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Trinity Laban

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Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance with International Foundation Year

Course details

Introduction 

Are you an international student keen to study contemporary dance and develop your English language skills? This International Foundation course provides you with an intensive year of dance study to develop your overall skills alongside English language tuition. It will help you to help you prepare for undergraduate study or further education in a supportive environment. 

You’ll develop technical skills by participating in a range of dance techniques including Release, Hip-Hop, Ballet for contemporary dancers, Dynamic Floorwork and Cunningham. Alongside this you will gain an understanding of how to use your body and learn the building blocks of dance creation. You’ll receive English language tuition and be supported to apply this in dance contexts, using dance-specific language and terms. 

Key Features 

You’ll develop strong technical, creative and choreographic skills, while your English language studies will include developing language skills to enable you to analyse and talk about dance and dance performances you have seen. 

During the year, you’ll learn about current methodologies relating to fitness, safe practice and dancer health and wellbeing. 

Those who successfully pass the international foundation year can automatically progress to the BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance course. If you choose to continue your undergraduate studies at Trinity Laban, the BACD course will continue to give you the opportunity to work directly with professional dance artists to research, create, and present commissioned pieces of work. By the end of the 4 years of study you will have created and performed a wide range of challenging dance, acquiring the dance skills at the highest level to set you up for your future career. 

Apply on UCAS Conservatoires

Key Facts

UCAS
191F
Duration
1 year (full-time)
Location
Laban Building
Start Date
September

Fees

2025-26

Audition fee
No charge
BA Contemporary Dance (Full-time)
Home £9,250 International £22,520
Info
Fees represent 2025/26 year only, programmes with more than one year are subject to fee increases after the first year
Find out more about discounts/waivers

Key Dates

  • Submission deadline

  • Induction (2025-26)

  • Term 1 (Autumn)

  • Term 2 (Spring)

  • CoLab

  • Term 3 (Summer)


Detailed Information

Over the foundation year the modules you cover are Technical Practice, Creating Dance and Integrated Skills in English.

You’ll study through a blend of taught classes, workshops, lectures, seminars and tutorials. We encourage you to be an active learner in contributing to discussion, peer observation and feedback, and group work. The course consists of 1300 learning hours, this includes your contact hours in class, self-directed learning hours and preparation for assessments.

The International Foundation Year: Contemporary Dance & English can be taken as a stand-alone 1-year programme if you are looking to explore your dance practice, whilst improving your English language skills.

When applying, you also have the option to choose the 4-year BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance with International Foundation Year programme. You’ll need to pass all modules in your foundation year and pass the Trinity ISE II (B2) examination to progress to year 1 of the BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance.


Entry Requirements

To study with us you’ll need:  

 Practical dance experience of one dance form 

  • An A-level or AS-level, or equivalent qualifications.  

  • For international students, International Baccalaureate, Abitur and Gymnasium are recognised. Alternatives and relevant prior experience may be considered. 

 English language requirements: 

 You’ll need a minimum of CEFR B1 (IELTS 4.5 min in all areas).  

  • International applicants (non EU/EEA) will be required to take a IELTS for UKVI English Language test. 

 To get a place on the course you’ll take part in an audition day, where we look for the commitment and potential to study dance at a professional level.   

 We will look for technical expertise, potential and imaginative responses to creative tasks set. 

  • You’ll need an enthusiasm for the physical demands of intensive dance training. 

  • Auditions usually consist of: Contemporary Technique Class, Classical Ballet Class, Hip Hop Class, Creative Class and an individual interview. 

  • If you are an overseas student and cannot attend auditions in person, you can submit recordings of yourself in technique class and in performances. The recordings are auditioned in the same way as live auditions. For more information see Dance Applications

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