Study With Us

At Mechanics’ Performing Arts we deliver a full time Higher National Certificate/Diploma in Dance that is designed to train performers, choreographers and dance practitioners at a higher level for those who wish to pursue a career within the dance industry. This course provides professional dance training in Commercial, Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Choreography, Conditioning and community dance teaching. After this course many of our graduates convert this qualification into a BA Hons by studying a further years training of a BA Top Up course. Many of our graduates decide to continue studying at Mechanics’ Performing Arts to study on to further study their own tailor made BA Hons Top Up Degree in Performance Industries.
 
We have close links to many areas of the industry and our graduates are now working all around the world in a variety of different employment areas including on cruises, professional dance companies, freelancing, dance teaching. Our students take part in industry led days where artists from across the industry, such as casting and talent agents, professional artists and our own graduates come and inform our students of current aspects needed for a successful career in today’s industry.

The units you'll study have been specially chosen to enable you to develop technical and performance skills, to achieve a sound knowledge of the industry and give you optimum scope for accessing further study or employment. Our students take part in a variety of internal and external projects with termly performances to provide as many performance platforms as possible.

Performance platforms have included Phoenix Dance Theatre Platform, Fresh Dance Platform, Move it, Can You Dance, collaboration with professional dance artists, corporate businesses and commercial adverts. Your study will provide you with the opportunity to apply your experience in the studios to a diverse range of performance spaces such as community-based contexts, choreographic projects, and professional theatres.

Through practical classes you will develop a wide range of dance performance techniques drawn from the work of world-renowned choreographers. You will grow as technical dancers, experience a range of dance classes which will increase your strength, flexibility and versatility. Dancers undertake weekly conditioning classes to improve their dance fitness and develop new skills. Additionally, students have opportunities to develop acrobatic skills within conditioning classes throughout the course. At certain times of the year students have also undertaken some aerial and silks training to enhance their skills further.

All projects and performances are linked to the performing arts industry to give a real flavour of working as a dancer, choreographer, teacher and theorist. A variety of teaching and learning methods are used to encourage and facilitate your creative and artistic development and bring together practice and theory. Independent and collaborative learning will be encouraged through use of practical workshops, interactive lectures, resource-based learning, individual and group work, tutorials, discussion, critiques, performances, and rehearsals.

Course hours typically stand at 15 hours contact per week of lectures, rehearsals, workshops and self-directed study. This can increase during performance weeks and will require evening work and on occasions and some weekends. You are also required to undertake conditioning classes to improve strength, flexibility and stamina to help you develop.

In addition to the course contact hours, students will need to undertake at least 10 hours per week directed & self-directed study/ practice. The course is typically split 75% Practical Work 25 % Classroom.

You will have classes with students in your own discipline and classes with students from other performances disciplines.

Higher National Certificate (HNC) Year 1 Units:

• The Performing Arts Industry
• Professional Development
• Contemporary Dance 1
• Ballet 1
• Tap Dance 1
• Jazz Dance 1
• Commercial Dance 1
• Choreography 1

Higher National Diploma (HND) Year 2 Units:

• Creative Research Project
• Working in the Performing Arts
• Contemporary Dance 2
• Ballet 2
• Tap Dance 2
• Jazz Dance 2
• Commercial Dance 2
• Choreography 2
• Performance Project

The College assesses you through the coursework that you produce as you complete each unit, this may include finished, performance pieces, choreography development, written work, your research, and a reflective journal which allows you to evaluate your learning and highlight your strengths and areas for further development.

The majority of units have some form of performance-based assessment attached that focus on a range of performance skills and genres.

There are two types of assessment that you will receive while on your course:

Formative assessment is the process whereby your work and progress are assessed at regular intervals with accompanying feedback from staff to help to improve your performance. Staff will provide you with feedback on the progress of your work before you reach the assessment point at the end of the unit. This may take place one-to-one with a tutor (e.g. in a tutorial) or in group sessions.

Summative assessment is the process whereby your work is evaluated and given a mark at the end of course unit. Summative assessment formally records your achievement of the unit’s learning outcomes and final feedback.

You will be assessed against the approved unit learning outcomes and assessment requirements as outlined in the unit handbooks, these typically include the module descriptor, assignment brief(s) and programme outlines. The unit handbooks guide you through the specific areas of work in which you will be engaged to produce the work required for assessment and so successfully achieve the unit learningoutcomes. Many courses also employ self and peer evaluation or assessment within their overall assessment processes. Self-evaluation and self-assessment require you to reflect upon your learning and performance and to submit this to tutors. Peer evaluation and peer assessment are used when students have been working in teams and require each team member to reflect upon their peers’ performance and to submit this to tutors or to give you support and guidance in developing areas of performance. There is a minimum of one piece of assessed work per unit.

Your tutors will help you to track your areas of achievement for each unit/module and to identify and discuss with your opportunities to collate evidence for module achievement You will be graded using the Edexcel guidelines and specifications to assess whether the evidence produced for assignments has reached the required standard at pass, merit or distinction level.

Assessment is ongoing within sessions and will comprise of peer and self-assessment as well as tutor assessment. There is a minimum of one piece of assessed work per unit.

64 UCAS tariff points from A Levels or a Level 3 Extended Diploma in a related subject.

OR

An Access course.

GCSE Grade 4 or above in English Language (or equivalent qualification) is required.

A successful audition and interview.

Those with previous experience or learning that is relevant may be eligible via our RPL (Recognition of prior learning) process for accreditation towards this course.

All applicants are required to audition consisting of an interview and a dance class including a creative task. You will need to prepare a dance solo of your choice that showcases your ability and style. This should be 1 and 1/2 minutes in length.

You will attend college 3 or 4 days per week plus evening performances and some weekends. You will also be expected to see local and national performances to enhance your performing arts knowledge and experience different kinds of performances.

2024/25 fees:

£TBC

The HNC and HND courses are recognised as a qualification in their own right or can be combined with a top-up degree to obtain a full honours degree like our BA (Hons) Performance Industries course. Alternatively, you can study a PGCE or Certificate in Education to progress to teaching.