The BA (Hons) Dance programme is the first two-year work-based dance degree in the UK, representing a unique partnership between the University of Suffolk and DanceEast. Responding to growth in demand for dance artists working in health, education and community settings this innovative course will prepare you for a successful career within this context. The course is delivered intensively over 40 weeks each year, from mid-September to the end of July.
DanceEast is one of the UK’s leading national dance organisations. It hosts an eclectic selection of internationally renowned dance companies and choreographers such as Rosemary Lee, Luca Silvestrini's Protein, Julie Cunningham, Matthew Bourne’s Re:Bourne, Russell Maliphant Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance and Anna Williams. Artists create new work and perform alongside local community projects in a diverse programme bringing people together through dance from across Suffolk and the region. DanceEast’s reach extends far beyond what is presented in the theatre – through a wide range of projects professional dance artists bring dance to people in schools, hospices and sheltered housing.
Working with people from all walks of life; from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special needs, we’re privileged to see how dance changes lives every day. DanceEast delivers ground-breaking work through projects working with ‘looked after’ children and those at risk, as well as children in hospitals and older people in care homes, offering them all the opportunity to use dance for creative expression and physical and psychological therapy. Dance can energise, motivate, encourage creative thinking, and develop expressive minds and healthy bodies.
The BA (Hons) Dance course at DanceEast is designed to facilitate your development as a versatile dance artist. You will gain the technical, creative and professional skills and knowledge to work in a range of community, education and health settings. Your experience and employability will be enhanced through a unique interdisciplinary approach to dance that brings together a number of departments at the University, from health science to education to photography and film.
