Dance & Choreography BA(Hons)
Launch your career as a dancer and celebrate your unique potential as an artist with this skills-focused dance degree. Throughout this course, you’ll explore the twin strands of dance and choreography, developing your own innovative practice.

Key details
Location | Penryn Campus |
---|---|
Course Duration | 3 years |
Attendance | Full-time |
UCAS code | W511 |
Contact | 01326 254350 |
Apply now
Introduction
You'll benefit from the collaborative environment at AMATA, where you'll have the opportunity to work with students from multiple disciplines and gain access to world-class dance studios, as well as practice and performance spaces.
You will:
- Develop your physical and technical skills, as well as performance and choreographic capabilities, while engaging with dance histories, theories and contexts.
- Build industry links through workshops, guest lectures and visits from celebrated international practitioners such as Company Chameleon, Ballet Lorent and Siobhan Davies.
- Benefit from AMATA's year-round performance programme, which attracts top artists and performers from all over the world.
- Learn to utilise our extensive range of technical sound, lighting and recording equipment, to enable and realise your production ideas and visions.
Covid-19 update
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we have reviewed and made changes to our courses to provide flexible, blended delivery that offers high-quality digital engagement and access to face-to-face teaching in our facilities. You can see how your course may be adjusted by viewing the changes for the current academic year by visiting our welcome letters & latest course updates pages
What our graduates do
Our alumni have gone on to secure residencies, commissions and internships with Dance4, Dance Base, Yorkshire Dance, Motion Bank/Forsythe Company in Frankfurt, London's Jerwood Space, and Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York.
They've toured across the UK and Europe, made work at BIDE in Barcelona, the Edinburgh Fringe and Battersea Arts Centre, and received commissions and funding from Arts Council England.

Graduate's industry insights
Since graduating, Dance & Choreography alumnus Bakani Pick-Up has been featured as a dancer in a new music video, performed at prestigious venues and undertaken residencies with renowned choreographers.
Course details
What you'll learn
Our course structure, teaching and world-class facilities will provide you with time and space to develop physical, technical and critical capabilities. You'll receive a thorough grounding in dance techniques and develop your own innovative performance and choreographic practice.
There will be opportunities for collaboration and cross-disciplinary practice, and to engage with the wider communities of the contemporary dance industry. This course will enable you to make creative contributions to a range of professional arts contexts within which dance plays a vital role.
You'll explore and challenge your ideas of performance and choreography, make and perform work in different settings and locations, and develop strategies for making connections between practice and theory.
Modules
Contemporary Techniques & Improvisation
Performance & Choreographic Practices
Embodied Learning: Theories & Practices
Contemporary Techniques & Improvisation 2
Dance Cultures, Histories & Practices
Site-Based Practices
You'll continue to develop your technical and creative skills, while developing your specialist interest in choreography or performance. You'll further develop your research skills, gain a greater understanding of the contexts for your practice and start to consider your own future in dance.
Modules
Performance & Choreographic Skills
Dance Futures
Applied Techniques
Researching Dance: Theories & Contexts
Optional modules
Devising Performance
Choreography in Context
Cross-Disciplinary Performance
Choreographing the Screen
Taking charge of your learning, you'll undertake two research projects (one practical and one written), both of which focus on your chosen areas of interest. Throughout the year, you'll advance your physical training and creative and choreographic skills. This culminates in a professional practice project, in which you'll collaborate to produce, market, choreograph and perform an original work for public performance.
Modules
Written Research Project
Practical Research Project
Advanced Bodywork 1
Advanced Bodywork 2
Professional Practice Project
The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.
From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details.
How you'll learn
As part of this innovative choreography and dance degree, you'll participate in dance classes, workshops, seminars, lectures and self-generated projects. Based in a supportive environment, you'll be encouraged to push your practice though taking creative risks.
You'll work both individually and collaboratively and have the chance to grow alongside professional artists and our industry partners.
