The Performing Arts National Extended Certificate is a 2 year course equivalent to 1 A Level. It is aimed at developing skills in all of the disciplines associated with the Performing Arts - theatre, music and dance - both as an audience member and as a performer. You will study a combination of practice and theory in order to develop your academic and performing skills to a high level, and you will learn how to improvise performance and interpret texts as well as understand how performances are produced, directed and choreographed. You will develop conceptual understanding as well as team working skills.

This course aims to provide opportunities for students to develop a wide range of performance skills in music, drama, dance and a range of genres. It will develop your understanding of how performers work and how performance has evolved over time, as well as all aspects of the production of a performance - as performers, producers and the audience.

A significant aspect will be your development of team working skills, essential to any successful performance. You can expect to:

• Develop your performance skills in all disciplines both as an individual performer and as part of an ensemble
• Gain experience of and perform in a wide range of theatrical productions
• Devise and recreate work using a range of published scripts and other stimuli
• Study the history of theatre from Shakespeare to Musical Theatre and its place within today's society.
• Develop an understanding of the role of a performer as well as director/choreographer

This BTEC is studied with 2 other A Levels or Level 3 BTEC equivalent. One  of the other A levels should  be in the Performing Arts area, specifically Drama, Dance, Music Performing, or Music Technology, other good combinations are Film Studies, Textiles, Fine Art, Graphics, Photography, English Literature and Media Studies.