Dance and Drama

You will study a broad range of topics including dance technique (contemporary, jazz, and ballet), choreography, film-making, design and scenography, critical performance theory, working with text, student-led productions, work placements, and research projects, applied drama, popular performance, physical theatre, text, devising, live art, design and scenography, scriptwriting and performance analysis. You will do this through an engagement with a range of significant 20th and 21st century plays, texts and dance pieces, performance practitioners, directors and theatre companies.

Typically, you will be in practical classes, lectures, and rehearsals for four days a week and you will have one day a week to study at home. You may opt to come to campus to practise in our studios on your study day and you can also use our studios and library in the evenings and at the weekends.

Your timetable will be well-balanced with a variety of practical and theoretical sessions spread across the week to ensure an interesting variety of topics, and time for recovery from practical classes and rehearsals to ensure your best possible performance, health and well-being. Technical and creative practical classes are taught in the week and supplementary training (eg. Pilates, Yoga, circuits) forms part of your programme in order to offer you the best possible current practice in dance training.

Your lectures will often include practical activities, and most theoretical modules include guest speakers and external visits. You will have your own personal tutor during the course, and you can see your tutor and your other lecturers regularly during each semester. The university offers excellent academic support to all students.

An important part of university life is your development as an independent practitioner and thinker, and each week you will have a range of tasks to do (practical rehearsals, training, directing, designing, watching, reading, and writing) to support your taught work and develop your independent study skills. This will include practical rehearsals and sessions in which you explore and refine your technical and creative work.

We take a radical approach to teaching that mirrors industry practice; you will have the opportunity to take part in a key drama production module on the course, which is rehearsed and performed within an intensive three week period.

Modules

Year 1

• Introduction to Dance Practice
• Practical Approaches: Performance Skills
• What is Dance?
• Choreography
• Performance Analysis: Fundamentals in Drama
• Scenography: Visualising the Text

Year 2

• Dance Practice: Intermediate
• Performance: The Creative Performer
• Choreolab
• Theatre Movements: Practitioners’ Perspective
• Text: How Plays Work
• Dance Research Methods

Year 3

• Advanced Dancer
• Theatre Movements: Contemporary Perspectives
• Performance: The Independent Producer
• Crafting Performance
• Dance/Drama Project

Opportunities

During the course you will:

• Gain the Silver and Gold Employability Awards
• Have the opportunity to work with Le Loup Dance Company (our student company)
• Participate in external arts projects (eg. films, live performances)
• Become proficient in industry-level film-making
• Work with visiting dance and theatre artists and companies
• Develop skills in teaching, facilitating, and leading workshops/classes
• Use the most current technology and equipment in film editing
• Have a work placement of your choice
• Acquire a portfolio of key skills and develop an understanding of why and how drama, dance, theatre and performance practices work in different contexts.
• Engage in a substantial final year project that will enhance your future employability.
• Develop industry links through work with influential regional theatre companies such as Stan’s Café, Geese Theatre Company, Gazebo Theatre in Education, ACE Dance and Music, Rosie Kay Dance Company, Birmingham Royal Ballet.
• Have the opportunity to perform in venues such as the Birmingham REP, the Arena Theatre and the Black Country Living Museum.

Who will teach you on this course:

The staff teaching you on the course will include Frances Clarke (Subject Leader for Dance and Dance and Drama courses and Senior Lecturer), Dr Clare Lidbury (Reader in Dance and Principal Lecturer), Danielle Aways (Senior Lecturer), Claire Hampton (Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader for Drama) Helen Rudge (Principal Lecturer), Paul Brownbill (Senior Lecturer), Peter Cann (Senior Lecturer), Dr Demetris Zavros (Course Leader for Acting and Senior Lecturer). All our full time lecturers have worked as practitioners in the UK and abroad, and this wealth of experience is of huge benefit to our students. We are expert teachers and have shared our pedagogical practice at national Higher Education conferences. We are all research-active and disseminate our own research work nationally and internationally and importantly, this informs our teaching on the course.