Dance (BA, 4 Years)
| Duration | 4 years |
| Qualification Awarded | Dance (BA, 4 years) |
| Level of Qualification | Bachelor Degree (1st Cycle) |
| Language of Instruction | English |
| Mode of Study | Full-time or part-time |
| Minimum ECTS Credits | 240 |
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Profile of the Programme
Aims
The main educational aims of the programme are the following:
- To provide intellectually and creatively challenging courses which fulfill the personal development of students and are founded on scholarship, artistry and research.
- To enhance participation, guidance, support learning and teaching policies which fulfill the needs of a diverse student community at high standards of achievement.
- To develop in students a blend of knowledge, experience, transferable skills and capabilities through a curriculum and intellectual/artistic environment that strengthens their employability and provides the foundation for further study.
Objectives
The main educational objectives of the programme are the following:
- To provide students with a high level practical, theoretical and artistic education in the field of dance
- To provide a conceptual framework of dance as reception, applied (kinaesthetic), and creative process which will enable students to appraise and appreciate the wide operative range of the field
- To equip students with the knowledge, the technical skills and artistic competencies (kinaesthetic/physical, spatial, creative, perceptual), which would enable them to enter the market as versatile professionals
- To provide students with the knowledge and skills with which to conduct in-depth inquiries and research in fields of dance, relating dance to social, cultural and political events, past and current
- To prepare students for a realistic career prospect in dance performance (contemporary dance based), dance composition/choreography, dance theory and research, dance history (including a cultural approach to dance), movement analysis, dance education, and ensemble directing
- To prepare students for postgraduate study in various areas of dance.
Career Prospects
The art of dance is unique in that its primary medium is the body itself. In conjunction with the creative and analytical mind, movement can be an active, transformative prism in any aspect of life. This characteristic has, since antiquity, rendered dance an immediate and basic way for people to communicate, celebrate, express emotions, reach the divine, experience freedom and catharsis, or simply partake in the joy of movement.
For many of these reasons dance remains a prominent part of modern, and, in turn, Cypriot society. Yet, like all the arts, dance is characterised by the changes, trends and challenges that reflect modernity. Residing in a number of social contexts and bearing specific functions within each, from contemporary and abstract art, to commercial advertising, to popular culture, to traditional practices and to entertainment – dance offers a broad realm of creative and professional opportunities. Not-for-profit dance organisations, dance troupes, contemporary dance, ballet and traditional dance festivals, and dance education programmes are on the rise in Cyprus and in Europe, receiving both public and private funding. On the other hand, more mainstream and commercial dance (in conjunction with pop music, video and social/club dancing) is a fast-growing area of business both nationally and internationally.
Professionally, the contemporary conditions regarding dance mentioned above are an advantage.
Due to the current diverse nature of the field of dance, its stark popularity and its rapidly evolving character locally, regionally, and internationally, there is a need for competent graduates trained for technical proficiency, innovation and versatility. Career opportunities for such graduates include performing, teaching, choreographing, arts management, arts/dance education programme and policy writing, dance writing and criticism and academia. More specifically, employment can be found in sectors such as primary and secondary education, tertiary education, private arts, public arts administration, and non-profit organisations. Finally, the unexplored areas in the field, waiting to be discovered and developed, undoubtedly provide exciting, promising prospects for the young dance performer, artist and educator.
Access to Further Studies
Graduates of the programme can be accepted into Second Cycle degrees (Master’s Degree).
Academic Admission
The minimum admission requirement to an undergraduate programme of study is a recognized High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) or equivalent internationally recognized qualification(s). Students with a lower HSLC grade than 7.5/10 or 15/20 or equivalent depending on the grading system of the country issuing the HSLC are provided with extra academic guidance and monitoring during the first year of their studies.
In addition to the above, applicants must also satisfy the following requirements:
- Successfully pass an audition consisting of a taught contemporary and ballet class, improvisation session, and a discussion.
