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Contemporary School of Dance has three children’s performing companies: DanceWorks, a contemporary dance company for students age 8-16, Contemporary Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company for senior level students, and CSD Ballet Co., a ballet company for senior ballet students within the school.

Students involved in these companies are exposed to professional dance artists, noncompetitive performances and local fundraisers. Students experience working with professional choreographers and are also encouraged to create works for the company's repertoire. Professional artists involved with our companies have included: Michelle DeBrouwer, Michael Moore, D.A. Hoskins, Gabby Kamino, Sylvanus Klotz, and Heather Roy-Kleihauer. By working with guest artists, the students receive a greater understanding of professional dance artists, the choreographic process and the value of choreography. We would also like to encourage and support professional artists by commissioning their choreography!

The works created for CSD’s dance companies are performed at non-competitive venues, and have included the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, Sur La Pointe ballet festival (non-competitive stream), the Muskoka Ballet Gala (an event that raises funds for dance scholarships for students in northern Ontario), For the Cause (a CSD student run performance raising funds for local charities), ChildCAN (a performance raising funds for children with cancer), Royal Medieval Faire, Halloween Fest, Choreographer’s Collective (a former K-W dance collective), Womyn’s Fest, Sounds of Summer Music Festival, Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario, local nursing homes, and many others! Participation in our dance companies helps to develop a sense of creative confidence and a commanding stage presence in each dancer.

Did you know that our dance companies contribute to our local community? Each spring, the dancers put on a fundraising performance, For the Cause, at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener. Each year, they choose a different cause within our community to support. This past spring (May 2007), they raised $800.00 for Big Brothers Big Sister of Kitchener-Waterloo and Area Inc. In 2005, they raised $1100.00 for KidsAbility Foundation and in 2006, they raised $1000.00 for R.O.O.F. (Reaching Our Outdoor Friends – a united way agency) through their For the Cause performances. Way to go dancers!

Students interested in joining should have a strong commitment to the group and demonstrate a real passion for performing dance. Students 8-16 years of age are invited to audition for DanceWorks; audition dates will be announced in June 2008. Senior level students participate in CSD Ballet Co. and/or Contemporary Dance Theatre by invitation only and must be attending two additional classes per week.