Bachelor Dance Artist

Propaedeutic phase: preparation

In the first year of the dance course in Arnhem, you prepare your body for technical training. You also receive support in developing an open, flexible, strong mind and awareness of your body. You work on:

• Dance techniques: classical, modern (Graham & Graham today) and contemporary (Counter-technique, Floorwork)
• Techniques and methods for physical awareness kinaesthetic awareness and anatomical awareness
• Supporting techniques: Pilates and fitness
• Your personal profile: in class, you work on improvisation, composition, creation of solos and duets and repertoire. You also work on artistic projects like the Pleasure Island module, in which you work with students from other departments at ArtEZ or learn to integrate other disciplines.
• Theory: anatomy, music, dance history and dance analysis.

The second year: craft year

The second year of the dance course at ArtEZ focuses on developing skills and technical ability. You also study body awareness to help you in your development as a dance artist and performer. Content of the second year:

• Classical, modern (including Limon), contemporary Floorwork, Release and partnering techniques.
• Techniques and methods for more physical awareness at a deeper level. kinaesthetic awareness, anatomical awareness, process inquiry (essence work)©.
• As in the first year, you do Pilates and fitness for support.
• You work on your personal profile through classes in improvisation and physical theatre, composition duet, repertoire and dance dramaturgy. You also explore the work field, create your own work and work on artistic projects like Choco, which bring together composition, choreography and execution.
• You attend anatomy-focused lectures by medical professionals. You also study the theory of music and dance analysis and start philosophy classes.

Third year: integration and deepening

From the third year of the dance academy, you increasingly focus on developing your own artistic identity as a dancer or maker and you learn to integrate the skills you have acquired in a presentation. You are also given extra coaching and peer review sessions from an external dancer or maker. With a personal development plan, you prepare for the transition to the work field. Your academic year is filled with:

• Continuing to work on techniques: classical, modern and contemporary
• Supporting techniques and methods: kinaesthetic awareness, Pilates and fitness
• Working on your personal profile through classes in improvisation, release, inner movement evolution, repertoire and process inquiry©. You also work on an artistic project in which - within the repertoire of a choreographer and under their guidance - you study theory and methods and dance.
• Artistic Research (individual) Modules if you wish to specialise in performance or choreography.
• Depending on your ambitions and plans, there is also time to work on other projects and do audition workshops.

The fourth year: transition to the work field

The fourth year of the higher professional dance course in Arnhem involves an internship and/or projects in the Netherlands or abroad. With support from a mentor, you plan your own graduation program. You might do an internship with a company, develop your own method, set up a project or create your own dance production. In this graduation year, you therefore have one foot in the dance academy and the other in the work field. In consultation with your mentor, an alternative program is also possible. This might be a program in the dance academy or a series of workshops outside school. Our students participated in projects in among others Milan, Porto, Vienna, Brussels, Mainz, Aachen, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Reykjavik, Tel Aviv, Jersey, Linz, Sienna, New York and Bern. They did internships or projects at:

• Club Guy & Roni
• Ann van den Broek
• Introdans
• De Stilte
• David Middendorp
• NB Projects
• Keren Levi
• Scapino Ballet
• Generale Oost
• Dansateliers
• Jan Martens
• Cullberg Ballet
• Nordans
• National Dance Company Wales
• Tanz Mainz

Do you want to continue your Dance studies after graduating? At ArtEZ University of the Arts, you can broaden and deepen your knowledge in the Master of Performance Practices.

The (dance) world is changing rapidly. For that reason, we do not train you to become a dancer with only one possible career, but as a dance artist with a career to suit you. What kind of dance artist are you? As a dance artist, you have many options. You can become a strong, authentic performer who can co-create with a choreographer or director, or perhaps become an upcoming maker who uses the dancing body as an instrument to create work with consciousness and impact on the world.

After graduating as Dance Artist in Arnhem, you can use the title Bachelor of Arts. You can work as an independent dancer and maker at home and abroad, for example for (inter)national production houses of dance companies.

Entrepreneurship

Graduates at ArtEZ can, among other things, receive start-up guidance when setting up their own company.

Continue studying?

You can also broaden and deepen your knowledge by following the Master course Performance Practices.