BA (Hons) Professional and Commercial Dance

On the BA (Hons) Professional and Commercial Dance you’ll have the opportunity to gain core skills in ballet, jazz, contemporary and commercial dance, and develop the knowledge and practical experience needed for employment in a variety of exciting and demanding professions in the performing arts industry.

Professional and Commercial Dance

Key information

Award:

BA (Hons)

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

3 years

Location:

Shockout Arts

UCAS points:

104

UCAS code:

W660

Start date:

To be confirmed

Course Details

The 3-year BA (Hons) course in Professional and Commercial Dance, delivered by Shockout Arts, offers you the opportunity to acquire and develop essential technical, artistic and theoretical competence through professional training to an advanced/level 6 standard. If you're an aspiring dance artist, successful completion of this 3-year BA (Hons) provides you with the platform to begin your professional career in the dance and performing arts industry. After graduation, you could continue your education at master’s level. The partnership between Shockout Arts and the University of Bolton offers you access to a number of postgraduate opportunities.

You’ll be based at Shockout Arts, studying and training in their purpose-built, high-specification dance studios that are equal to professional industry standards. Alongside your intensive practical dance training, you’ll have regular performance opportunities to help you develop a diverse range of performance and production skills.

Teaching staff at Shockout Arts are professional practitioners and choreographers. They are keen to make the time you spend with them as stimulating and rewarding as possible and enjoy a well-deserved reputation for being approachable and interested in your progress. As teaching often takes place in small groups you’ll have access to individual support and guidance at every stage.

For full details about Shockout Arts, their open days and accommodation, please visit www.weareshockout.com/courses/

Highlights
  • Shockout Arts is a dynamic and innovative dance school – the first in the country to offer higher-level qualifications in professional and commercial dance.
  • This course provides you with the chance to interact, learn and work alongside professional artists from the dance industry. These can include professional dancers, directors, producers and choreographers.
  • We offer you the chance to strengthen your CV and benefit from valuable networking opportunities.
  • Shockout students have worked with some of the biggest artists in the music and performing arts industry. Credits include Janet Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Little Mix, Stormzy, Mabel, X Factor and many more.
Key Features
  • The practical elements of this course involve workshops and structured training in a range of dance types, supported and underpinned by theory elements delivered through lectures, presentations, seminars and tutorials.
  • You could develop transferable skills such as critical analysis, creative problem solving, working with other people, planning and time management, oral and written presentation, decision-making, and computer skills.
  • You’ll also have access to the University’s e-learning resources, an extensive e-library and the support of University librarians.
  • We offer you opportunities to learn and work with industry professionals from the UK and around the world.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.


This degree aims to provide an industry-relevant specialised education that will develop your skills, knowledge and expertise in a range of dance genres to a professional level. In addition, you could gain a range of key transferable skills such as confidence, self-presentation, teamwork, self-awareness, communication skills, and the ability to cope with criticism.

Being able to provide our students with the best possible progression route is highly important to us. As a result of their hard work, our past and present students have performed with some of the biggest names in the dance and performing arts industry.

Credits include: Janet Jackson, Dua Lipa, Zara Larsson, Alexander Burke, Tinie Tempah, Rita Ora, Kendrick Lamar, Ludacris, Mabel, Hrvy, Steff London, Jax Jones, Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lott, French Montanna, Demi Lovato, Kylie Minogue, Paloma Faith, Zayn Malik, Will.I.Am, Jess Glyne, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Leshur, Flo Rida, Bebe Rexha, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, Spice Girls Tour, Rai Elle, Stormzy, MTV VMA’s and EMA’s, BRIT Awards, The MOBO’s, X Factor, The Voice, Jingle Bell Ball, V Festival, Wireless, Parklife, Lovebox.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduates can take advantage of opportunities in a wide range of careers relating to performance, creative producing, education, community, and curatorial and arts administration. Opportunities exist in commercial dance for TV, cruise ships and in promotion and commercial events and popular music performances.