- International students may submit a video audition
English Language Proficiency
The list below provides the minimum English Language Requirements (ELR) for enrollment to the programme of study. Students who do not possess any of the qualifications or stipulated grades listed below and hold IELTS with 4.5 and above, are required to take UNIC’s NEPTON English Placement Test (with no charge) and will receive English Language support classes, if and as needed, from UNIC’s International Gateway Centre (IGC).
- TOEFL – 525 and above
- Computer-based TOEFL – 193 and above
- Internet-based TOEFL – 80 and above
- IELTS – 6 and above
- Cambridge Exams [First Certificate] – B and above
- Cambridge Exams [Proficiency Certificate – C and above
- GCSE English Language “O” Level – C and above
- Michigan Examination of Proficiency in English (CaMLA) – Pass
- Pearson PTE General – Level 3 and above
- KPG (The Greek Foreign Language Examinations for the State Certificate of Language Proficiency) – Level B2 and above
- Anglia – Level B2 and above
- IEB Advances Programme English – Pass
- Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (ECPE) Michigan Language Assessment by: Cambridge Assessment English & University of Michigan – 650 average score for ALL skills and above
Course assessment usually comprises of a comprehensive final exam and continuous assessment. Continuous assessment can include amongst others, mid terms, projects, and class participation. Letter grades are calculated based on the weight of the final exam and the continuous assessment and the actual numerical marks obtained in these two assessment components. Based on the course grades the student’s semester grade point average (GPA) and cumulative point average (CPA) are calculated.
The student must complete 240 ECTS and all programme requirements. A minimum cumulative grade point average (CPA) of 2.0 is required.
Thus, although a ‘D-‘ is a PASS grade, in order to achieve a CPA of 2.0 an average grade of ‘C’ is required. In addition, all students must complete a Senior Research Project in their fourth year of study as part of the required course DAN-493/Senior Seminar, either written or written with a practical component. All students must perform in the Annual BODYPRINTS Dance Concert at least once, as a mandatory component of the required course DAN-311/Dance Company I, and Performance Concentration students must perform a second time, as a mandatory component of the required concentration course DAN-412/Dance Company II.
On completion of the programme the student will be able to:
- Perform and interpret contemporary dance on a professional level, demonstrating a high level of technical proficiency, a broad range of movement qualities and dynamics and strong personal expression.
- Perform classical ballet with adequate proficiency, embodying the aesthetics and qualities of major styles within the technique (i.e. romantic, neoclassical, contemporary).
- Perform at least one cultural dance form with competence.
- Demonstrate professional kineasthetic/spatial skills in all techniques.
- Demonstrate professional partnering technique.
- Perform and interpret dance before a public audience.
- Practice, interpret and successfully perform dance in various and diverse professional ensemble/dance company situations.
- Choreograph, teach and direct dance works.
- Improvise dance as a creative tool and as a performance genre (contemporary dance based).
- Formulate and practice a personalised, unsupervised practice routine that incorporates dance technique and body conditioning practices.
- Interpret and analyse dance in a variety of styles and performance media, besides his/her specialised performance media.
- Demonstrate a historical, aesthetic and socio-cultural understanding of dance.
- Classify, differentiate, interpret, analyse, and criticise a broad and diverse dance repertory representing a variety of styles.
- Teach contemporary based and creative dance to children and adults of all ages from a beginning to a high intermediate level.
- Create and administer unit-based dance lessons and curricula, implementing the appropriate methods and theories in dance pedagogy.
- Engage in dance research, using appropriate tools and methods and drawing upon a variety of source material.
Dr Dara Milovanovic
Head of Department
Associate Professor
School of Education
Department of Music and Dance
Mr Panayiotis Tofi
Adjunct Faculty
Ms Maria Kamberi
Adjunct Faculty
Ms Lia Haraki
Adjunct Faculty
Dr Zoe Georgallis
Adjunct Faculty
Dr Pascal Caron
Adjunct Faculty
Ms Julia Brendle
Adjunct Faculty