In the goal of the future creation of a regional hub for higher education in Dance, the Ecole Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower (ESDC) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille (ENSDM) have established a partnership and a joint artistic and pedagogical direction for their respective higher education programs. This is entrusted to Paola Cantalupo, whose new role becomes effective from March 1, 2012.
Relying on the current higher education programs offered by the ESDC Rosella Hightower and by the ENSDM, the histories of each school, their complementary pedagogical potentials, and their existing partnerships with the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis and the University of South Toulon Var, this regional offering will be unique in its kind and will develop a coherent educational project, naturally embedded in the Mediterranean territory.
As she has done in Cannes, Paola Cantalupo will build the joint higher education project on a versatile classical-contemporary training for all students, aiming for excellence, personal development, and constant alignment with the realities of the professional world.
The already existing Junior Ballet structure in Cannes for the third year of preparation for the National Superior Professional Diploma (DNSP) of dancer, with the Cannes Jeune Ballet, will be one of the main tools for professional integration of this common higher education offer.
This third year will be grouped in Cannes in 2012/2013 for both schools. It is also offered to all students in alternation through apprenticeships via the CFA “Dance, Theater, Voice” managed by the ESDC.
This partnership and common project will allow, on one hand, to optimize connections with professional networks in a territorial context rich in its choreographic history and energized by many and high-quality professional stakeholders, and on the other hand, to develop bridges with other regional higher education programs in performing arts.
It also allows offering an expanded platform of university opportunities thanks to the partnership with the two poles of Nice and Toulon.
Simultaneously, the ENSDM is setting up the recruitment of the director of its initial curriculum, which will be developed within a common educational project of the institution.
Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, this partnership is supported by the PACA Region, the Department of Alpes Maritimes, and the cities of Marseille, Cannes, and Mougins.
