Dance Education Canterbury Christ Church University

Overview

You can share your enthusiasm and love of dance and inspire others with a career in dance education.

This Dance Education course at Canterbury Christ Church University will teach you practical skills and techniques as well as theoretical aspects of dance, so that you can work as a confident dance professional in roles such as a dancer, practitioner, teacher, artist or entrepreneur.

You'll study dance technique performance and will learn about the history of different styles. You’ll learn to teach using dance pedagogy and will understand yourself as a dancer and safe practice when working with others through dance science. As you progress through the course, you'll become confident in your own professional practice and will undertake research to develop specialist skills and knowledge in areas that most interest you.

All about the course

You'll learn a variety of dance techniques such as ballet, jazz, contemporary Limón, contemporary Release, hip-hop, West African and South Asian.

You will study choreography and different ways of presenting work, for example, theatre, installation, site-specific, for camera and using digital tools.

Through dance pedagogy (teaching and learning), you'll learn about teaching a range of ages, stages, in different spaces and places so you will have the pre-requisites to build a career as a teacher.

The course will teach you how to engage in safe and healthy practice for longevity in the profession as a dancer and also how to apply safe practice when working with different groups. You'll also learn about dance science, body conditioning, fitness and Pilates.

You will understand dance landscapes past, present and future (e.g. historical, social, political and digital dance).

You'll learn how to find analyse and research information about the dance landscape and will use a range of methods to develop an independent study/project.

To enhance your career prospects, you'll develop your experiences through placement projects, transferable skills and will learn how to market yourself.

Your future career

The BA Dance Education degree is designed to prepare you for entry into the dance profession as a dancer , practitioner, teacher, artist or entrepreneur. You will develop knowledge, skills and understanding as a technically underpinned, expressive performer, a creative choreographer and artist, a pedagogically principled teacher and practitioner in school-based and community-based settings, and an entrepreneur who is able to manage a professional, freelance career.

The university works with industry stakeholders aligned to the continued development of our teaching programme and research and consultancy work. Our links include local, regional and internationally recognised dance schools and companies such as The Royal Ballet School, Trinity Laban, The Avanti Project, Magpie Dance Company, Loop Dance Company, Cascade Dance Company, Jasmin Vardimon Dance Company, Boy Blue International, and The Marlowe Theatre.