BA (Hons) Dance

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

As part of the Art, Design and Performance School at BNU, you’ll benefit from a practiced-based course, supported by contextual studies. Led by a dedicated and experienced course team, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. You will also have the chance to work closely with guest artists who are still active in the dance industry and who will further nurture your learning and professional development throughout your time at BNU.

As well as this we seek to bring your work into the wider world and to bring the world into the university. During your time at BNU you’ll have the opportunity to perform at external venues and showcase your skills to the local dance community. You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively across the university with other courses such as Sports therapy and Photography, ensuring that you are building a varied network, like you would in the real world.

With London only a short train ride away, you are only a stones-throw away from the hustle and bustle. 

Stay updated with all our latest BA (Hons) Dance news by following us on Instagram @dance_bnu

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as entrepreneurship, creativity, health & wellbeing and culture. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

What facilities can I use?

Our well-rounded course offers you the chance to use a range of our state-of-the-art facilities on campus, including a well-equipped gym, dance studios, fitness studio and a Human Performance Lab.

Our dance studios are fully equipped with everything you’ll need to practice and create routines. These bright and open spaces, where you can let your creativity flow, are all air conditioned, with overhead gallery lighting, audio playback facilities, fully sprung floors and wall length mirrors.

Our Human Performance Laboratory has been designed to increase athletes’ performance through improved technique, and also assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation. The lab is home to an indoor three-lane running track that incorporates 3D motion-capture technology and is equipped for assessing a range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters.

You’ll also have access to the Wycombe Swan Theatre and Wycombe Town Hall as part of our Wycombe Swan Residency. The Swan Theatre sits adjacent to the University and is one of the UK’s leading regional theatres.

How will I be taught and assessed?

This industry focused programme is delivered through a variety of teaching mediums, with a strong onus on combining theory and practice through studio classes, workshops, masterclasses, and seminars. These are all designed to provide a stimulating authentic learning environment with multiple opportunities for you to work with professional dance artists.

Assessment has been designed to be as authentic as possible with a strong focus on practical skills and reflective practice. Assessment is ongoing and often focused on the process as well as the end point to best reflect real-world practice. The overall aim is to use innovative teaching and learning methods to guide you towards becoming more independent learners by the end of the programme, and to allow you to explore issues fully in the context of your work.

By your final year, we expect you to have attained a level of independent learning and the ability to apply the knowledge and theoretical understanding you have developed in the earlier years of the course to a particular case study or project of your own devising. Within this independent research project, you get the chance to focus in on a particular area of dance practice that interests you.