Dance (with Foundation Year)
 Dance (Major).jpg)
UCAS Code: Combined Honours only – see combinations tab|Duration: 4 years|Full Time|Creative Campus
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Study Dance in the heart of the city of Liverpool. Dance can be described as a fluid art form. It is constantly changing, exposed to different cultural contexts, bodily histories and physical disciplines, as well as being influenced by political and social movements. This degree aims to explore dance as a living practice and dynamic art form. You will consider how dance throughout eastern and western cultures has been cultivated through traditional training practices as well as more contemporary cultural influences.
Dance at Liverpool Hope looks at the bodies, techniques, performances and histories that make up dance practice today. The dance team are all professional practitioners and active researchers whose specialist skills map onto the diverse areas of dance history, dance technique, site-specific choreography, multicultural dance and somatic practice.
During your studies, you will have the opportunity to work alongside professional visiting choreographers and dance artists. You will perform for public audiences as well as develop a studio practice through one-to-one feedback and group seminars, including regular dance classes and workshops.
Here at Liverpool Hope we actively encourage students to consider their art form as an ethical and embodied practice, where we can confidently claim that dance is crucial to the worlds we decide to make.
Hear from student Frances Shephard about what it's like to study Dance at Hope.
Course structure
Teaching on this degree includes lectures, practical seminars and small group tutorials, as well as technical classes.
For the Dance part of your Combined Honours degree, there are approximately 9 teaching hours each week throughout your course. On top of teaching hours, you are expected to spend a number of hours each week studying independently and practicing your dance techniques, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments you may have.
Assessment and feedback
Assessments on this degree are largely practical performances and contextual journals, reviews of practical performances and some essays. There are no formal written exams.
You will be given written and verbal feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
Foundation Year
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Year One
Composition
This is a dynamic, physical exploration of the choreographic form, which will help to develop both your solo and ensemble skills through the study of a selection of contemporary choreographers and practical classes. This will culminate in a large- scale performance opportunity.
Technique – Ballet and Contemporary
You will examine in-depth the elements that go into making a successful dancer. You will work towards building strength and flexibility, injury prevention and technical details of the particular dance style.
Critical Contexts
This is a historical, critical and vital look at the development of dance from a selection of times and places, specifically studying dance through modernism to the twenty-first century.
Dance Practices
Based on the lecture series Critical Contexts, this is a practical which explores historical, modern and postmodern approaches to dance.
Year Two
Dance in Critical Contexts 2
This lecture series examines dance from the point of view of the maker and from different cultural perspectives.
Dance Practices 2
This seminar series explores sited practice and delves into the world of screen dance and social media.
Applied Composition
An introduction to facilitating and implementing choreography in different settings. This seminar includes a placement.
Technique – Contemporary
Contemporary technique builds on the work from the first year.
Year Three
Dance in Critical Contexts 3
This lecture series brings together the critical frameworks studied over the previous two years and uses them to explore the connections between dance and the wider world.
Dance Research Methods
This second lecture series prepares you for your dissertation by exploring different ways of researching in the dance world.
Dance Practices 3
You will locate your individual dance practice. You will develop a Negotiated Learning Contract that may take the form of a self-choreography, dance performance, screen dance, teaching or written work.
Technique – Contemporary and Partnering
Building on the previous year’s work, these techniques explore the reality of working with others.
Dissertation
You will complete a research project on a topic of your choice, with support from an individual supervisor.
In addition, you will choose one of the two following seminar series:
Applied Dance
A seminar that explores and prepares you for dance in community settings. This seminar includes a placement in such places as MDI, Wirral Creative Youth Enterprises and various schools.
Advanced Composition
This seminar is designed to enable students to have a firm ownership over dance processes and products and to develop a high standard of physical awareness, movement skills, choreographic form. This module results in a series of performance outcomes.
Entry requirements
There may be some flexibility for mature students offering non-tariff qualifications and students meeting particular widening participation criteria.
Careers
Our graduates work across the creative sector, and their highly developed social and practical skills make them very employable in a wide range of workplaces. We currently have graduates working in the National Youth Dance Company of Wales, the Black e-Community Arts Space in Liverpool and, internationally, at The Space Dance and Arts Centre, Melbourne. We also have graduates who have gone on to have a career as a Freelance Dancer, Choreographer, Community Dance Artist, Dance Therapist, Dance Teacher and Director of Drama.
Students graduating from the Dance course at Liverpool Hope University will have accumulated a wide range of practical and critical skills to apply directly in the professional workplace. Students will graduate with hands-on experience in running community dance projects, managing rehearsal schedules, evaluating and reviewing professional dance work and producing performance works in professional environments.
Enhancement opportunities
Work Placement Opportunities
Throughout your degree, you will be given a number of placement opportunities which will help you to gain skills of the working Dance world that will be highly valued by future employers.
SALA
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
Study Abroad
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2024/25 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Additional costs
As well as your tuition fees, you will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation each year whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £13,000.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is only available with Foundation Year as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: