Program Overview

Through fusion, improvisation, and daily dance classes in contemporary techniques you will develop technical and performance skills in a range of practices, alongside the in-depth study of the dynamic arts and festivals sector with Arts and Festivals Management.

This course is intellectually and artistically demanding and offers daily dance classes in contemporary techniques, such as ballet for contemporary dancers, and fusion and improvisation. You will learn from internationally recognized teachers and benefit from great facilities that have contributed to DMU being recognized as a Centre for Excellence in Performance Arts, reflecting our commitment to excellence, innovative teaching, and learning.  

With strong industry links and opportunities to gain real-life experience, this course will prepare you for a range of dance-related careers as educators, performers,?choreographers, managers, and producers. Our graduates are creative, entrepreneurial practitioners who are able to respond to the ever-changing demands of the dance profession.  

In your second year, you may choose to explore your career aspirations in more depth by specializing in either Choreography and Performance, where you will learn about performance and choreographic practices and develop technical and artistic skills, or ?Education and the Community, to gain a thorough knowledge of arts education and dance pedagogy. This second area of specialism is ideal for students who wish to pursue a career teaching and leading dance.  

Key features

• Gain industry experience and contacts with daily classes from our extensive network of professional dance artists and ?companies.
• Our graduates go on to a variety of work and performance opportunities. Recent graduate destinations include a role as head of dance in a school, music video performances, and participating in Channel 4’s First Acts and ?Let’s Dance International Frontiers festival.
• Enhance your employability through excellent links with local, national, and international dance organizations and artists such as Maverick TV, ?Akram ?Khan Company, and Serendipity Arts. These enriching experiences ensure that the curriculum is current and reflects industry practice.
• Real-life experience ?is offered through a placement module in your final year where you ?can ?gain valuable ?knowledge ?with a professional organization or artist of your choice,?with support from a mentor. ?Students have recently worked with Moving Together, Fuelled Dance Theatre, and New?Art Club.
• Arts and Festivals Management at DMU is ranked number one in the UK in the ‘Hospitality, event management, and tourism’ subject area, according to the Guardian University Guide 2021.
• DMU is recognized as a Centre for Excellence in Performance Arts ?with ?great ?facilities ?providing specialist studios and rehearsal spaces designed specifically for dance and performance learning activities.
• Take part in our international experience program, ?DMU Global. ?Our students have visited the University Dance Festival in Kiev, Ukraine, ?and ?performance venues in New York, ?furthering their international outlook and ?shaping? their ?creative ideas.