Dance and Movement Studies (Joint Honours)

UCAS code: Y002

Start date: September

Course length: full time: three years, part time: up to six years.

Campus: Kedleston Road and Britannia Mill, Derby

This course is available to international students

If you love dance, have a passion for public performance or for working with others in education or in the community, then this course is for you. You will develop an understanding of the body, dance and movement, and the creative application of your art form in working with people in various settings. You will build skills in choreography and improvisation first by working individually, then in small groups, and you will give a public performance in stage three.

We'll encourage you to broaden your knowledge and experience of dance whilst giving you the support to develop in your area of interest. You'll also cover the social aspect of dance and how it can bring people together and promote inclusion.

During this course you'll also have the opportunity to explore the eastern beliefs of movement and apply it to your practice. The optional modules will allow you to study the structure and function of the human body; how humans develop creatively; the history of choreographic styles; research in dance and movement and also the opportunity to work in the community through placements.

We have strong links with déda in Derby city centre which is the only dedicated dance house in the East Midlands, so you'll have the opportunity to get involved in lots of community work. We've also built a fantastic dance studio to ensure you receive the best experience and environment in which to practice your skills in.

You can combine this course with one or two subjects as part of a joint honours degree, which allows you to keep your options open and study what you're most interested in. You could combine this course with subjects including psychology, education studies, theatre arts and English.

Stage one

You'll study a selection of these modules:

• Dance Making: Physicality, Choreography and Technique
• The Mindful Body
• Human Development and Creativity
• The Moving Body

Stage two

You'll study a selection of these modules:

• Dance Making: Choreography as Creative Story
• Dance, Diversity and Inclusion
• Working Towards the Future
• Applied Arts Project

Stage three

You'll study a selection of these modules:

• Dance, Production and Performance
• Independent Scholarship
• Working Creatively in Context
• Community, Education and Project Management

Our entry requirements are usually 220-300 UCAS points, of which at least 200-240 will be from your core A2s (full A levels) or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Diploma, International Baccalaureate, Scottish Highers etc.

We'll accept up to 60 points towards the total from level 3 qualifications such as AS levels (where those AS levels are not taken on to A2 level), the Extended Project or Music qualifications.

We don't accept points from Key Skills Level 3. If you have any questions about what is or isn't accepted, please contact our Admissions team.

We also accept the Access to HE Diploma.

Your points at level 3 will be in addition to 5 GCSEs at grade C or equivalent level 2 qualifications.

The UCAS tariff points are a guide - we'll also consider all the information that you've included in your application. We'll also want to see that you're enthusiastic and motivated to take this course and that you have the potential to benefit from coming to university.

General undergraduate entry requirements

Fees for 2013/14

This is a resource intensive course.

UK/EU students

Full time:

• If you combine this subject with a classroom based subject it will cost £7,700 per year.
• If you combine this subject with another resource intensive subject it will cost £8,250 per year.

Part time:

• If you combine this subject with a classroom based subject it will cost £965 per module, (you'll usually take 18 of these in total).
• If you combine this subject with another resource intensive subject it will cost £1,030 per module, (you'll usually take 18 of these in total).

International students

Full time:

• If you combine this subject with a classroom based subject it will cost £9,945 per year.
• If you combine this subject with another resource intensive subject or a specialist subject it will cost £10,225 per year.

*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2013 and August 2014. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.

You will be studying an innovative course, with links to schools, societies, health and social organisations and charities. This means you will have access to a range of placement opportunities. You will explore different cultural approaches to dance and movement, including eastern and western approaches, and the impact of gender, society and disability. You will also cover the social aspect of dance and how it can bring people together and promote inclusion.

How you're assessed

You will be assessed through essays, individual and/or group presentations, portfolios, reflective journals and diaries, individual and group performances, videos and personal projects.

You could work in community dance practice; become an artist; work within arts organisations or work with people generally. Some students are now working as community dance artists, arts administrators or running their own dance organisations. Some go on to undertake further training, for example studying a PGCE to gain qualified teacher status, enabling them to teach dance in primary or secondary schools. You'll have good grounding to go on to study for our MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy course, which leads to registration as an arts therapist - an exciting and fulfilling career.

Some of our past students have gone on to great things and are working as community dance artists, dance movement therapists, art administrators, running their own dance organisations, and some have gone on to further study including masters in the science of dance, somatics and dance movement therapy.

"The lecturers of Dance and movement Studies have really encouraged me as a dancer and have given me the knowledge and confidence to be able to take my dancing further after finishing my degree. They have supported me throughout my studies and have been willing to help me outside of lecture times with my course work and choreography."
Martha Rawlings, current student

"Coming from a predominantly urban dance background which involved no academia, I thought it would be a hard task in order to produce material that I, my peers and lecturers were satisfied with. However, at the University of Derby, you are shown how to break down the mechanics of dance into its purest form; movement. Additionally, how this movement can be interpreted and have a deeper meaning. I found this astonishing."
Danielle Hibbert, graduate

"The dance part of my course taught me to use the skills that I already had and develop them to create my own style. It developed my confidence and identity. When I started, I had experience in Ballet, Character, Latin and Ballroom dancing but none were to an exceptional level. While studying here, I learnt that it is not always the technical aspects of dance that are important, you also need to understand how the body works and how dance can affect your mental wellbeing, as well as physical well being.

Studying at Derby, I got the opportunity to work with Dance 4 in Nottingham, as a student representative for the University. Here, my confidence developed further, as was my understanding of the entrepreneurial aspect of the arts. I have now gone into a managerial role in sales where I use the people skills that I learned here everyday. I am hoping to teach dance and drama in the future but firstly, I am going to experience different cultures and travel next March.'
Annabel Haigh