Program Overview

BA (Hons) Dance

Overview

The BA (Hons) Dance program at the University of Salford is a three-year, full-time course that focuses on choreography and performance. Students will develop their creative and performance skills in a professional setting, engage in intensive technique with industry specialists, and learn how to be a versatile and entrepreneurial member of the dance community.

Course Details

Year One

• Dance Discourses: Modernism
  • Practical workshops and seminars focusing on choreographic themes and creative practices of dance practitioners in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.
• Dance Techniques
  • Improving Ballet and Contemporary dance technique through practical classes.
• Foundations in Dance Techniques
  • Introduction to the fundamental principles of Ballet and Contemporary technique, with regular body conditioning classes and an option in a different dance or movement style.
• Dance in Context
  • Investigating the concerns of an artist in relation to the historical, social, and political standpoints of their time.
• Dance Performance Workshop
  • Working as a company with peers, a visiting choreographer creates a new commission, and the original work is performed at the first festival of the year alongside professional works.
• Dance Choreography Workshop
  • Exploring the concerns and developing the working practices of professional performers and creators introduced in Dance Performance Workshop.

Year Two

• Dance Discourses: Post Modernism
  • Practical workshops and seminars introducing post-modern debates in historical, social, and cultural contexts by referencing the choreographic themes and creative methods of specific practitioners.
• Digital Dance
  • Exploring the possibilities of dance and digital technologies by learning the language of production (camera) and post-production (editing) as choreographic devices.
• Interdisciplinary Dance Practices
  • Covering the fusion and collaboration of several key dance genres and disciplines, including music, aerial, and popular dance.
• Technical Development
  • Continuing to develop contemporary technique, engaging with Post Modern techniques such as Release and Contact Improvisation.
• Dance Performance Project
  • Working with a choreographer and peers to create, rehearse, and perform an original choreography within an intensive project.
• Optional Modules:
  • Work Placement
  • Professional Practice

Year Three

• Creative Entrepreneur
  • Advancing business, project, and event management skills vital to the development of any creative professional.
• Creative Laboratory
  • Preparing students for the dance industry by exploring practical research and independent working methods.
• Professional Project
  • Engaging in the creative process, working as a performer and collaborator, culminating in a series of public performances.
• Self-Directed Project
  • Completing a major piece of independent work, concluding extensive research supervised by a tutor.

Employment and Stats

• Employment opportunities include performing, choreographing, producing, teaching, or workshop leading.
• Career development opportunities and business workshops with the engagement team.
• Strong links and partnerships with various creative organizations and artists in the area.

Requirements

• Applicant Profile: Background in dance and the performing arts, with an audition involving a technique class and a creative workshop.
• Standard Entry Requirements:
  • GCSE English Language at grade C/level 4 or above (or equivalent).
  • GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent) is preferred but not essential.
  • UCAS tariff points: 112 points.
  • A level: 112 points.
  • T level: Merit.
  • BTEC National Diploma: DMM.
  • Access to HE: 112 points.
  • Scottish Highers: 112 points.
  • Irish Leaving Certificate: 112 points.
  • International Baccalaureate: 29 points, 5 or 6 (Higher level) in a relevant subject.
  • European Baccalaureate: Pass Diploma with 70% overall.
  • Graded Dance Qualifications: Accepted from BBO, BTDA, ISTD, and RAD.
• International students: Proficiency in English, with an IELTS score of 6.0, and no element below 5.5.

Tuition Fees

• Full-time home: £9,535 per year (2025/26), £9,535 per year (2026/27).
• Full-time international: £17,650 per year (2025/26), £18,120 per year (2026/27).

Additional Costs

• Books, stationery, printing, binding, and general subsistence on trips and visits.

Scholarships for International Students

• Available for high-achieving international students.

Enrolment Dates

• September 2025
• September 2026

Student Information

• Terms and conditions
• UCAS information: Course ID W500, Institution S03

Related Courses

• BA (Hons) Theatre and Performance Practice
• BA (Hons) Media and Performance
• MA Dance and Professional Practices