PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM

GRADUATES SERVICES

EDCM SUPPORTS ITS GRADUATES

To help them take their first steps into the job market, the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal offers its graduates a range of services and privileges.

THE PONT PROJECT: A TRANSITION TO A CAREER

The Pont Project is an initiative designed to support graduates in their transition to the professional world. It was created to ease the start of their careers by offering paid mentorship contracts within professional settings.

Developed in collaboration with choreographers and companies in Quebec, Canada, and around the world, the project allows graduates from the past two years to participate in creative activities, rehearsals, performances, and tours… Tailored to the specific realities and projects of each established company, these opportunities will be developed over time and will have their own selection criteria. These experiences will foster the development of their artistic practice, help them gain professional experience, and enable them to build lasting connections with the dance community.

TECHNIQUE CLASSES

Graduates may attend the morning technique classes so as to maintain optimal physical fitness for auditions or meetings with potential employers. After the first year, they may also take part in the technique classes at a preferential rate.

FITNESS CENTRE

Use of the gym facilities will be free for graduating students and available at a rate of $5 per visit or $20 per month for graduates who graduated more than a year ago.
Access to the gym must be outside of school activities. For more details, please inquire at the reception desk.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Sofia-Borella Scholaships

Since 2010, the Sofia-Borella scholarship, awarded by Francesca Luconi and Alberto and Lorenzo Borella, has been awarded to graduating students and recent graduates to facilitate their school-to-work transition.
Following the death of their daughter in the winter of 2009, Sofia Borella’s parents wanted to commemorate and pay tribute to her passion for and commitment to contemporary dance and the School. Each year, two $2,500 scholarships are awarded to two graduates to enable them to carry out a contemporary dance project and to help launch their professional careers.

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Lucie Boissinot Scholarship
This scholarship is intended to honor a graduating student who has distinguished themselves in several ways throughout their time in the EDCM’s professional training program. Awarded at the graduation ceremony since 2022 and worth $2,000, it has been presented to Isabelle Sue Pilette (2022), Alec Charbonneau (2023), Charlotte Mégardon (2024), Kate Manns (2025), and Margaux Pommier (2026).

RESIDENCE

The School offers its graduates, as well as its longer-standing alumni, studio hours for the realization of their projects, facilitating their integration into the job market: creating or rehearsing a choreographic piece, choreographic research, preparing for an audition, creating tools for a virtual portfolio, mentoring or coaching for a performance, personal training, or any other relevant request aimed at professional development.
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Interested graduates can write to Alice Renucci at any time.

BOOMERANG

Boomerang - danse partagées is an event developed by EDCM which supports creativity, talent and know-how of contemporary dance artists. It aims to act as a professional springboard for emerging contemporary dance artists. This platform gives an opportunity to EDCM graduates to present in studio the result of their creation. The informal and accessible evening highlights extracts of three choreographic pieces in a creation process.

During the performance, the public is invited to interact with choreographers and artists involved. Feedback from the audience, who is part of this experience, provides artists useful information in order to develop a choreographic signature and artists' personal universes. This project is coordinated by a committee composed by EDCM graduates.

ALUMNI COMMITTEE

An alumni committee is working to develop concrete initiatives aimed at strengthening engagement and creating added value for the School’s alumni community. Among the most recent projects undertaken are the HUB workshops and the “Trajectories” meetings between alumni and students.

PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS

An increasing number of potential employers, producers, dance companies and choreographers looking for up and coming dancers come to us when they have positions to fill (dancers, choreographers, teachers, etc.). Thus, for the five years following graduation, the school informs its graduates of these opportunities (job offers, calls for services, audition announcements, etc.)

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

The École de danse contemporaine de Montréal's graduates are eligible for the technique class reimbursement program offered by the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD) as soon as they complete the professional training. Moreover, they can benefit from the recognition of their status as an artist through an agreement with the Union des artistes (UDA).

PROMOTION

Graduates are invited to let us know about the projects they are working on. The School may promote their professional projects in its newsletter.

RESOURCES

- Resources for emerging artists (Tangente Danse)
- Taking the Leap: an online guidebook to production and presentation for emerging contemporary dance choreographers in Montreal (Studio 303)
- Regroupement québécois de la danse
- Circuit-Est, centre chorégraphique
- Conseil des arts de Montréal
- Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

Photo: Juan David Padilla | Dancer: Ezra Guerrier