Dance Theatre BA (Hons)

Teaching

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars, and practical work. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities. Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures. Practical work, in our fully equipped drama and dance studios, introduce you to the possibilities of lighting, sound, video, and space in performance. Circus and aerial work will be housed in a gym equipped with ropes, harnesses and other appropriate equipment.

Trips to see dance and theatre will inform your understanding and experience of performance, and incoming shows and workshops hosted in our Drama Studios will enable you to meet a range of theatre professionals. Level 6 modules will explore how to set yourself up as an independent practitioner, with appropriate business and entrepreneurial skills, as well as develop your skills as a potential performance or workshop leader/tutor in dance/theatre.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least four occasions in the first year as part of the mandatory modules, and three occasions in each of the other years of a course.

Contact time

In a typical week students will have between 14 - 16 contact hours of teaching depending on the semester and academic year. In the final year there are 3 hours less contact time per week in order to carry out more independent study. 

Independent self study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 22-25 hours of personal self-study per week.

Typically, this will involve personal and group practice, working on individual and group projects, rehearsing with your group, preparing coursework assignments, and reflecting on learning.

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including our state-of-the-art dance studio, theatre and our virtual learning environment.

Duration

• 3 years full-time
• 4 years full-time including third year abroad

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week; and some classes can be scheduled in the evenings.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The teaching team includes professional dance/theatre-makers, whose work has been produced in theatres across the country. The team also includes specialist in circus and aerial performance.

The department is supported by theatre expertise from our technical staff who specialise in lighting, sound and set design. All the permanent staff within the teaching team have doctorates in the performing arts area, and most are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. Specialist staff are also employed on the basis of their professional experience e.g. in circus and aerial performance.

Assessment

The assessed learning which students may achieve on the course can be classified
under four different headings, or domains:

• the conceptual involves research, selection and analysis;
• the productive demands the interpretation and application of;
• the contextual/critical evidences critical thinking; and
• the personal/interpersonal tracks the development of those skills pertinent to organisation and successful completion of a project.

Assessment methods include portfolios (mainly e-portfolios), reflective work, practical classes, performances (including performances of their own work), project work ,presentations, discussion, and reports. 

Modules usually contain several assessment items, with a mixture of practical assessments, (for example a performance or technical exam) and related theoretical assessments (such as creative portfolios, reflections, presentations). A few modules have just a single assessment item worth 100% of the module. When this occurs, assessment usually requires a mixture of theoretical and practical work in order to complete.

Parity across modules is achieved by a system of equivalence that applies to word counts and practical work. 

The assessment types on this course are: 

Year 1

• 2 x technical assessments
• 5 x performances
• 3 x portfolios
• 2 x presentations
• 1 x choreographed work
• 1 x essay

Year 2

• 1 x technical assessment
• 5 x performances
• 3 x portfolios
• 1 x choreographed work
• 1 x unit of work
• 1 x essay

Year 3

• 1 x technical assessment
• 2 x performances
• 3 x presentations
• 1 x choreographed work
• 1 x production notes
• 1 x case study
• 1 x job application
• 1 x major independent project or final performance project

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.