Our three-year undergraduate programme prepares you for a career in contemporary dance by giving you the opportunity to develop the technical, creative and performance skills needed to become an individual and versatile dance artist. The programme will also help you gain the contextual understanding and the critical, analytical and reflective skills which will inform your artistic practice.
The BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance programme is designed for students wishing to develop as an independent, autonomous learner and grow into a confident, creative dance practitioner. The three-year programme will facilitate the development of your individual artistic voice, and by the end of the course you will have created and performed a wide range of challenging dance works within various settings and to diverse audiences. Through intensive practice you will have acquired dance skills at the highest level. You will have participated in creative processes directed by professional dance artists, and you will have researched, created, and presented your own choreography.
The programme is undertaken over three consecutive academic years on a full time basis. Each year consists of three terms and contains modules which are structured to support progressive development in your training and studies. Advancing through the programme you are increasingly encouraged to develop as an independent learner and dance artist.
Year 1 introduces and prepares for the different strands of the curriculum. It aims to develop fundamental core skills and provides exposure to new ways of working within dance techniques, creative practices, performance, and contextual knowledge. All students follow the same programme at this level. You will gain a robust understanding of frameworks for critical reflection on contemporary dance and arts practice.
| Modules | Credits (120) |
Technical Practice 1:
|
60 |
Creative Practice 1:
|
30 |
Performance Practice 1:
|
15 |
Investigating Dance Practice 1
|
15
|
Year 2 further encourages versatility and risk-taking to enhance your artistic voice and its connectedness to wider current arts practices and communities. You will continue to study the subjects introduced in Year 1, developing, and defining craft and further integrate your skills, knowledge and understanding in those specialist dance areas. In addition, an elective component will enable you to explore an area of individual interest without compromising on the other strands. This will place dance in the context of either film, music collaboration, performance design or community practice.
| Modules | Credits (120) |
Technical Practice 2:
|
45 |
Creative Practice 2:
|
40 |
Performance Practice 2:
|
15 |
Investigating Dance Practice 2:
*Students are required to select one of the four component options |
20
|
Year 3 stresses independent and in-depth research as well as advanced technical, creative, and professional skills development. You will be encouraged to further develop your identity as an individual artist and create a personally relevant portfolio of work. You will undertake an Independent Research Project during which you develop, within a negotiated framework, a substantial piece of self-directed research with a devised, performance or written outcome. You will the following areas: choreography, performance, technical training, and teaching.
| Modules | Credits (120) |
Options
*Students are required to select one of the four component options |
10 |
Technical Practice 3
|
40 |
Performance Practice 3:
|
30 |
Investigating Dance Practice 3
· Independent Research Project · Research Methods 3 |
40 |
For further details see our Programme Specification.
Informed by dance science, the curriculum design is based on principles of integration and periodisation. It supports the students’ physical and mental health and wellbeing and aims to optimise performance. A wide range of methods is used to meet the diverse learning approaches of the students and to provide a breadth and depth of learning experiences essential for the rigorous training of multi-skilled dance artists in order to maximise their professional opportunities in the highly competitive dance field.
Find out more about Dance performance opportunities.
A wide variety of assessment methods is used to reflect the diverse learning experiences you will encounter on the programme and to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your acquisition of a broad as well as in-depth range of skills, knowledge and understanding necessary for you to become a rounded and versatile dance artist.
Hours
The overall number of student learning hours is approximately 4500, comprising taught, placement and self-directed study hours. The average number of contact hours on the programme is around 2250.
Graduates from this programme have gone on to perform with leading dance companies and/or establish themselves as acclaimed choreographers. Other graduates enjoy successful careers as teachers, community dance artists, arts managers and dance writers.
Below is just a small selection of our recent BA graduates that have gone on to perform, and the company they are working/have worked with:
Jack William Parry (2018) – New Adventures
Marine Tournet (2017) – National Dance Company Wales
Olivia Edginton (2016) – Candoco Dance Company
Jasmine Orr (2016) – Jasmin Vardimon Company
Sebastian Abarbanell (2015) – Sidra Bell Dance New York
Saara Hurme (2015) – Protein
Eeva Juutinen (2014) – Tilted Productions
Matthew Sandiford (2012) – BalletBoyz
Adam Russell (2012) – BalletLorent
Elly Braund (2011) – Richard Alston Dance Company
James Pett (2011) – Company Wayne McGregor
Luka Owen (2010) – Motionhouse
Petros Treklis (2010) – Sydney Dance Company
Lisa Rowley (2010) – Tavaziva
Ian Gardside (2008) – DV8
TJ Lowe (2008) – Akram Khan Company
Vince Virr (2008) – Barrowland Ballet
Dylan Crossman (2006) – Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Mandeep Raikhy (2005) – Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company
To view more of the impressive organisations that our alumni have worked with, visit Alumni Destinations.
For more information on the successes of Trinity Laban’s BA (Hons) dance graduates and what they have to say about the course, visit Alumni Profiles.
English language requirements (if applicable):
IELTS (General or Academic Training) minimum 5.5 in all four areas; or B2 First (Cambridge English) minimum 160 in all four areas; or Trinity College London – Integrated Skills in English level II or above.
If you require a Student visa to study in the UK you may require a Secure English Language Test (SELT). More information can be found at gov.uk.
Entry is by audition, where you will need to demonstrate the commitment and potential to study dance at a professional level. You will normally have dance experience, be curious and willing to be challenged, and have enthusiasm for the physical demands of intensive dance training. Auditions usually consist of:
For audition dates, visit the Dance Auditions page.
It is not possible to confirm fees for future academic years, as fee changes are linked to inflation and changes in government policy. Please note that tuition fees may increase by up to 5% each year.
This information can be found on our Costs of Living page.
Read about financial awards and external funding opportunities in the Fees and Finance section.
| UCAS | 200F |
|---|---|
| Location | Laban Building |
| Duration | 3 years (full time) |
| Start Date | September 2024 |
Join our on-campus open day to learn all about the different programmes we offer in our Dance Department.
What3 words///wins.league.zealous
| Discover more and book |
Dance at Trinity Laban
Find out what makes London such an exceptional place to be a student.
find out more
Major performance projects enable you to work with leading dance practitioners to create and perform specially commissioned works, and restage historically significant repertoire.
Tommy Cattin / BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance
