AFCMD 240h: Specialization for Teaching the Discipline

“Teaching AFCMD in various choreographic contexts:
specialized training for teaching the discipline.”

Objective

Following and complementing the 600-hour « Advanced Study in Movement and Injury Prevention » program offered by the pôle Aliénor, this program aims to develop transmission skills to access a new profession: AFCMD specialist. It prepares participants to teach in various contexts where this discipline is applied, such as initial and professional dance training, the Pedagogical bachelor’s program for dance teachers, the Certificate of Aptitude for dance teaching, or to lead continuing education workshops in AFCMD for diverse audiences with a specific approach to posture and the moving body.  

Mis Ă  jour le 24/04/2025

Content

The program includes a wide range of courses such as didactic classes, practical teaching simulations, one or more in-situ internships within arts education institutions, guidance in writing a final thesis, and a final exam.

Educational Committee

Soahanta De Oliveira, Emmanuelle Lyon and Nathalie Schulmann — dancers and AFCMD trainers for the Pedagogical bachelor, the Certificate of Aptitude, and other trainer training programs.

Target Audience: individuals who have completed and obtained the certificate “AFCMD – Movement Expertise and Prevention” (600-hour training program offered by pĂ´le AliĂ©nor) and who are selected through an admission process.

Number of trainees per promotion: 12 to 18 participants

Admission Process: candidates are applying to a two-day audition workshop, held several months before the start of the program. This allows pĂ´le AliĂ©nor and the educational committee to observe how well the knowledge acquired during the “Movement Expertise and Prevention” training has been integrated. The aim is also to assess whether this integration, along with the candidate’s professional project, aligns with the objectives of the proposed training. The selection workshop includes technical classes, practical teaching simulations based on pre-communicated themes, and a written iconographic analysis. The educational committee and PĂ´le AliĂ©nor also schedule individual interviews with each candidate.

Application Fee for the Two-Day Selection Workshop: €180

Registration: contact Fabienne Mester, continuous professional education coordinator +33 5 49 39 00 33

Training cost: 

4 600 €

Dates, duration, location:

The 240-hour training program will run from July 2025 to the end of August 2026, and includes:

  • 8 sessions including 5 sessions of 4 days (25h) and 3 sessions of 5 days (31h) in Poitiers 
  • A 20-hour in-situ teaching internship at one or more dance education institutions, which may be located in other regions of France.
  • A final 2-hour exam before a jury (1.5 hours of practical teaching simulation + 30-minute interview)

The schedule and times listed in the table below are provisional and may be subject to change due to organizational constraints.

Audition workshop: Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 2025 (application fee: €180) – Register with Fabienne Mester by February 7, 2025
Training Dates: July 2025 – August 2026
2025 :

  • Session 1 : July 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 (31h)
  •  Session 2 : August 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 2025 (31h)                                   
  •  Session 3 : October 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 2025 (31h)           
  • Session 4 : November 28, 29, 30 and December 1 (25h)
  • Session 5 : January 16, 17, 18, 19, 2026 (25h)

2026 : 

  • Session 6 :   February 20, 21, 22, 23 (25h)
  • Session 7 : April 17, 18, 19, 20 (25h)
  •  Session 8 : May 22, 23, 24, 25 (25h)

Final thesis submission deadline: August 7, 2026
Final examination: August 28–29, 2026 (date to be confirmed)

Indicative daily schedule:

For 5-day sessions (31 hours per session):

  • Day 1: 11:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00 (6h)
  • Days 2, 3, and 4: 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00 (3 Ă— 7h)
  • Day 5: 09:00–13:00 (4h)

For 4-day sessions (25 hours per session):

  • Day 1: 11:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00 (6h)
  • Days 2 and 3: 09:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:30 (2 Ă— 7.5h)
  • Day 4: 09:00–13:00 (4h)

In-depth Theoretical and Practical Content
Theories of observation and their application to movement
AFCMD related to the observation of dance styles
AFCMD in connection with child development
AFCMD in relation to other movement analysis systems, such as notation systems
Complementary knowledge in somatic education

Teaching methods
Methodology, theory, and practice of transmission
Teaching simulations
Observation-based tutoring

Thematic Thesis
Research methodology
Guidance and support in writing the thesis

Psychology and Learning

Several forms of evaluation are used throughout the training program:

  • Continuous assessment, based on various assignments, reports, and theoretical-practical workshops, is complemented by a grade for the internship (tutoring) and another for the thesis.
  • A final examination, consisting of a 90-minute AFCMD workshop given to a group of student participants in front of an expert jury, followed by a 30-minute interview, serves as the concluding evaluation of the trainees.

Upon successful completion of the training, participants will receive a certificate issued by pôle Aliénor – a higher education and continuing professional training institution in the performing arts.

This certificate is recognized by the French Ministry of Culture for teaching AFCMD within training centres that deliver Pedagogical bachelor diploma (Diplôme d’État) for dance teachers (both public and private), as well as in various institutions that incorporate this discipline. Obtaining this certificate automatically qualifies the holder to be listed by the Ministry of Culture among those eligible to work as jury panels for the pedagogy component of the Pedagogical bachelor for dance teachers, as well as for the anatomy module.

This training is currently undergoing recertification for inclusion in the Specific Directory of France Compétences.

Dancers specialized in AFCMD, experts in various scientific and artistic fields. The following individuals have already contributed to previous training sessions:

Valentine Vuilleumier, Nicole Arbonnier Topin, Catherine Augé, Trisha Bauman, Anne Candardjis, Eric Duzinsky, Hubert Godard, Odile Rouquet, Marie-Christine Plion, Nelly Thomas, Philippe Campignion, Suzon Holzer, Claudia Damasio, Camilla Gotta, Gilles Dietrich, Marie Glon, Annabelle Couillandre, Olivier Lefrançois, Chantal Dubois, Cécile Pavot Lemoine, Jeanine Moro, Cédric Carré, Odile Cazes,… and the members of the educational committee.

The theoretical and practical classes take place in a dance studio that meets current standards, equipped with a video projector and a camera for recording work sessions. Various teaching aids are available at each session (mats, yoga blocks, balls of different sizes, skeletons, etc.).

Success rates:

  • AFCMD 600 hours – Movement expertise and prevention – Class of 2012–2014: 86%
  • AFCMD 600 hours – Movement expertise and prevention – Class of 2016–2018: 90%
  • AFCMD 240 hours – Specialization for teaching the discipline – Class of 2016–2018: 85%
  • AFCMD 240 hours – Specialization for teaching the discipline – Class of 2021–2022: 80%