BA (Hons) Professional and Commercial Dance - Full-time

This course has been designed to help you develop the abilities needed for success in the busy performing arts market place, and to ensure you are capable of gaining employment in commercial stage and entertainment productions. You’ll have the opportunity to acquire a thorough grounding in ballet, jazz, contemporary and commercial dance, and develop the knowledge and skills needed for a career in a variety of exciting and demanding professions in this industry.

The most common employers of performing arts graduates include arts organisations, education institutions, leisure companies and voluntary organisations. Short-term or freelance contracts, generating opportunities through networking, attending auditions, collaborating with other artists and putting on your own shows are all part of a performer's lifestyle.

This degree aims to provide an industry relevant specialised education that will develop your skills, knowledge and expertise in a range of dance genres to a professional level. In addition, you could gain a range of key transferable skills such as confidence, self-presentation, teamwork, self-awareness, communication skills, and the ability to cope with criticism.

Graduates can take advantage of opportunities in a wide range of careers relating to performance, creative producing, dance dramaturgy, education, community, and curatorial and arts administration. Opportunities exist within commercial dance for TV and film, work on cruise ships and within the leisure industry, promotion and commercial events and popular music performance.

A career in performance is often complemented with employment in teaching or choreography. Self-employment may be another option, where you could establish your own dance-related business. Alternatively, you may choose to further your studies at postgraduate level, or train to become a dance teacher in the education sector.

Alternative Career Options
Teaching and education
Arts administration
Broadcasting
Theatre stage management
Event management
Acting
Dance/drama therapy
Sports training
Marketing and PR
Advertising
Community arts
Musical theatre
Journalism and writing
Mental health and wellbeing
Dance critic

You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English, Mathematics and Science.

This course is open to UK and EU students. Applications from International students cannot usually be accepted because the study location for this course does not have a Tier 4 licence. Therefore, if you require sponsorship under Tier 4 (i.e. a Tier 4 international student visa to study in the UK) then unfortunately we’ll be unable to consider your application for this course.

Key Features:
The practical elements of this course involve workshops and structured training in a range of dance types, supported and underpinned by theory elements delivered through lectures, presentations, seminars and tutorials.
You could develop transferable skills such as critical analysis, creative problem solving, working with other people, planning and time management, oral and written presentation, decision-making, and computer skills.
A link tutor provides academic communication between Shockout Arts and the University of Bolton’s academic school, so that the experience you receive as an off campus student is equivalent to that of an on campus student.
As an off campus student you'll also have access to the support of the university’s dedicated off campus team and resources, to help make you truly feel part of the institution.
You’ll also have access to the university’s e-learning resources, an extensive e-library and the support of university librarians.