Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours)

Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours)

Course Title

Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours)

MQF Level

6

Duration and Credits

3 Years

180 ECTS

Mode of Study

Full-time

Information for International applicants

Applicants in possession of a qualification in Dance or Dance Studies awarded by a recognised higher education institution, comprising not less than 60 ECTS credits classified at Level 5 on the Malta Qualifications Framework may also be accepted into the Course. Such applicants may be admitted to Year 2 of the Course under those conditions as the Board may impose.

Applicants shall be interviewed and/or auditioned by a board composed of at least three members. They will also be required to submit a completed medical fitness form, and a 250-word essay on dance performance or a dance book. Applicants unable to attend the interview and dance audition in person may arrange to complete the process through electronic means of communication.

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You can submit your application online. The deadlines for submission of applications vary according to the intake and courses. We encourage all international applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible. This is especially important if you require a visa to travel and eventually stay in Malta.

You can compare your national qualifications to the local requirements by visiting our qualifications comparability webpage. Access more information about our admission process and English language requirements.

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Our dedicated team at the student recruitment office is here to support you every step of the way. From the moment you start your application to the moment when you receive your decision letter, we're here to assist you. If you have any questions or need further information, don't hesitate to reach out to us. You can contact us at info@um.edu.mt, and our team will be more than happy to help.

After you receive an offer from us, our International Office will assist you with visas, accommodation and other related issues.

The Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours) programme marks the first step towards the formation of dancers and choreographers with special focus on the use of technology. This three year-programme synthesises theory and practice in such ways that theory underpins practice and practice illuminate's theory. During the course, you will work increasingly as an independent learner, formulating theoretical frameworks for individual projects and thus demonstrating discernment in choreographic crafting. In addition, you would be a part of Malta's cultivation of its own community of dance scholars and dance artist practitioners. In your final year, you will research and write a dissertation with a topic of your own choice. During the course, you will have the chance to participate in the Erasmus+ mobility programme, as we believe that you will gain a holistic academic journey through a multicultural and diverse learning experience.

The Bachelor in Dance Studies (Hons) has been designed to appeal to at least two audience typologies. The course is intended if you are a:

  1. Matriculated student with a number of years' experience of practical dance study, seeking to pursue a career in Dance as an intending performer, choreographer, teacher, dance journalist, manager and administrator in dance schools, therapist, community dance worker, etc.
  2. A mature student (aged 23+) with a body of practical experience but no theoretical background, seeking to learn more about choreography, dance theory, technology and dance, or pedagogy.

It is the intention of the University that this programme marks the first step towards the formation of dancers and choreographers with special focus on the use of technology. In addition, it would give the host country, Malta, the possibility of cultivating its own community of dance scholars and dance artist practitioners.

The programme is delivered in full-time mode. Academic staff are drawn from the UK, Holland, Germany and Malta. The Programme Director is Prof. Joanne Butterworth, formerly of the Research Centre for Dance, University of Leeds, UK., and of Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg, The Netherlands.


Content

This three-year programme synthesises theory and practice in such ways that theory underpins practice and practice that illuminates theory.

In the first year, you will follow classes (Dance Labs) in a range of dance styles from ballet to contemporary and release-based techniques; applied anatomy and physiology, nutrition and injury prevention. You will begin your studies in the fundamentals of dance-making and composition. You will experience dance-making processes within a group, guided by professionals. All of these applied studies will run concurrently with in-depth lectures which locate Dance in history and society and introduce students to study skills and to the languages of analysis: literary theory, semiotic and aesthetic approaches. Dance and the Camera introduces you to technology for dance. A small number of optional units such as Dance as Communication will help you begin to identify the career path you wish to follow.

The second year further develops mastery and understanding of the principles and practices of dance techniques through set studies in different genres. Musicality – use of phrasing, quality and dynamic; increased powers of co-ordination and movement memory, intention and performance quality will be among the topics under study. The study of choreography continues along a continuum which investigates philosophies and practices of different kinds of theatre such as tanztheater and physical theatre, and of new dance genres influenced by globalisation and immigration, characterised by fusion and hybridity. Through theoretical lectures in Dance and Performance Theory you will investigate critical and cultural theories, focusing on such issues as identity, gender and ethnicity. Dance and technology will continue with creative group projects. Most students follow units in Dance Education and Dance in the Community; both these areas are well developed in UK, Australia, Canada and some countries in Europe. A number of optional study-units such as Dance Criticism are on offer.

In the final year, you will work increasingly as an independent learner, formulating theoretical/applied frameworks for individual projects in chosen topics; engaging in professional practices related to career development; demonstrating discernment in choreographic crafting from initial intention to performance outcome, and researching and writing a Dissertation. Study-units are sufficiently flexible to provide choice related to career progression.


Delivery

This programme is intended as an integrated learning experience which re-discovers and develops the intimate link between theory and practice. This is achieved through intensive practical workshops, lectures and seminars which are interspersed with student-led and independent work and study supported by regular tutorials.

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

The communication and academic skills programme complements students’ main course of study. It introduces them to writing and presenting as situated within academic contexts sensitive to specific disciplines and develops their competences for future careers.

 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS1001 Dance Techniques Lab 1 5 ECTS    
DCS1003 Foundations of Choreography 1 5 ECTS    
DCS1005 Dance in History and Society 1 5 ECTS    
DCS1009 Dance and the Camera 1 5 ECTS    
DCS1011 Dance as Communication 5 ECTS    
DCS1014 Dance Forms and Practices 5 ECTS    

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS1002 Dance Techniques Lab 2 5 ECTS   (NC)  
DCS1004 Foundations of Choreography 2 5 ECTS    
DCS1006 Dance in History and Society 2 5 ECTS   (NC)  
DCS1010 Dance and the Camera 2 5 ECTS    
DCS1013 The Healthier Performer 5 ECTS    
THS1105 Performance Skills 2: Festival 5 ECTS    

 

In addition to the compulsory study-units, students are required to choose study-units to the value of 32 ECTS credits from the elective study-units and 8 ECTS credits from the optional study-units on offer during the year.
 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS2001 Dance Techniques Lab 3 5 ECTS    
PFA2004 Interdisciplinary Theories of Performance 5 ECTS    
 
Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)
 
ANT2060 Dance Anthropology and Ethnographic Practice 4 ECTS    
DCS2015 Dance Theatre 4 ECTS    
DCS2017 Technology and Interdisciplinary Performance-Making 6 ECTS    
DCS2018 Dance Education 4 ECTS    
DCS2021 Movement Analysis: Theory and Practice 2 ECTS    
PFA2005 Performance and Philosophy 4 ECTS    
PFA2006 Musical Theatre: Histories and Training 4 ECTS    

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS2002 Dance Techniques Lab 4 5 ECTS   (NC)  
DCS2005 Dance and Performance Theory 5 ECTS    
 
Elective Units (Elective units are offered subject to availability, a minimum number of student registrations and time-table constraints)
 
DCS2016 Choreography: Modernism and Postmodernism 4 ECTS    
DCS2019 Dance in the Community 4 ECTS    
DCS2022 Dance Criticism 2 ECTS    
PFA2007 Musical Theatre: Performance 4 ECTS    
THS2107 Arts and Cultural Management 1: Theories and Perspectives 6 ECTS    

 

 
Semester 1
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS3008 Professional Practice and Performance 15 ECTS    
DCS3009 Choreological Perspectives 5 ECTS    
DCS3010 Individual Dance Project 10 ECTS    

 
 
Semester 2
 
Compulsory Units (All students must register for this/these unit/s)
 
DCS3004 Final Choreography 10 ECTS    
DCS3006 Performance Practitioners 5 ECTS    
DCS3007 Dissertation 15 ECTS   (NC)  

 

This programme of study is governed by the General Regulations for University Undergraduate Awards, 2019 and by the Bye-Laws for the award of the Bachelor in Dance Studies (Honours) under the auspices of the School of Performing Arts.

By the end of the course, you will:

  • Have improved your oral, written and critical thinking skills through independent research.
  • Be able to write critically about performances.
  • Learn how to contextualise performances in their respective culture, history and theory.
  • Demonstrate an increased capacity for concentration, physical control and movement skills in artistic expression.
  • Be able to memorise and reproduce movement sequences that have a long duration.

Non EU Applicants:

Fee per academic year: Eur 8,500

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With a Dance Studies (Honours) degree, you will be able to work, both locally and internationally, as an arts administrator, choreographer, dancer, theatre director, personal trainer, community arts worker and teacher. If you would like to pursue an academic career at University level, you may enrol in one of the postgraduate courses offered at the University of Malta, or in a foreign institution abroad.

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