research.”
Affiliates
CDD’s affiliates approach vocational training with different philosophies. CDD is keen to foster diversity amongst its schools, some of which have more than a century of experience in training students. What the schools share is a commitment to offering the best training to talented students. The eight affiliates are:
- London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS) founding affiliate, 2001;
- Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) founding affiliate, 2001;
- Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NCSD) joined 2003;
- Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) joined 2003;
- Central School of Ballet (CSB) joined 2004;
- The Circus Space (TCS) joined 2004;
- London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) joined 2004; and
- Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (RSBCD) joined 2006.
Students are selected by the affiliates and registered as students jointly of CDD and their school. CDD has around 1,000 students of whom around 865 are UK/EU students.
RADA’s programmes are validated by King’s College, London, BOVTS’ programmes are validated by the University of the West of England, NSCD programmes are validated by the University of Leeds and programmes at LCDS, CSB, Circus Space, LAMDA and RSBCD are validated by the University of Kent.
For further information about affiliates, please click on one of the names above.