Professional Diploma: Dance
(College)
The Level 6 Trinity Diploma courses in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre provide the highest standards of education, training and guidance required for a career in professional dance and musical theatre performance.
Professional Diploma: Dance
Our three-year, full-time, Level 6 Trinity Diploma programs equip dancers and musical theatre performers with the essential artistic, technical, and professional skills for a successful career in the performing arts industry.
Both Dance and Musical Theatre courses combine jazz technique including Luigi and Matt Mattox with varied styles of Fossé, lyrical, MT-jazz and commercial dance. Within the field of contemporary dance, we cover Limon, Graham, Cunningham and release-based work, encouraging students to build confidence in improvisation and choreographic skills.
Further Course Information
Dance students take a daily ballet class and MT students take ballet three times weekly, which include pointe-work and virtuosity. Tap is offered twice weekly in five streamed-ability classes across three year groups.
As part of both courses, further options are available including early morning ballet where students can choose to work towards RAD exams (up to advanced 2). We also encourage students to take extra syllabus exams in both ISTD Tap and Modern (up to advanced 2). In addition, some students choose our excellent A-level options whilst others opt for the Michael King Pilates Teacher training programme. With the addition of Latin & Ballroom in the final year, these elements alone constitute a highly challenging and exciting programme.
Throughout the Dance course, students will also undertake singing and ensemble classes where they work towards building an audition portfolio in their final year. In addition, students will opt to take one of two electives. The performance elective includes a varied schedule of acting, voice and performance work. These classes are aimed at creating confident and versatile performers. Alternatively, students can opt for the choreography elective where they will have the opportunity to develop an artistic role as a choreographer and dance critic, delving into many exciting areas of composition including site-specific work and dance for the camera.
Assessment and Progress:
In addition to formative and summative assessments in all core disciplines and in live performance, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their learning through regular discussion, tutorials, reflective practice, self-assessment and target setting.
Performance and Workshops:
Once per year students will undertake approximately 7 weeks of full-scale rehearsals alongside their classes and will be cast into a professionally directed dance production in The Hammond Theatre. Throughout their training students will also benefit from an eclectic programme of workshops and masterclasses led by external artists in the profession, providing a vast wealth knowledge and experience from the outside world.
Contextual Studies:
Student’s practical training is contextualised through a robust programme of research projects, reflective practice and professional practice logs.
Graduate Year:
As students transition into their third year there is strong emphasis on employment preparation and audition technique that motivate students towards their career goals. In daily classes they focus more on establishing their identity, artistic skills and performance qualities alongside refining their technical vocabulary. Students work with staff and visiting professionals to create a tailor-made showcase attended by the county's’ top agencies that can provide students with a stepping-stone into the industry. Students graduate from the dance course as technically strong and versatile performers who can adapt with ease, exhibit self-confidence and demonstrate a unique and artistic skill base.