The Centre for Advanced Training (CAT) at The Place, also home to London Contemporary Dance School, is based in the heart of central London. Our programme is for all young people aged 11-18 years old who display a sense of enthusiasm, commitment and potential to develop and thrive in dance. 

• Enthusiasm: a passion for dance and a hunger to learn.
• Commitment: a dedication to dance training and self-discipline.
• Potential: a strong disposition towards dance.

We have two aspects to our whole programme at The Place: CAT Programme and CAT Associates:

Our CAT Programme
Our classes run for 10 weeks per term, every Saturday (12.30-5.45) during term time and Tuesday (5.30-8.30) and Wednesday (5.30-7.30) after school, where you take part in fun yet challenging classes in contemporary, ballet and creative.

Tuesday and Wednesday evening classes are for those students who live in and around London. If you live outside of London, and cannot travel to The Place during the week, CAT will contribute towards your contemporary or ballet class in your local area. These costs are reimbursed on proof of payment and attendance at these classes following a pre-arranged agreement with the CAT Management Team.

We hold three intensives per year to give our students a broad dance education programme and to experience other dance styles and genres: October, Easter & Summer Intensives. 

Our October Intensive in half term, brings in Hip-Hop, African Dance, Body Percussion, Masterclasses with Dance conservatoires and University’s, audition preparation classes and more.

Our Easter and Summer Intensives are four-six day intensives where students come in every day and work with a professional dance artist or company to create a creative piece. These pieces are then performed at the end of each creation week, with the summer show being held at The Place Theatre. The summer show is a significant end of year celebration of all the students hard work over the year and a graduation ceremony for those who are going into Higher Education or other opportunities.

Additional enrichment activities:

• Health & Well-being screenings, follow-ups and support.
• Individual Training Plans and Target setting (ITPs).
• Body conditioning, injury prevention and well-being 1:1’s.
• Theatre trips.
• Interaction with experienced dance artists, choreographers, and diverse companies across the world.
• Tailored workshops and wider creative opportunities such as audition toolkits and social media takeovers.

The current total course fee for CAT is £4,032 per annual year and we are generously funded by the Department for Education Music and Dance Scheme (MDS).  Grants are awarded based on household income, which means that the training can be fully or partially funded.  This enables us to support any young person with the right enthusiasm, commitment and potential to be the next generation of future leaders in the field of dance and beyond. No previous dance experience is necessary as we actively welcome young people who have not had the opportunity to take any previous dance classes. CAT exists to break down these barriers and invite those who are passionate and willing to learn something new or build on those existing skills.

CAT Associates
Our CAT Associate programme is pre-CAT training provision for students who display potential during the Admission Workshops.  CAT Associates acts as a stepping-stone to the full programme whereby successful applicants join our mid-week classes on either a Tuesday or Wednesday after school.  Typically, this opportunity is only accessible to those students who live in or around London.

The aim of our CAT Associates is to further develop and support young people who we feel are not quite ready for the rigours of the full programme or whose other commitments do not enable them to join the full CAT programme.  Being a CAT Associate, you will participate in one of our mid-week classes, gaining access to our world-class teaching staff while benefitting from the support and direction of the CAT Management team.

This is an annual commitment starting each September, running across three academic terms.

CAT Associates is designed to be a springboard onto the full CAT programme but there is no guarantee a place will be offered. You will automatically be invited to apply at the end of the year and will be monitored throughout the academic year by our faculty. In some exceptional circumstances you may be invited directly on to the programme by demonstrating qualities that we look for in an ideal CAT student.

Fee
Our annual cost per student for our CAT Associate programme is £500 and includes:

• Weekly contemporary and ballet classes.
• Pastoral support from the CAT Management Team.
• Relevant signposting and tailored advice.
• If applicable, progression onto the full CAT Programme.

Bursaries are available for our CAT Associates through our outreach programme on submission via an application.

CAT Experience Days
Each year in autumn and spring term, we run Experience Days where you are offered a taster day of what CAT is like and what to expect on the programme. Here, potential CAT students take part in contemporary or ballet classes and have an opportunity to listen to a short presentation given by the CAT Management Team. Parents/guardians are invited to ask questions and share their thoughts on anything related to the programme.

Our next Experience Day is on 30 March 2024 which is a chance for you to learn more about the application process and explore The Place. If you are interested, Sign Up Here.

Admission Workshops: Sat 11 & 18 May 2024
Our Admission Workshops for Sept 2024 uptake are on Sat 11 & 18 May. Please note that Applications are now OPEN.

Visit us on our official website at The Place CAT to learn more and read our FAQs if you would like further information.

Alternatively, if you would like to contact us via email, please email: cat@theplace.org.uk