Dance: Performance BA(Hons)

Why study BA(Hons) Dance: Performance at University College Falmouth?

Performance courses - additional information (994.71 KB)

This course encourages the development of young entrepreneurial artists eager to build a portfolio career. You'll also have a unique opportunity to work with emerging choreographers studying on BA(Hons) Dance: Choreography, forging a new wave of artistic collaborations between performers and choreographers.

BA(Hons) Dance: Performance at Falmouth teaches an unprecedented amount of physical training technique classes in a university degree, offering you highly skilled performance training that will enable you to become a versatile dance artist. Our training is focused on helping you become a creative, entrepreneurial, independent dancer. Unlike a conservatoire, where a lot of the training is focused around the directions a choreographer will give you later, this course is for people who have a creative side and want to learn about devising techniques and make a valuable contribution to choreography and performance projects, collaborating with artists from different disciplines.

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) Dance: Performance course

Focusing on highly-skilled movement-based practices that address the multifaceted nature of dance and performance today, you'll gain a rigorous training in a variety of physical skills together with a thorough understanding of contextual frameworks. Contemporary dance classes like Cunningham, Release Technique or Contemporary Ballet form the basis of your training and are informed by somatic approaches, such as Body-Mind Centering, Yoga, Alexander Technique and Pilates. With daily technique classes, in addition to tuition in Contact Improvisation, partner-work, repertoire and devising methods, you'll be more than equipped to meet the challenges of a career in dance.

Our BA(Hons) Dance: Performance and BA(Hons) Dance: Choreography courses are closely linked, so you'll attend some the same classes together - looking at the same issues from your different performance or choreography perspectives. Collaborating on performance projects, you'll also enjoy plenty of cross-disciplinary time with theatre, fine art, design and performance writing students, as well as having the opportunity to travel abroad (for example, one of our groups is producing a public event in Berlin each year).

You'll learn how to develop a portfolio career (that will enable you to earn money through teaching and workshops as well as performances) and the best way to manage yourself as a performance or dance artist after you graduate. At Falmouth, we place a strong emphasis on professional development and have a special Artists in a Professional Context module. You'll have one term during which you can either go on a placement or exchange with one of our partner universities or colleges in America and Europe (for example SNDO in Amsterdam or CalArts in California), or do a research project either in the UK or abroad. This enables you to experience what it's like working in the real world in your chosen field before you graduate, whilst benefiting from the support of weekly contact with your tutor throughout.

Our outstanding tutors and host of visiting artists are successful practitioners with their fingers on the pulse of the latest developments in the arts. Regular visiting artists include Kirsty Simson ("one of the legends of British dance and one of the greatest exponents of contact improvisation" - Time Out) and Marie Gabrielle Roti, a Japanese Butoh expert who has presented works at the Royal Opera House, Laban and the Royal National Theatre. They both run week-long workshops with our students, focussing on specific areas of expertise. Together with our staff - many of whom are practitioners active with their own dance companies - they'll help you formulate ideas, develop physical skills and explore the languages of movement, while encouraging your individual and collaborative composition methods.

Recent visitors also include Jasmine Vardimon (associate artist of Sadler's Wells since 2006); H2 Dance ("a determinedly defiant and forceful piece of 21st-century dance theatre" - The Guardian); Colin Poole (former associate artist at The Place); and Kwesi Johnson (artistic director of Kompany Malakhi and founder of The Akademy - the UK's first Hip Hop Academy in Bristol).

Locally, we work with CScape Dance and nationally acclaimed theatre companies Kneehigh and Wildworks. Many of our workshops are run in conjunction with Falmouth's theatre students, so you'll also have the chance to work with innovative performance groups like Gob Squad and Goat Island.

BA(Hons) Dance: Performance's rich and versatile programme will provide you with plenty of opportunity to achieve top results and a blossoming performance career.

Winter Dance Gathering

December 2009 saw over one hundred dance artists from all stages of their career at University College Falmouth's first annual Winter Dance Gathering.

Dancing in the dark, partnering with the walls, choreographing over the internet, critiquing female dressing room neuroses, tap-dancing to live music, wrestling with giant flags and creating mass improvisation events were just a few of the ‘doings' that celebrated diverse and energetic engagements with dance performance.

Taking place at UCF's Dartington Campus in Devon the gathering featured work by students, staff and alumni over a weekend of performances, workshops, discussions and film screenings that were all free to the public.

Dancing Means Doing. Review of the Winter Dance Gathering (150.78 KB)

Facilities

From 2010, all performance courses will be based at our new £15 million Performance Centre at our Tremough campus, Penryn. This high-specification facility is purpose-built for students' specific needs with the very latest equipment and will encourage collaborations between the three Schools to create exciting new performance, installation and exhibition projects.

Specific facilities for dance students include a large theatre and dance studio with a fully sprung Harlequin floor, plus two more large dance studios also with fully sprung Harlequin floors. All studios will be equipped with contemporary production lighting and sound facilities.

Answers and advice about the course

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum

HelpMe Forum

Career opportunities

• Freelance dance performer
• Lighting and design consultant for dance productions
• Community work
• Teaching
• Postgraduate study

Course entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, a minimum of two subjects with at least one Grade B if applying from A level, or other appropriate level 3 qualifications/experience.

Please see our How to Apply page for more information.

For further information about BA(Hons) Dance: Performance at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01803 861620

Interview dates and selection process

Selection days will commence in December.

Selection days will involve improvisation and working in small groups.

Applicants will be expected to:

• Come prepared with a simple phrase of movement for development within the session (no sound or props etc needed).
• Bring a written critical response to two performances you have recently seen and two books on dance/choreography that you have recently read. This writing should be accompanied by a bibliography and should not be more than 1000 words.

Location: Dartington Campus and London, Bristol and Birmingham

Related courses

• Dance: Choreography BA(Hons)