Bachelor in Dance

The Bachelor in Dance programme is a 3-year programme (180 credits).

The programme is aimed at applicants with a background in dance from a 3-year upper secondary education, or equivalent, who want to work as performing and co-creating dance artists.

The study programme focuses mainly on contemporary dance and includes both practical and theoretical courses that give you a comprehensive learning outcome. A high artistic level is the goal of the programme. As a student, you will encounter a wide range of working methods, from daily training in dance technique to lectures, projects and performance work. You will immerse yourself in repertoire, improvisation and choreography, as well as movement science and alternative training with teachers from Norway and abroad. In technique, different approaches in contemporary dance are emphasised, while classical ballet is an important supporting subject. In addition, other relevant genres of theatre dance are offered.

Reflection and investigation are key elements of the programme. Familiarity with different performance practices in the field of contemporary dance helps to develop the student to become an independent dance artist. You will be challenged in your ability to reflect and analyse in all courses, both performing, creative and theoretical. You will learn about dance in a cultural and social context, acquire knowledge of choreographic and aesthetic analysis, training theory, injury prevention and career issues/management, as well as an introduction to artistic research.

The programme environment is interdisciplinary and allows for collaboration with music students within several genres.

The student's own investigative work is continuous throughout the programme, both alone and in interaction with fellow students. Supervision and assessment are common to all courses in the three-year programme.

The study programme is offered at the Faculty of Performing Arts, which is located in Bjergsted on premises specially adapted for the type of activities that the programme encourages and requires. Students and teachers have access to several dance studios, changing rooms with showers and saunas, lecture and meeting rooms, a black box, a concert hall, a university library with a branch specialising in music and dance, and a canteen with a student lounge.

Learning outcomes

After completing the programme, the candidate should have acquired the knowledge, skills and general competence that enable him/her to:

Knowledge

• have the comprehensive artistic and theoretical knowledge required to research, perform, create and communicate dance at a professional level
• communicate orally and in writing about dance art, both to the colleagues and others in the field, audiences and society in general
• participate in discourses that lead to change and new developments in the dance field

Skills

• work with dance within different contexts that are relevant in today’s world, both as a performer and co-creator.
• materialize and communicate their artistic intentions at a professional level
• take responsibility for their professional career with the insight and skills required in their future field of work

General Competence

• meet the demands in the professional dance field for independent thinking and reflection
• work purposefully and independently, alone and together with others
• work in dance art with an awareness of ethical and environmental considerations and demands.

Syllabus

STRUCTURE and CONTENT

The programme is organised as a full-time study over three years (180 ECTS) divided into study units:

• Physical Practice: 55 ECTS
• Artistic practice: 65 credits
• Dance in context: 35 credits
• Elective courses: 30 ECTS credits independent work/international semester.

The course of study is based on the knowledge and experience that exists about the field of dance as we understand it but also acknowledges that the dance associated with the free field is in constant upheaval. The content of the programme should be seen in accordance with the performer's role in contemporary dance and provide the student with the knowledge and experience required in a future encounter with professional life.

A high artistic level is the goal of the education. This must be understood beyond the technicalities of dance, and linked to the creative and co-creative. It also involves the ability to articulate oneself in a wider sense and to be able to see oneself and one's subject in a larger societal context. Independent reflection and being investigative are recurring themes throughout the programme. It is the sum of the courses in the programme that constitutes the strength of the programme.

Different approaches within contemporary dance have a main emphasis in the study unit Physical Practice, but classical ballet, alternative forms of training and movement science are important support subjects. The technical subjects are a recurring theme in the programme and form the basis for the practice for which we train. In addition to the techniques taught on a daily basis, students receive training in other relevant genres of scenic dance, such as, for example, hip hop and Afro-Cuban.

The dance-technical alone cannot develop a performing and co-creative dancer. The requirements today are diverse, and a dancer often has the task of co-creating production work, in addition to requiring a clear artistic signature to succeed. The programme at UiS takes this into account in the study unit Artistic Practice, which includes work with improvisation and composition, choreography, and dissemination, as well as an introduction to artistic research.

Dissemination work is in focus in all three years of study, both as real scenic work, and presentations of continuous investigations related to the individual performer / choreographing oneself and not least in the encounter with relevant repertoire. During the study period, the student will explore a wide range of repertoire, and in this way develop skills in dynamic expressions, musicality and role performance.

The student's ability to critically reflect and analyse is challenged in all subjects, both performing, creative and theoretical. In the study unit Dance in context, emphasis is placed on the historical, cultural, social and aesthetic aspects of dance, knowledge that is important for a holistic understanding and which forms the basis for seeing oneself in a larger context. In addition, the course Career issues and management for dance artists provides the necessary knowledge and skills in the transition to a professional career after graduation.

Career prospects

The programme prepares students for a professional career as a dance artist or for further studies in dance or related subjects. With an additional year in Practical-Pedagogical Education (PPU), a graduate is qualified to work as a dance teacher.

After completing the programme, candidates are awarded the degree Bachelor in Dance, a qualification for admission to master's degree programmes in Norway or abroad.

Course assessment

The programme is quality assured through UiS's quality system and standards and criteria in the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Research and NOKUT. The courses, and the study programme as a whole, are revised in the annual study programme revision. An electronic questionnaire is used in student evaluation of courses. The students receive close follow-up from the academic staff and are also offered supervision from the study coordinator. The faculty's management is in regular contact with student representatives. Students are also represented in regular group meetings.