Dance Performance

Dance performance is a discipline that develops the physical, artistic, and professional skills to work as a versatile dance artist and performer. Contemporary dance draws on a wide range of technical traditions and creative approaches, demanding physical discipline, expressive range, and the ability to interpret and embody choreographic ideas with intelligence and artistry. Studying it at degree level means developing your technical practice alongside a critical understanding of dance history, theory, and the professional landscape in which dance artists work.

At the University of Chichester, this three-year BA programme focuses specifically on the practice of contemporary dance performance, preparing you for the world of work as a dance artist. You will develop your technical range and expressive depth through studio-based practice, working with visiting artists and choreographers alongside the programme's own teaching staff. The programme takes seriously the demands of a professional performance career, developing not just technique but the artistic intelligence, resilience, and professional awareness needed to sustain a career in dance.

Chichester's particular strengths in dance performance education and its connections to the professional dance sector give the degree good links to the industry. You will build a portfolio of performance experience through the programme, developing the skills and contacts needed to present yourself professionally as a graduate.

Graduates from dance performance degrees work as performers in contemporary dance companies, theatre productions, film, television, and live events. Many also work as teachers, choreographers, movement directors, and community dance artists. The professional landscape for dance graduates is broad and requires entrepreneurial adaptability, and many graduates combine performance with teaching, outreach, and other creative work.

Postgraduate study in choreography, performance practice, or dance studies is an option for those who wish to develop their artistic or scholarly work further.