In this there will be multiple sections. This will include:

Training and education routes

Employment opportunities and trends

Lifestyle Factors

Working Conditions

 

There are multiple ways of getting into dance. The main way is education.

With education, you can either enter by taking a dance course at University or go to a vocational (Conservatoire) school focused on Dance. Courses you could take depending on what career you want with dance will vary with each school you go to.

Most Universities will offer you a 3 year course with a BA (Hons). But what they vary in is what is involved. For example in Falmouth University, they offer a Dance and Choreography Degree. To look at this course please Click Here. This course will contain Technique modules, research into the history pf dance cultures and the practice of dance just in the first year. In this year you will ‘get the opportunity to engage with site-based practices in a variety of settings and locations and to develop strategies for making connections between practice and theory in preparation for year two’ ~ As stated on the course details. In year two, you will do more practical, which will build upon the physical training in year one. For one of the modules, ‘You’ll be offered choices between choreographic modules or performance oriented modules’ the last module of this year will be the Research of theories in dance. In Year three, you will be independent, taking charge of ‘pursuing individual research trajectories and becoming independent practitioners through collaborative projects’. You will be doing a written research project, a practical research project and a professional practice project.

If you want to get a degree in another area of dance, London has a great variety with courses. For example, if you want to get into Musical Theatre, The University of Greenwich offers you with a Professional Dance and Musical Theatre degree. Click Here. In this three year course, you will be assessed on Practical classes, Performances, Continuous assessment, Course work, Exams and Presentations. In year one, you will be studying Dance and Musical Theatre. Then you will then be doing performance workshop. Then in year two, you will be putting the study from year one to practice. And then you will be doing a performance project. Finally year three, you will be doing core skills. a professional performance, where from then you will be going into musical theatre performance, and another project but independence.

However if you go to a Vocational (conservatoire) school, they are aimed at Dance or Drama but not at any other subjects.

The CDD is a conservatoire website for dance and drama that is in partnership with many dance schools. This allows you to go into most dance styles in a professional environment.

Below is some examples of the courses that is on this website.

Images from the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama

There are many other websites that will showcase their courses for either their school’s or for their partner’s.

All courses are full time. Every week you can expect 32 – 36 hours a week, being taught or teaching some (if going down the choreography path) set phrases.

If you want to go into a professional group, going to their school will help you, so in that case, you would want to go through the route of conservatoire school. most groups do prefer you to study in there group, as you know what they are looking for, and you would get more opportunities since they might not open their auditions to public.

But if you want to have an overall course not specified to a company then going to a university will be more beneficial. This is because if your going to do a dance course at a professional group school, they will teach you what they want from you, and not fully look at other dance practitioners.

Just because you are doing a course in dance, that doesn’t mean you can stop looking for extra clubs or take part in extra activities to help you with improving your skills for dance. But you could start an extra class on a dance style your not doing in your course. If you are planning to study in London, there are many dance studios that offer you professional dance classes. For example the Pineapple dance studios. They offer many classes that you can do like, Tap or Jazz/Musical.

But don’t try and cram too much into your life because you might not do as well in your course at University or Conservatoire school, where your getting your qualifications.