Program Overview

The BA Contemporary Dance programme is designed to develop your contemporary dance skills and knowledge of your dance practice, as well as to include other forms of artistic expression.

As a student, you will be based at the world-class facilities of the Irish World Academy building, equipped to the highest standards with cutting edge performance and rehearsal spaces and technological infrastructure. You will also be able to develop your scholarly knowledge and enquiry around your discipline.

Importantly, you will be introduced to various dance and performance approaches and scholarly traditions in order to gain new insights into the worlds of dance and the performing arts, enhancing your creative potential.  You will also study a number of vocationally focused modules aimed at allowing you to translate your artistic and scholarly creativity into a fulfilling career.

Students are asked to bring a curiosity, questioning and a reflective attitude that will enhance your pre-professional practice. Applicants will required to be proficient performers within one or more dance styles.

Why Study Contemporary Dance?
This programme, with over 25 hours of physical training a week, will allow you to develop your performance skills alongside developing your scholarly knowledge and enquiry around your creative practice. However, and very importantly, you will be introduced to other performance practices and scholarly traditions in order to gain new insights into the worlds of music and dance, further enhancing your creative potential. Within the Academy you have the unique opportunity of being surrounded by four other creative arts practices, Traditional Irish music, Traditional Irish dance, Voice, and World Music.

In our classes you will have the opportunity to work with local and International teachers as well as professional dance and theatre practitioners that will give you a strong performing foundation and engagement with real-world experiences.