Level 3 Contemporary & Commercial Dance

Do you love the spotlight? Do you dream of seeing your name in lights? This imaginative and expressive two-year course will nurture your creativity, developing your performance skills as well as your knowledge of the performing arts and its dynamic, face-paced industry.

In this fast-paced creative industry you’ll have the world at your feet! Whether you want to secure the starring role in the most popular West End show, or want to help others realise their potential through teaching, you’re sure to find a way to unleash your talent.

This energetic and exciting course is aimed at students who wish to pursue a career as a dancer, choreographer or a dance teacher in community and educational settings. Previous students have gone on to run their own dance schools, teach dance in schools and colleges, or become dancers on television, in theatre or on cruise ships.

This course is ideal if you wish to further develop your creative, performance and technical skills in order to progress onto university or employment within the performing arts industry. The course focuses on developing practical and performance skills rather than preparing learners for an exam and all theory will underpin the Live projects and performances the learners are undertaking.

Each successful applicant will become a member of WVR’s Resident Dance Company ‘Company Boom’ where learners will learn the processes of being a member of a professional Dance Company.

Learning and rehearsing in our newly-refurbished theatre and specialist dance studios, this course has been carefully crafted to develop your technique and performance skills in a range of genres, including Latin, classical, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary & commercial dance. You will focus on peer assessment and critique, choreography and solo and ensemble performance, preparing you for a successful career in industry or higher education.

The course is vocationally and assessment will take place through project-based work where the emphasis is on students developing and performing their dance skills. As part of your course, you will learn about contextual studies, research techniques, develop rehearsal skills, perform and reflect on personal development and skills.

After successfully completing this course, you will have the skills and knowledge needed to progress on to employment, further or higher education. You may wish to continue your studies at Warrington & Vale Royal College to complete your HNC & HND in Professional Dance Practices, or apply for a Performing Arts related degree programme at a national university or dance conservatoire.

Warrington & Vale Royal College are dedicated to enhancing your employability skills and knowledge of the industry you are aiming for. Throughout your course you will take part in guest lecture workshops with employers as well as undertaking live performance projects for local community groups and employers. You will work with a variety of external agencies in order to strengthen your knowledge and experiences, including Culture Warrington, Warrington Museum, Community Objectives and various professional theatre projects.

The expert and professional tutors on this course have excellent links with industry professionals, and students will benefit from these working partnerships through valuable work experience placements.

You will be allocated a progress coach who will provide you with support to help you succeed on your study programme and progress on to your chosen career or progression path. We have a team of staff dedicated to providing learning support if required, as well as a Welfare Team that is on hand to offer guidance, support and help when needed. 

Additionally, eligible students can access a wide range of finance and funding support to help them during their time at college.

Click here for learning support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/learning-support

Click here for finance support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/financial-support

By choosing to study Performing Arts at Warrington & Vale Royal College you will be taught by highly skilled staff with both acting and dance specialisms. Our tutors have excellent links with industry and are still practicing within the industry, giving you a real life insight into the Performing Arts industries and allowing you to benefit from the experience and expertise of the teaching staff.

You will study in a range of excellent performing arts facilities including a well-equipped theatre with sprung floor, staging, lighting and sound, along with specialist acting studios. The course itself forms around developing, rehearsing and performing a wide range of showcases throughout the year, both within college and at external venues. Typically, you will perform 5 different shows throughout the year with the Christmas Pantomime and end of year showcase being real highlights.

On this course you will also have the opportunity to take part in enriching Performing Arts trips both locally and nationally to acting studios, theatre performances in the West End and live music performances.

The Performing Arts department are very proud to be working alongside University of Arts London who will be the awarding body for this qualification.

You will need a minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and maths, or you will have needed to have successfully completed the Level 2 Performing Arts course. If you have not already achieved a grade 4 in your either your GCSE English or maths, you will undertake a smaller progression level 3 qualification and be required to work towards GCSE in English and maths as part of your study programme.

Dance students are required to purchase their own costumes for shows and must wear black clothing for lessons (t-shirt, leggings/jogging bottoms, hoody, jumper).

As dance students you are also required to have appropriate dancewear including a black leotard/biketard, pink or black ballet shoes, pink or black tights and black character shoes. All learners are also required to provide their own basic equipment such as notebooks, folders and pens.