Dance Teaching in Education guides you through the creation of an applied dance project focusing upon dance in education. You will identify and devise an appropriate project for a formal setting and present your plans with key illustrations of practice in the controlled setting of the university. The practical work is informed both by the theoretical and historical study of applied dance alongside focused studio practice.

Histories of Dance introduces you to selected histories of Western Theatre Dance, studying theory alongside focused studio practice. The module outlines the development of dance as an art form within Western culture, looking at traditions and innovations in Europe and America. Practical and theoretical approaches are used to identify and discuss the work of key artists in relation to historic practices, concepts and contexts, which may include developments of ballet, modern and post-modern dance.  You will select specific artists, styles and contexts to study in more depth, identifying how historic dance practices respond to broader historic issues.

Introduction to Choreographic Practices is a practice-based module which introduces you to dance making and movement enquiry. You will investigate composition, explore relationships and experiment with movement through experiential analysis of contemporary and post-modern dance practice. Alongside focused studio practice, you will develop your abilities in the devising of movement, present short choreographic studies and demonstrate your capacity to outline and discuss your practical and research processes.

Explorations into Dance Writing introduces you to approaches to  writing about dance which will facilitate your skills in observing, describing, researching  and interpreting dance, encouraging engagement with current dance practices. Alongside focused studio practice, you will watch and write about live and recorded dance performances using a range of practical, observational and textual frameworks to support analytical description and interpretation. You may also investigate wider processes of dance documentation, such as writing reviews, journals or reflection.

Introduction to Dance Making and Performance further develops your skills in devising and creating dance. You will engage in the making, rehearsal and performance of a small-scale dance piece under the direction of a tutor undertaking the role of choreographer. The module focuses on areas such as developing performance and technical ability, as well as considering intentional points such as creating from an improvisational, conceptual or thematic/issue base. Throughout the devising period, you will explore approaches to movement making and composition in preparation for public performance of the dance work.

Teaching Dance in the Community is a project-based module where you will be guided through the creation of an applied dance project focusing on a range of informal community settings. You will identify and devise an appropriate project for a chosen setting and present your plans with key illustrations of practice. The practical work is informed both by the theoretical and historical study of applied dance alongside focused studio practice.

Introduction to Technical Theatre provides you with an overview of the technical equipment used in the areas of theatre lighting and sound. The module will enable you to work practically with equipment in a range of theatre production contexts. You will be introduced to the idea of the role of the theatre technician as a theatre artist supporting performance, while the foundations of safe working practices within the performing arts industry will also be covered.

Devising Projects in Education and Community gives you the opportunity to demonstrate independence and entrepreneurship in the creation of an applied dance project. You will visit and assess a community or education setting and then devise and plan an appropriate project for that client group. You will present this as an industry-style proposal, complete with an associated scheme of work, engaging in creative and innovative approaches to dance practice and demonstrating an aptitude for decision making and flexibility when working within a group. During the planning of this venture, you will incorporate and understand effective dance principles alongside focused studio practice.

Body and Performance examines current perceptions of performance through expanding your knowledge, understanding and experience of the body in relation to studio practice. Underlying this is the principle that as you develop your sense of self awareness, you are more able to adapt artistic practice to a variety of diverse settings, in particular those associated with health and wellbeing. You will explore how and why the body has been objectified in both medical/health and performance contexts and consider implications for the development of modern health systems and performance practices.

Cultural Perspectives in Dance extends your understanding of current dance practice by exploring cultural aspects of global, social and popular dance. Alongside focused studio practice in relevant dance forms, you will critically investigate current scholarship, theories and methods which contextualise the cultural significance of social dance traditions and practices. This will develop your scope for reading dance practices within social contexts and extend your understanding and application of critical analysis from a range of written and practical sources.

Choreographic Practices 2 expands your understanding of dance making for performance under the direction of a tutor undertaking the role of choreographer. The module will enable you to broaden your potential as an artist and performer through practice in dance work. Alongside focused studio practice, you will engage in analysis of practices, forms and aesthetics of dance which enable you to contextualise your movement enquiry and apply compositional skills as practiced by the professional artist. Devising dance and theatre which draws from cultural contexts and/or concepts such as popular culture, identity, locality, society and non-Western dance practice, you will explore and apply approaches to movement making and composition in preparation for creating and choreographing a final piece of dance work which you will present in a public performance.

Clown provides you with a basic introduction to the art, techniques, philosophies and theories associated with contemporary red-nose clowning, with a strong emphasis on solo practical work. The module provides skill-based teaching of clown performance and extensive workshop performance opportunities. You will be encouraged to reflect upon your own process of learning and development in relation to current popular and scholarly thinking about clowning. The importance of adopting an holistic approach to clowning as a technique that is broadly applicable in a wide range of performance genres and non-performance contexts will be emphasised.

Contemporary Circus provides a broad-based introduction to the diverse contemporary field of circus, allowing you to develop a basic level of circus skills in the context of a thorough historical and social exploration of the significance of contemporary circus. The module focuses in particular on the current state of the field of circus arts and the multiple forms and guises in which circus appears in contemporary culture. This will include developing your awareness of the breadth of potential employment opportunities within the growing field of clowning, in addition to furthering your understanding of the routes and means by which those employment opportunities could be attained.

Aerial Dance: Breaking Ground introduces you to the core skills (physical, technical and creative) in aerial performance and familiarises you with the evolution of contemporary aerial performance. You will also be taught the correct use of basic aerial equipment and different types of harness and discover their uses in performance. The module has a particular focus on the physical training and skill acquisition necessary to perform bungee-assisted dance, with some time dedicated to learning about the specialised equipment involved. You will also receive a comprehensive outline of the evolution of aerial dance and undertake independent research into contemporary practices in aerial performance.

Aerial Circus Performance introduces you to the practical, creative and safe acquisition of aerial skills in the context of contemporary circus. Due to the severe technical demands of aerial circus performance, this module will be heavily weighted towards physical skill development. A training regime will run alongside skills tuition in order to increase personal strength levels to help execute the techniques you will learn. A range of traditional circus equipment will be used to encourage the transference of skills between different but related apparatus. Alongside the development of skills, you will also learn to interpret and analyse aerial circus performance in relation to the history of circus and its evolution in the twentieth century.

Dance Making and Performance 2 progresses from an initial group focus of exploring dance practice and theatre in relation to a range of cultural frameworks to offer you the opportunity to engage with independent creative projects. This will enable you to investigate your creative and contextual ideas in the process of devising choreography. You will work in the role of choreographer or co-choreographer, synthesising research into practice to create choreography for public performance. As a collaborative group, you will be responsible for in-house promotion of your performance events and the scheduling of both technical and dress rehearsals. Focused studio practice sessions will facilitate the continued development of your dance practice.

Teaching Practice is a project-based practice module in which you are expected to demonstrate independence and entrepreneurship in the delivery of an applied dance project. You will gain an understanding of, and develop, effective dance principles, alongside focused studio practice. You will implement a project in your chosen setting and document this using industry models for evaluating applied dance. You will be assisted in fieldwork by working from a menu of client groups who have been contacted and briefed by the programme team.

Dance Theatre Performance focuses on the practical exploration and critical interrogation of contemporary dance theatre. The module explores choreographic and creative strategies while also enabling the acquisition and development of embodied knowledge and skills through the context of a tutor-led production. Relevant historical, theoretical and socio-cultural perspectives will be considered and you will be required to critically engage with these themes in relation to your own creative and practical experiences.

Movement for the Singing Actor interrogates the practical movement skills required by the performer to build your understanding of the collaborative nature of song, dance and acting for the musical theatre performer. The module provides you with a developed level of practical knowledge and theoretical understanding of the skills, technique and role of the musical theatre performer within the genre. You will examine the role of the performer from a movement perspective, experiment with a variety of movement styles from pedestrian movement to basic jazz dance and contemporary dance practices, and experience a variety of approaches to the analysis, rehearsal and realisation of staging and choreographing a song and dance repertoire.

Visual Dramaturgy concerns itself with the practice and theory of scenography. The module will look at the ways in which space, time, light, sound, colour and form can be composed and used to influence and communicate with the spectator. You will consider and experiment with how emerging new technologies, combined with a shift from text-based culture to a new media age of images and sound, has influenced the visual landscape of live performance. The aim is to open up the possibilities of scenography as visual dramaturgy and to engage you in a visual and creative response to music, text, character and shapes.

Costume for Performance engages with the impact and role of costumes within theatre and live performance. You will research the wider notion of costume and examine the social, cultural and artistic context of costume. The module will guide you in exploring different aspects of interpretation and entail the research-informed construction of costumes for live performance.

The Body in Costume engages you with body, space and costumes and focuses on twentieth century performance and modernism. You will experiment, through practice, with the relationship between form, space and body, and assess the impact that the modernist movement has had on the performing costume. Researching a wide notion of the body in costume and exploring different aspects of construction and interpretation of costumes as performative objects, you will engage with the development and construction of costumes which amplify the performing body and gain an understanding of the performative role of costume within theatre and live performance.

Introduction to Prosthetic Make Up familiarises you with with the diversity of prosthetic SFX makeup used within theatre, film and television. You will focus on how the human anatomy relates to sculpture and be introduced to a range of processes beginning with initial flat plate-sculpting and mould-making of scars, tears and wounds. This will be followed by the process of silicone moulding, application, colouring and finishing. The prosthetics colouring and blending will include wounds, realistic dead and alive skin tones, bruising and skin disease. The aim is to create the most realistic effects to enhance and mask the performer, engage with a number of artworks and conduct laboratory experiments, developing a technical vocabulary and exploring critical understanding of prosthetics and the body.

Imagining Better Worlds: Theatre, Learning and Development examines the histories of performance interventions in local and global contexts and explores critically, using historical and contemporary case studies, the consequences and meanings of those interventions. There will also be opportunities for observation and practical experience of group creative projects. The module provides an essential introduction to creating performances and facilitating workshops in response to the identified needs of a specific community, a particular community grouping. You will experience and interrogate theatre practice in diverse cultural, social and political contexts as you focus on theatre making that takes place in a range of settings.

The Art and Craft of the Playwright is a practical and theoretical interrogation of the historical and cultural significance of the playwright, in addition to the idea of the play-text. The module provides you with a developed level of practical knowledge and theoretical understanding of the idea of the play. You will learn about the art of the playwright, subject that art to close analysis, and put your learning into practice. Investigating the historical and contemporary role of the writer in the context of live performance, the module will enhance your appreciation of what the scripted play does and how its elements function in the theatre, informing your own critical interpretations and supporting your individual creative attempts to grapple with the making of a play-text.

The Art of the Actor and Rise of the Director interrogates the cultural significance of acting and directing in the modern era of drama. The module will enhance your practical knowledge and theoretical understanding of the skills, technique and role of both the actor and the director in modern theatre. You will further your insight into the nature of theatrical performance, from the perspective of acting for live performance, and at the same time build your critical awareness of the historic rise of the role of the director in the context of live performance. The aim is to examine the role of the actor and director, experiment with the diverse processes of acting and directorial strategy, and scrutinise a variety of approaches to the analysis, rehearsal and realisation of text-based dramatic work.

English Renaissance Tragedy: The Theatre of Sweet Violence and Wild Justice will be of particular relevance if you are interested in examining the genre of tragedy in drama. The module focuses on plays from the Renaissance period of English history. You will investigate the nature and meaning of the idea of tragedy on stage in a particular historical context and also interrogate the continuing power and resonance of English Renaissance Tragedy in our own time and across contemporary cultures.

The Dramatic Art of Comedy: Making Purposeful Laughter in the Theatre will be of particular relevance if you are interested in examining the genre of comedy in drama. The module focuses on plays and other forms of comic dramatic practice through the course of theatre history and across cultures. The module investigates the nature and meaning of the idea of comedy on stage in a range of historical contexts, interrogating the continuing power and resonance of the comic dramatic arts.

Popular Musicals explores the idea and form of the popular musical. Referring to an art form being ‘of the people’, attaining commercial success or being presented according to a ‘pop’ aesthetic, the idea of the popular will be discussed and explored through analysis of selected musical theatre works. From politically charged works aligned with folk and Marxist notions of ‘the people’ to the popular megamusical, differing concepts and diverse realisations of the popular will be explored through forms of musical theatre. You will develop a perspective on the idea of the popular in alignment with exemplary musical theatre works.

Site Specific Performance enables you to engage with the practice and theory of site specific performance. In this context, site specific is used as a generic term relating to work that arises from and responds to its immediate environment and surroundings outside of the traditional theatre context. The various forms and categories of response to site will be addressed and can be expected to include dance, performance, multimedia installation, art installation, and scenography. You will participate in workshops concerning devising for, and performing in, various spaces. The module culminates in practical site-specific work and the submission of a viva providing evidence of the influences and objectives of the performance, as well as the significance of your research.

Light and Projection in Performance explores the performative and scenographic relationships between light, projection and live performance. You will study the histories of light and projection technologies, discover contemporary key practitioners, and participate in practical, small-scale experiments, performances and installations. The module will deepen your awareness and understanding of the ‘lit’ scenographic environment, examine how light builds meaning in space, and consider how moving, mediated imagery can compete with and augment live performers and performance. The aim is to develop your aesthetic awareness, as well as basic technological skills, in order to design and manipulate simple lit environments and/or performances incorporating projected moving imagery.

Nineteenth Century Popular Performance is of particular relevance if you are interested in examining the historical rise of ‘popular performance’ and the origins of folk rituals and customs. The module charts the origins and development of various genres of performance styles from rural Britain through to the changing landscape brought about by the Industrial Revolution. You will gain a detailed knowledge and understanding of the experience of popular performance from the perspectives of both the performer and the spectator.

Multimedia Shakespeare examines the multimedial, intermedial and virtual strategies by which an canonical Shakespearian text might be interpreted and realised in order to expose significances resonant to contemporary performers and audiences. The aim of the module is to re-interpret old texts with new technologies. As such, the module examines how archetypal and mythopoeic patterns of words from one era might be interpreted for contemporary audiences through the new archetypes and technological images of another.