A career in performance is often complemented with employment in teaching or choreography. Self-employment may be another option, where you could establish your own dance-related business. Alternatively, you may choose to further your studies at postgraduate level, or train to become a dance teacher in the education sector.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

  • Teaching and education
  • Arts administration
  • Broadcasting
  • Theatre stage management
  • Event management
  • Acting
  • Dance therapy
  • Sports training
  • Marketing and PR
  • Advertising
  • Community arts
  • Musical theatre
  • Journalism and writing
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Dance critic

Course fees
Home Fees Year of study Total
Entry year2024/252025/262026/272027/28
2024£9,250£9,250£9,250-£27,750

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-2025 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

For 2024-2025 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year. The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2024-2025 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.


For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:

If you wish to apply to multiple institutions or courses for September, then apply through UCAS

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

  • Institution Code Name: BOLTN

  • Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

International applications are not possible for this course

As an international student you are not allowed to study this course because of the restrictions on your visa.

We offer a wide range of full-time courses in lots of different subjects, many of our courses start in September and January. If you would like to see what courses are available please visit our Course Search.

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk


We use a variety of teaching and learning strategies throughout the programme to develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills and help you achieve the intended learning outcomes. We take a blended learning approach that includes practical sessions, lectures and workshops as well as online support via the University’s virtual learning environment, Moodle. The practical sessions take place within the dance studio environment and are designed to teach each of the core technical forms as well as the specialist area of commercial dance and musical theatre.

In addition, you’ll be expected to spend time on guided independent study; for example, engaging in general background reading, preparing for seminar activities, working on assignments and in rehearsing and training. The development of employability and information literacy skills and personal development planning (PDP) is also explored.

You'll be expected to attend traditional lectures, seminars, practical sessions, workshops and tutorials. You may also have opportunities to work on live projects as part of your practical modules. Through these, you can gain unique insights and a thorough understanding of the performing arts industry operating in international markets and across many sectors.

Some of the key assessment forms for this programme are in-studio technical assessments, practical skills assessments, showcase performances, practical project reports, portfolios, oral presentations, written coursework and a major research project. You’ll receive feedback on your assessments so that you’ll know what you have done well and where you can improve.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Professional and Commercial Showcase
  • Advanced Technical and Performance Studies
  • Musical Theatre Techniques
  • Core Techniques
  • Contextual Dance Studies 1
  • Commercial Dance
  • Choreographic Devices
  • Contextual Dance Studies 2
  • Musical Theatre Techniques and Performance
  • Professional and Commercial Technique and Performance
  • Professional Practice and Self Promotion
Assessment methods
LevelAssesment method
Level oneCoursework 27%, Practical exams 73%
Level twoCoursework 20%, Practical exams 80%
Level threeCoursework 45%, Practical exams 55%
Learning activities
LevelLearning activity
Level oneGuided independent study 45%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 55%
Level twoGuided independent study 39%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 61%
Level threeGuided independent study 60%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 40%

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

The academic staff detailed above teach across a range of courses in this subject area and may not teach on this course specifically.

Programme Contacts

The Admissions Team
Shockout Arts

admissions@weareshockout.com

+44 (0)161 833 9937

Yusuf Giga
Academic Partnership Manager, University of Bolton

Y.Giga@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903211

Lindsey Brocklebank
Link Tutor, University of Bolton

L.Brocklebank@bolton.ac.uk

+44 (0)1204 903288

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BA (Hons) Professional and Commercial Dance (Accelerated Route)

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BA (Hons) Professional and Commercial Dance (top-up)

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Postgraduate Options

PGCE M Post Graduate Certificate in Education 14+ Dance

Full-time
Mode of study
1 Years
Duration

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MA Professional and Commercial Dance

Full-time
Mode of study
12 Months
Duration

Shockout Arts

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We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
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Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant