Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) (B-FADANCE)

You’re currently viewing the 2024 version of this course

Overview

Award title	Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)
Year & campus	2024 — Southbank
CRICOS code	093583B
Fees information	Subject EFTSL, level, discipline and census date
Study level & type	Undergraduate Coursework
AQF level	7
Credit points	300 credit points
Duration	36 months full-time

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) is a three-year full-time degree centred around studio practice, expanded dance thinking and performance. Throughout the course students develop an integrated practice as a dance artist. Expertise in dance as a way of knowing opens doorways for careers as performers, makers, leaders, activists, collaborators and cultural partners in a global world.

The program focuses on the rigorous preparation of dancers as artists and cultural leaders working across all areas of the profession including performance, community, arts management, health and wellbeing sectors. It recognises that contemporary dance takes many forms and flourishes in diverse contexts, so it prepares students through an emphasis upon dance within an arts ecosystem.

Students have opportunities for placements with local Melbourne dance organisations and can participate in international residencies through a travelling studio. The course structure also equips students with the professional skills for ensemble and autonomous careers in dance.

The course matrix emphasises the following core graduate capabilities: Practice; Make; Interact; Perform; Connect; and Reflect. These competencies are developed throughout the degree towards a graduate profile that is industry-ready whilst equipping students with skills for life-long learning and creative resilience. The learning of dance as an arts practice is a core component in the preparation of a professional dancer, and knowledge of diverse movement techniques and the concepts that underpin them, is considered essential to flexibly adapt to different choreographic ideas and opportunities.

Coordination, movement memory and performance qualities (expressiveness and focus), are fostered through embodied learning, open enquiry and exchange within a cohort experience of dancing together. Intensive skills development and practice take place alongside workshop and rehearsal processes for a range of performance situations. Students gain experience and know-how in performing for stage, art gallery and museum, gardens and outdoor sites, screen and digital spaces.

Deepening their artistic knowledge through acquiring mastery and craft, students can energetically engage with the creation of dance in both a local and international context. During their degree they have the opportunity to participate in a Global Atelier, a travelling studio programme through which students learn from leaders in the dance field and cultivate arts citizenship. Such collaborative skills and intercultural competencies are integral to their training.

Breadth subjects at each year level enable students to take cross disciplinary studies across the University.

After three years students will understand how they want to express themselves as artists within the field. A fourth year honours programme is also available for those who excel in their Bachelor of Fine Arts and wish to pursue deeper specialist knowledge in choreography, performance and dance as research.

Students may go onto postgraduate study and specialise in one of the career pathways opened through their undergraduate studies including dance education, dance leadership, arts and cultural management, and movement therapy.

Links to further information

This course is available in My Course Planner

My Course Planner is an interactive web application that allows you to explore your study options and decide which subjects and major(s), minors and/or specialisations are right for you.

Entry requirements

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed one of:

(a) the Victorian Certificate of Education including;
VCE Units 3 and 4 either a study score of at least 25 in English/English Language/Literature or a study score of at least 30 in English as an Additional Language;

(b) the International Baccalaureate Diploma including at least Grade 4 in English or English B (Standard Level or Higher Level);

(c) a senior secondary program, foundation studies program or equivalent approved by Academic Board including appropriate English language studies.

Applicants are also required to complete an audition, test, interview, workshop, portfolio or folio presentation, as prescribed by the Academic Board for the stream to which entry is sought.

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:

prior academic performance, and
performance in an audition and interview.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. For applicants who have not completed the Victorian Certificate of Education or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, the undergraduate English language requirements must be met.

Note. For applicants through the Victorian Tertiary Admission Centre, “middle-band” selection adjustments are made only on the basis of eligibility for Access Melbourne.

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) involves embodying, articulating and performing dance knowledge. All students of Dance must possess intellectual, ethical, social, physical and emotional capabilities required to participate in and achieve the core learning outcomes required for successful course completion.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) students must have abilities and skills that include the following:

Advanced ability in at least one dance genre or technique. Students will have the physical ability and mental aptitude to be able to benefit from intensive dance education and training. This ability is initially assessed at the application stage by audition into the degree and requires demonstration of a well-developed level of physical control, movement quality and expression through the performance of dance vocabulary;

Dance literacy. Students must be capable of interpreting and analysing dances and choreographic instructions within a range of dance styles and approaches.

Open-mindedness. Students will demonstrate a positive mental aptitude and curiosity that will enable them to realise their potential during their time undertaking the degree.

The ability be an autonomous learner. A Student's needs to possess an appropriate level of cognition to deal with the demands of learning complex movement sequences, participate in patterned choreographic form-finding, and improvise as an autonomous learner.

The capacity to communicate knowledge and apply dance principles in assessment activities. Students will possess aptitude for explaining, demonstrating and sharing their knowledge with others as well as receiving and processing feedback.

The ability to perform and contribute as part of an ensemble or team. Students will possess abilities to self-regulate their emotional health, be respectful of each other and body boundaries and exercise good judgment in group and collaborative activities. All Students need to be aware of their personal limitations and when and where to seek professional advice or supervision.

Stamina and Resilient Practice. Students must be able to tolerate physically demanding practice and academic pressures including in the process of meeting deadlines for written and performance outcomes.

Behavioural and Social Attributes. Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of others. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this course, graduates will be able to:

apply a high level of embodied skill in the performance of movement vocabularies and movement sequencing;
critically analyse, consolidate and synthesise key concepts in the discourse of dancing in diverse contexts;
engage with and contribute to group processes and ensemble thinking in a range of performance settings;
utilise flexible and transformative kinesthetic and problem-solving skills through rehearsal and performance;
reflect upon and evaluate processes, methods and performance outcomes to inform and enhance their own practice;
develop an independent creative practice to facilitate the continued development of dance craft;
identify and respond to opportunities relevant to professional aspirations.

Generic skills

Refer to Graduate Attributes.

Graduate attributes

Graduates of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) will have developed the following skills and attributes that allow them to be:

Artistically excellent:

demonstrate a flexible and innovative approach to the national and international challenges facing the professional artist/practitioner in the 21 Century;
have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and of the ethics of artistic practices and scholarship;
have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s);
reach a high level of achievement in artistic practice, writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication;
be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning;
be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.

Knowledgeable across disciplines:

critically examine, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a range of disciplines;
expand analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects;
have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems;
have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.

Leaders in communities:

initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces;
have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations;
mentor future generations of learners;
engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs.

Attuned to cultural diversity:

value different cultures and their cultural forms of practice;
be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work;
have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community;
respect Indigenous knowledge, cultures and values.

Active global citizens:

understand their relationship with and responsibility to their cultural environment and society;
accept social and civic responsibilities;
be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment;
have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics.

Course structure

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance) requires the successful completion of 300 credit points.

Compulsory subjects

237.5 credit points of Compulsory subjects
- 75 credit points of Level 1 Compulsory subjects
- 75 credit points of Level 2 Compulsory subjects
- 87.5 credit points of Level 3 Compulsory subjects

Electives

12.5 credit points of Level 2 electives

Breadth

50 credit points of Breadth subjects
- a minimum of 12.5 credit points of Level 2 or Level 3 breadth subjects

Progression Rules

Completion of CREA10002 Stories of Place in the first semester of commencement in this course
Completion of all Level 1 Compulsory subjects before proceeding to the next year level's Compulsory subjects
Completion of all Level 2 Compulsory subjects before proceeding to the next year level's Compulsory subjects
Note: Compulsory subjects in this program have prerequisites. Refer to individual subject entries.

For students who commenced prior to 2021

For students who commenced the Bachelor of Fine Arts prior to 2021, please click the below link to view your course structure and subject options:

Link

Subject Options

Level 1 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
CREA10002	Stories of Place	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank) Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	6.25

Note: All students must take Stories of Place in their first semester of commencement in this course.

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
DNCE10029	Body Knowledges: Dance Science	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE10030	Dance Lab 1: Studio Practices	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	18.75
DNCE10031	Dance Lab 2: Integrated Practices	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
DNCE10032	Thinking through Dancing	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5

Level 2 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
DNCE20034	Dance Lab 3: Repertory Studies	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
DNCE20035	Knowing Dance	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE20036	Dance Lab 4: Composing while Dancing	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
DNCE20037	Digital Dance	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5

Level 3 Compulsory subjects

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
DNCE30026	Dance Lab 5: Dance and Music	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE30027	Inter-disciplinary Project	Semester 1 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
DNCE30028	Choreographic Production	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	25
DNCE30029	Dance Lab 6: Performance Skills	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE30030	Professional Practice	Semester 2 (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5

Level 2 electives

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
DNCE20038	Global Atelier: Travelling Studio	July (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE20039	Professional Placement	Year Long (On Campus - Southbank)	12.5
DNCE20040	Travelling Studio	Not available in 2024	12.5

Breadth requirements

50 points of breadth subjects including at least 12.5 points at Level 2 or Level 3.

Find breadth subjects

Use the Handbook Search function to find subjects that can be used as breadth studies in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance)

Reassessment is available in this course

Reassessment is a second attempt at passing a compulsory subject if a borderline failure in a single subject has a significant impact on the student's progression through their course. A borderline failure is usually a mark of 45% or more. Reassessment is not available if failure in the subject is a result of a finding of student academic misconduct; or a student was awarded a NH grade due to failure to participate in a component of assessment that was a hurdle requirement or failure to attend or participate in the subject as required.

Refer to Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326): https://policy.unimelb.edu.au/MPF1326

Last updated: 21 February 2025