Apply Now Book Open Day

BA (Hons) Dance

Name: BA (Hons) Dance
Availability: InStock

UCAS CODE: W500 (Full-time) or W504 (Foundation Year)

TARIFF: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

Gain a broad understanding of the dance industry and the ability to manage a successful career in this exciting field. Become a thinking practitioner of dance and spend time looking at performance development through choreography and dance techniques.

Focusing on jazz and commercial styles, this dynamic dance degree course will also give you the opportunity to work with professional dancers, choreographers and arts organisations.

No. 1 in England for Student Satisfaction*

*Measured by % of positivity across all questions within the larger providers only: taught or registered population (NSS 2023)

No. 1 Students' Union in the UK*

*As ranked among taught students at non-specialist HEIs (NSS 2023)

Top for our response to the cost-of-living-crisis*

*Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

5th for learning opportunities*

*NSS 2023

Top 10 for student support*

*Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023

Why study BA (Hons) Dance at BNU?

Inspiring Facilities

At BNU we ensure you have creative spaces to bring your ideas to life. On this course you’ll have access to 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.

Each space brings with it unique features, from sprung floors to fully equipped sound systems and full-length mirrors - our dance studios are fully equipped with everything you’ll need to practice and create routines.

We also understand that during your time at university, it is also just important to get involved with extra-curricular activities. Our Students’ Union offers a range of free societies and nights out for you to enjoy, from a dance society to our yearly festiball event, there is something for everyone.

Showcase your skills

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 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.

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.

Learn from industry-experts

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.

Flexible learning

With our Dance course you share a first year with BA (Hons) Dance and Fitness. During this year you’ll experience the core curriculum before you further into specialised learning. This also allows you to decide your preferred degree, and choose between BA (Hons) Dance and BA (Hons) Dance and Fitness.

These courses are also offered as four-year programmes, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

Location

Our High Wycombe Campus is only a short train ride away from London, meaning you are only a stones-throw away from the hustle and bustle of the world-renowned West End and many other independent theatres and dance companies. You are also only around the corner from Oxford and Reading.

What will I study?

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first 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.

This degree focuses on commercial dance forms, jazz dance and classical ballet are the foundational styles but you will also have the chance to take classes in other diverse dance styles which may include K-Pop, AfroDance, Commercial, Hip Hop and contemporary. The supportive course team help to nurture your dance technique whilst also teaching you the transferable skills needed for your future career in the dance industry.

In your final year you’ll focus on skills which prepare you for the dance industry. You will gain knowledge of how to contact agents, market yourself as a dance professional, undertake work experience and spotlight your skills in a final showcase performance.

9 Dance students performing a routine in the studio facing the camera

A dance student holding a fellow dance student up in the air as they perform a routine

A dance student leading fellow dance students in a choreograph in the dance studios

Two female and two male dancers stretching in studio

The teaching staff on this course are kind, supportive, experienced and inspirational people. They deliver excellent and innovate practical and academic classes. They continue to actively work in the industry and are always available to provide any support we may need as students. Each module is carefully designed and taught in a way that benefits us and is relevant to the current dance world.

Michelle Charles

How will be taught and assessed?

This undergraduate dance 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.

I have used the physical skills I developed and learnt in my training with BNU. All those jazz technique lessons I went to over the years have really made me feel confident in my abilities and shown that I can succeed in professional jobs. There were also a variety of modules where I felt I developed leadership skills and again I have taken this forward into my life since leaving university.

Jake Kernot

Useful documents

BA (Hons) Dance Programme Specification

BA (Hons) Dance Additional Course Costs

Dance at BNU has helped me to grow and excel as a dancer. There are beneficial and exciting masterclasses whereby a variety of dance styles are taught which enables communication between the students and the dance creatives within the dance industry. Lastly, the lecturers provide excellent support.

Tatiana Ashiao

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

As part of the application process, candidates will be invited to attend an audition and interview.

Audition/Interview Process

Your audition/ interview will consist of joining in a 1-1.5 hour dance workshop. This could be in any dance style depending on what guest dance artist we have scheduled in for that week. You need to ensure you wear appropriate clothing for the audition and please be prepared to dance in bare feet/ trainers dependent on the style. We will be watching the audition and rather than looking specifically at your proficiency in the dance style, we are looking for students who are open-minded to trying different styles, who can apply feedback appropriately and who have potential.

This will then be followed by an individual/ small group interview with one of the dance team. During the interview we will be asking questions to assess your suitability for the course and you will also have the chance to ask us any questions you may have regarding the course. This will last approximately 15 minutes.

What you must bring with you

As well as suitable dance attire, please bring a piece of written work with you as a demonstration of your academic writing style.

Information for overseas students

Please note, students who live overseas and are unable to attend an interview/audition should submit a video/YouTube/Vimeo link in place of attending in person. This should be a 1-2 minute video of you dancing. This can be in any style you wish and can be a solo/ group piece (if it is a group piece, please make it clear to us which one you are in the video). This video should be a good example of your dance technique in your chosen style. Please email your dance video and an example of a piece of written work

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. 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. Find out more.

Foundation Year

Core Modules

Preparing for Success: Knowledge and Creativity

The module will prepare you for successful progression into academic study while allowing you to learn about and prepare yourself for employment in the twenty-first century through inquiry-based learning, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.

Preparing for Success: Self Development and Responsibility

This module enables you to begin developing the Bucks Graduate Attributes associated with leadership and self-development and social and ethical awareness and responsibility, which are essential for success in higher education and in the world of work.

Inquiry Based Learning

Delivery of this module is based on ‘confirmation inquiry’ – a foundational level of inquiry geared for developing your understanding of key concepts and themes as well as basic methodologies and approaches to academic work, relevant to your discipline. You’ll then have the opportunity to analyse a problem or question that relates to your subject a...

Introduction to Dance Studies

This module introduces you to a range of practical and theory-based sessions in relation to both the fitness and performance aspects of dance. The module will also introduce you to the social, cultural and historical context of dance, basic anatomy and physiology and a range of dance techniques focusing upon ballet and jazz.

Year 1

Core Modules

Credits

Foundations in Dance Technique

20

Credits: 20

This module offers you opportunities to develop core dance skills in a range of dance styles. This includes an understanding of core posture, alignment, co-ordination, flexibility, strength, balance, dynamics and quality of movement in a range of styles. You’ll self-reflect and assess your progress throughout the module.

Development in Dance Techniques

20

Credits: 20

It is essential for dancers to have practical technique classes across the whole academic year to ensure safe practice and guarantee continuous technical progression. This module will focus on application of technique into set and unset jazz exercises. You’ll have experiential dance science classes to progress your technical understanding in a rang...

Dance Pedagogy & Practice

20

Credits: 20

This module will introduce you to established and current pedagogical theory. You’ll apply these theories to your own learning and to support the learning of others through effective teaching practice. You’ll develop confidence in structuring and planning lessons, writing lesson plans, developing appropriate movement material. 

Psychology for Dancers

20

Credits: 20

This module aims to teach you about your psychological selves and how this impacts your dance practice. The module aims to cover aspects of psychology such as; self-awareness, motivation towards dance, well-being, self-confidence and aspects relating to overtraining and burnout.   

Movement for Screen

20

Credits: 20

This module engages you in an in-depth inquiry into movement for camera and screen. The practical assessment is a devised/choreographed performance for screen, where you’ll be expected to demonstrate creative confidence in physical expression and an appropriate level of embodied knowledge of the studied practices.

Opportunity Modules

You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 4 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Year 2

Core Modules

Credits

Dance Progressions

20

Credits: 20

The module aims to build upon the technical foundations established at level 4 and will continue to include classes in Jazz, ballet and another diverse dance style. In addition, the module will include classes focusing on dance science in practice where you’ll build on the fundamental anatomy knowledge gained.

Dance Repertoire

20

Credits: 20

You’ll continue to progress your dance technique through classes in a range of dance styles including jazz and ballet but will also focus on learning set professional repertoire. The onus will be on maintaining a high level of dance technique whilst performing repertoire in the required style.

The Body and Performance

20

Credits: 20

On this module you’ll gain an in-depth inquiry into your own creative processes. You’ll engage in the fundamental processes involved in movement generation and its creative development within performance making. You’ll also be introduced to and encouraged to explore physical performance and dance making via the work of key practitioners in the fiel...

Fitness Instruction

20

Credits: 20

The taught material will include physiological, social and psychological influences of exercise on health as well as health and safety issues regarding exercise prescription, understanding the barriers to exercise and how to prepare and instruct a gym-based exercise session. The module is aligned to CIMSPA Gym Instructor qualification requirements.

The Dance Industry in Context

20

Credits: 20

The module will address challenges and opportunities in the dance and fitness industries using theory as a lens to consider contemporary issues. This module aims to give you a critical understanding of work and help to focus your thinking on future career decisions.

Year 3

Core Modules

Credits

Advanced Dance Techniques

20

Credits: 20

You’ll apply a variety of techniques across a range of styles but also develop advanced performance skills appropriate to the technique. Precision of movement, adaptability to different dance styles and maturity in performance style are aspects that will be nurtured throughout this module.

Dance Careers and Professional Practice

20

Credits: 20

On this module you’ll target the taught content to your own future career path. You’ll be required to undertake work experience in a relevant setting such as dance teaching in the community/ schools/ private settings, in a dance agency or shadowing a freelance dance artist.

Advanced Dance Performance

20

Credits: 20

This module builds developing the understanding of dance techniques and performance skills. You’ll focus on academic, creative, employability and professional skills through the process of planning an industry relevant Showcase. You’ll work collaboratively utilising the strengths of the group to ensure smooth organisation, marketing and planni...

Performance Showcase

20

Credits: 20

The aim of this module will focus on the performance aspect in preparing you for your final Showcase where you’ll present your talents in relevance to your area of study. This will be performed to an invited audience, including agents and industry professionals.

Independent Project

40

Credits: 40

The Independent Project module aims to facilitate, develop and support an area of independent study and inquiry within the specialisms of dance/ performance/ theatre/ fitness. The Independent Project is an extended project and should draw on a range of skills from core modules already pursued within your degree culminating in either a written outco...

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2024 - 2025: £15,150 per year

Additional course costs and financial support

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

What are my career prospects?

Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation. Have a look at our Careers and Employability pages to find out more.

Upon graduation, you will be prepared for a range of career possibilities. Using the skills and knowledge learnt on this course, you could find yourself performing the following roles all over the world:

Dancer
Entertainer
Teacher
Dance choreographer

BNU couldn’t have prepared me more for the world of work. I gained so many transferable skills that I have to put into practice daily. Without my course I wouldn’t have the knowledge to make this possible.

Colette Adams