How you'll spend your time
Year | Timetabled teaching and learning activity | Guided independent study | Placements |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 40% | 60% | 0% |
2 | 37% | 63% | 0% |
3 | 29% | 60% | 11% |
How you'll be assessed
Year | Written exams | Practical exams | Coursework |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 0% | 67% | 33% |
2 | 0% | 76% | 24% |
3 | 0% | 86% | 14% |
The above percentages relate to 2019/2020 data.
Assessment methods
Assessment is both practical and written, ranging from presentations of practical work, essays and case studies, to performances and video projects.
Assessed practical work is shown in either a studio context to staff and peers or to public audiences on and off campus.
Staff
The dance staff are all professional practicing artists from the fields of performance, choreography, dance pedagogy, dance on screen and dance research.
Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every member shown here.
Simon Birch
In addition to my post at Falmouth University, I am a freelance choreographer, rehearsal director...
Angus McLean Balbernie
Angus McLean Balbernie has created around 85 pieces, worked and taught around the earth, including...
Dr Katrina Brown
Dr. Katrina Brown is a choreographer with an interdisciplinary hybrid practice across movement,...
Dr Kyra Norman
Kyra Norman is a choreographer and researcher working in dance, theatre and film. She approaches...
Dr Ruth Pethybridge
Dr Ruth Pethybridge is a choreographer, facilitator and researcher. She has delivered dance in...
Eugenia Demeglio
M. Eugenia Demeglio is a maker, born in Italy in 1985. After graduating in Italy in Art and...
Kuldip Singh-Barmi
Kuldip's fascination with the body and its capability for expression and physical exploration...
Grace Sellwood
I'm a dance performer, dance teacher, aerial performer, matwork and aerial pilates instructor, ...
Paul Joines
Since graduating in ‘Broadcast Studies’ from Falmouth College of Arts in 1996, Paul has spent over...
Emily Dobson
Emily (Dobson) Alden is a dancer and choreographer who works across dance and theatre, live and...
"With state of the art facilities, on a picturesque campus with creative art subjects close by for collaboration, the BA(Hons) Dance & Choreography course at Falmouth is at the forefront of developing the next generation of dance artists. Led by experienced artists and lecturers who have nationally and internationally recognised careers, the course provides a fertile space for the nurturing and development of the skills young dancers need to take their practice to another level."
Kevin Edward Turner, Co-Artistic Director of Company Chameleon
Facilities
- Two 200-capacity flexible performance spaces.
- 11 high-specification performance and rehearsal studios, featuring production lighting, projection and sound facilities.
- 700m2 of fully sprung dance floors.
- Analogue and digital recording complex.
- Breakout areas.
- Professional theatre venue hosting visiting companies and artistes.
How to apply
Apply via UCAS
Ready to join us? If you're applying through UCAS Apply and Track, you'll need to reference the university and course codes below.
- University code: F33
- Course code: W511
Apply now
Applying as an international student?
International students can apply for a course through UCAS, via an agent or directly with the university. For more information about how to apply as an international student, visit our International applications page.
Application advice & interview information
We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.
As a guide our typical offer at undergraduate level is 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points, primarily from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma.
For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent.
If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.
If you need a student visa to study in the UK, you'll need to take a recognised language test that is approved and vouched for by the University. You can read our English Language Requirements for more information.
UK/EU applications: 29 January 2021 (for equal consideration)
Late applications will be considered if there are places available.
International fee payers can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.
What we're looking for
We want someone who:
- Shows physical aptitude, potential and motivation, can assimilate movement and respond to information.
- Has devising skills, can develop movement material and communicate ideas.
- Can collaborate, effectively communicate and work with others.
- Can think independently and effectively on a supplied topic.
Fees, costs & funding
Tuition fees
£9,250 per year - full-time UK/EU
£16,000 per year - full-time international
£9,250 per year - full-time UK
£16,950 - full-time EU
£16,950 - full-time international
Typical course costs
- Public Programme season tickets (student rate) costs found: amata.org.uk/livepass
- Students must come prepared with suitable clothing appropriate for all practical classes. Approx £70-£100/year
If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.
The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs
Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.
Funding
For information about funding available, please visit our undergraduate funding page
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