On the FdA Professional and Commercial Dance, you'll have the opportunity to gain core skills in ballet, jazz, contemporary and commercial dance, and develop the knowledge and practical experience needed for employment in a variety of exciting and demanding professions in the performing arts industry.
Delivered by Shockout Arts, our 2-year FdA Professional and Commercial Dance course supports you in acquiring and developing essential technical, artistic and theoretical competence through professional training to an intermediate/level 5 standard. If you're an aspiring dance artist, completing this 2-year foundation degree provides the platform to either begin your professional career or undertake a final year at the advanced level to gain a level 6 qualification. If you wish to continue your training at the level 6 BA (Hons) level with Shockout Arts, your application will be considered through assessment and interview.
You'll be based at Shockout Arts in Manchester, studying and training in their purpose-built, high-specification dance studios that are equal to professional industry standards. Alongside your intensive practical dance training, you'll have regular performance opportunities to help you develop a diverse range of performance and production skills.
In addition to exploring the core techniques, you'll be encouraged to build your skills in acting and singing, ready to take advantage of employment opportunities in musical theatre performance. You'll also be guided to develop a knowledge and understanding of the historical, cultural, societal and political factors that influence UK and international dance practice.
The teaching staff at Shockout Arts are professional practitioners and choreographers. They are keen to make your time with them as stimulating and rewarding as possible and enjoy a well-deserved reputation for being approachable and interested in your progress. As teaching often occurs in small groups, you can access individual support and guidance at every stage.
Working across disciplines of acting, music and movement, this exciting and collaborative course responds to the creative industry demands of today by developing artists who will graduate as multi-skilled creative performers and practitioners.
If you don't meet the entry requirements for a BA, you can study this course as an extended, four-year programme. You'll begin by taking a foundation year which prepares you for a successful transition to the BA degree. This means it will take you four years to complete the course full-time, and eight years to complete the course part-time.
You will study acting, dance, physical theatre and community theatre through six distinctive modules. You will participate in a variety of dynamic projects and learn about current trends in the performing arts. The course content is specifically chosen to reflect the diverse nature of our students and this is evident through the themes, practitioners and subject matter covered. You will learn in a highly supportive environment where you can develop the self-confidence, knowledge, skills and understanding for further study.
Each module focuses on developing your understanding of the techniques intrinsic to the separate disciplines and will prepare you for a successful entry onto your chosen degree pathway listed below.
BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice
BA (Hons) Performing Arts
BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance
The foundation course is for students who:
do not yet have the entry requirements for study at level 4.
want to develop skills and confidence before embarking on study at Level 4.
are returning to study.
are changing careers and need to gain experience in the performing arts.
Working across disciplines of acting, music and movement, this exciting and collaborative course responds to the creative industry demands of today by developing artists who will graduate as multi-skilled creative performers and practitioners.
You will work collaboratively and creatively with your peers, exploring and blending the disciplines of music, movement and acting. Experiencing a range of contemporary performance methodologies, you will develop skills as both performer and performance maker, enabling you to establish your own authentic and relevant creative practice.
You will be taught by a team of academics and professional artistic practitioners with a combined wealth of experience as makers, performers and researchers. Professional guest speakers will provide lectures, tailored workshops, masterclasses and opportunities, which will provide a direct link to the creative arts industry. In the past, our students have performed or collaborated with Stratford Circus, the National Youth Theatre, English Heritage, Positive East, The Vault Festival and many more.
In 2019, our course achieved an amazing 100% Student Satisfaction (NSS)!
Our BA (Hons) Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance is an innovative degree programme that combines a commitment to socially-engaged performance practice with contemporary theatre as well as the processes of making performance for and with specific audiences. We offer exceptional opportunities for work-based learning through our network of leading industry partners. Our practice-based curriculum enables our students to thrive as creative performance-makers and applied theatre practitioners.
On our programme you will gain high level skills in facilitation, devising, performance and production enabling you to act across disciplinary fields of cultural work. You also develop strong academic foundations that equip you to question, analyse and understand the cultural and ethical contexts you work in. We are passionate about your creativity and imaginative potential of our students and their ability to transform the cultural landscape of the future.
'Applied Theatre' uses drama and performance to connect with communities that may have been marginalised. It devises theatre with, for and by its audience enabling participation and opening up the arts to the entire communities. Examples of practice include theatre in prisons, in schools, and in hospitals, as well as with specific groups such as the homeless, older people, or disabled people. Right from the outset of the degree you will be making performances and workshops in real social contexts touring your work to reach new audiences and build your facilitation skills.
Some of our industry partners include the Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic Theatre, Gideon Reeling, Creative Access, Kingsford Community School, School 21, Duckie, Access All Areas, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Stratford Circus, Clean Break, Brolly Prods, ZU UK, Half Moon Young People's Theatre, Outside Edge Theatre, London Bubble, Unicorn Theatre, Hackney Pirates, M-SET and Magic Me.
We have a thriving Study Abroad programme whereby students apply to spend a term in their second year at Columbia College, Chicago. The University's Going Global programme funds shorter trips abroad for students to take part in training, undertake research participate in workshops, or visit theatre projects worldwide.
If you don't meet the entry requirements for a BA, you can study this course as an 'extended', four-year programme. You'll begin by taking a foundation year which prepares you for a successful transition to the BA degree. This means it will take you four years to complete the course full-time, and eight years to complete the course part-time.
The BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice, is a forward-thinking course that continues to increase in popularity nationally and internationally since it started in 2007. This vibrant and distinctive course offers students the chance to study with a dynamic and specialist skilled dance team in a great location that is the cultural hub of East London. This course is also offered with a foundation year, as a four year course.
The Level 3 Foundation year in Performing Arts is designed to equip students with a range of performance and academic skills. It will prepare you for university level study. Once you complete the foundation year, you will be able to progress onto the BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice.
One of the great attractions of our three-year course is its sheer variety in both study and practice.
Sometimes, you'll combine both as you create and perform dance that communicates a response to political, cultural and aesthetic questions.
You'll study a wide range of dance forms, such as hip-hop, club and funk styles, and international forms including capoeira, African contemporary, Afro-house, bharata natyam, kathak and kalaripayattu.
Each year, you'll take modules in technique, choreography, professional development and research. There'll be opportunities to focus on performance and choreography through film and video practice, and you will have the opportunity to collaborate with your music and theatre student colleagues.
In your final year, through our excellent links with partner organisations such as East London Dance, Breakin' Convention and Stratford Circus, you’ll undertake a work placement.
In addition, thanks to our reputation, you’ll have numerous opportunities throughout the course to work with acclaimed professional artists, such as renowned choreographers Kenrick Sandy (Boy Blue) and Hofesh Shechter and top dancers such as house dance's Clara Bajado and popping and locking master Fred 'The Realness' Folkes.
