Every day, talented students from the Netherlands and abroad crawl through the corridors of what we used to call Rotterdam Conservatory and Rotterdam Dance Academy: it is now called Codarts. It is a pleasure for the board president Wilma Franchimon of Codarts to watch them and of course to listen. Here young people learn the fine art of, for instance, violin playing or modern dance. Codarts and De Doelen are connected like Siamese twins, being "the cultural engine block" of the Rotterdam Central District (RCD). "The cacophony of the area, with its jingling trams, ringing cyclists and speeding cars, sounds like the music of the city."
“The RCD is amazing, so centrally located. When it rains, I take the 8th tram, but otherwise I cycle here from Lloydpier, where I live. That is joyous”, says Wilma Franchimon from the back of her room. She looks over the roofs of De Doelen at the townhall on Coolsingel. “Our building is fantastically accessible because of its location just opposite the Central Station, the most beautiful one in the world in my humble opinion. As the residents of the area, we are well-connected by the public transport not just to the rest of the world, but also to our neighbors, and not just De Doelen. We make very conscious use of the activities of entrepreneurs who are based here, and vice versa. Codarts is actively involved in Rotterdam social life. Our research department, Codarts Research (part of RASL - Rotterdam Arts & Sciences Lab / ed.), has found home across the street in the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC). There, at Groot Handelsgebouw, we are active 24/7. Codarts Agency oversees students regarding their concerts and performances and serves as a point of contact for external parties. We perform in the Marriott Hotel next door and the nearby town hall. Our students also perform at the Bird jazz center at the Hofbogen.
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