Developing Technical Theatre Skills enhances your skills, knowledge, understanding in the uses and functions of technical equipment in the areas of theatre lighting and sound. The module will enable you to develop your technical skills working practically with equipment in a range of theatre production contexts. The module also seeks to enhance your perception of the role of the theatre technician as a theatre artist supporting performance creatively, as well as furthering your understanding of safe working practices within the performing arts industry.

Researching Dance offers you the opportunity to initiate research into an area of study that supports your personal interests and strengths in relevant performance, dance and/or movement practices. You will identify areas of inquiry, explore methodologies and sources, develop skills in writing a researched industry-style project proposal, and investigate relevant  practices, practitioners, and methods which inform current practice. You will also engage in professional development practices which are designed to enhance your graduate employability skills.

Dance Techniques 1 develops your movement skills and techniques in addition to expanding your potential as an emerging dance professional. A combination of sessions relevant to current dance practice from the Western tradition are complemented by relevant cultural and popular forms. This experience will be underscored and widened through the study of experiential anatomy and holistic approaches to the moving body.

Dance Making and Performance 3 involves collaborating with current professional practitioners in dance making for performance in theatre and non-theatre settings. You will engage with visiting artists and/or external venues and experience an interdisciplinary approach to dance making and performance. The aim of the module is to nurture your development as an artist through gaining authentic experience of current practice and the processes involved in realising performance work. There is also the opportunity to engage in processes that underpin the making and performance of dance work such as costume, lighting, tour development and management, locating and assessing settings for site work.

Dissertation provides the opportunity for you to undertake an independent investigation of an identified area of interest within relevant fields of current practice. You will identify areas of inquiry according to your own interests and strengths, and negotiate the parameters for independent study with your appointed supervisor. You will apply your research to the creation of a dissertation, which may take the form of a performance, creative, applied or written project.

Aerial Performance 2 focuses on aerial arts. As such, this module will be heavily weighted towards physical skill development. A training regime will run alongside circus skills tuition to increase personal strength levels to help execute the techniques learnt. A range of traditional circus equipment will be used to encourage the transference of skills between different but related apparatus. The history of circus arts from traditional circus through to new/contemporary circus will be covered. You will also examine those companies that are developing new pieces of apparatus within performance and explore the use of theatricality within aerial arts.

Applied Circus develops your understanding of key ways in which circus arts may be used in educational, therapeutic and community settings to support the specific needs of client groups in those contexts. You will become familiar with a range of existing practice in the fields of social and community circus and circus education, construct a convincing and professional proposal for a hypothetical applied circus project, and deliver selected elements of the proposed project (in a group workshop setting with your peers) with specific client groups in mind.

Circus and Silent Movies enables you to research specific topics relating to physical comedy and clowning. You will analyse an aspect of physical comedy practice and demonstrate considerable depth of knowledge and understanding of its past and present forms. You will subsequently apply this research and relevant performance methodologies to the devising of a group or individual physical comedy performance. In doing so, the aim is to extend basic clowning skills and encourage you to develop your own imaginative and creative visions within the field of comic performance.

Independent Aerial Projects is a module that enables you to develop your personal vision of aerial performance and explore this creatively in the context of contemporary practice. A written proposal/outline for a project will be required, detailing the main aims, creative ideas and type of apparatus that you wish to focus on. You will be guided and assisted through the creative process with technical and artistic support. On completion of the project, you will be invited to discuss and share aspects of your research and explain the critical perspectives adopted.

Jazz Dance introduces you to the cultural and performance aspects of jazz dance, studying the historical context of the form alongside focused studio practice. The module interrogates jazz dance from a traditional perspective, looking at its origins in New Orleans, to its development as concert dance in New York, and its impact on American theatre dance. Practical and theoretical approaches are used to identify and discuss the work of key artists in relation to historic practices, concepts and contexts. This will include tap dance, social/concert dance, and modern jazz dance influences.

Dance Techniques 2 gives emphasis to your own command over your individual artistry and engages with frameworks of specific techniques and practices through a combination of enhanced dance sessions and workshops. The techniques and practices studied will include genres such as contemporary, post-modern, somatic practice, jazz, hip-hop, and improvisation, in addition to focusing on performance in set scores/repertoire. The aim of the module is to support you in efficiently and reflectively implementing your anatomical and technical engagement to embody diverse dance practices. Providing a range of overlapping approaches to movement and dance will give you a rich palette from which to source your work, developing your unique potential as a mover and practitioner and encouraging self-reflection.

The Scenographic Space investigates the ever-expanding notions of contemporary space. The module will enable you to experiment with the possible implications and ramifications of this changing reality upon the role of designing for live and intermedial performance in the 21st century. You will analyse a self-selected, defined area of contemporary scenographical practice, experiment with notions of a scenographic landscape and scenography as dramaturgy, and engage with the use of multimedia as a means of exploring the performative possibility of space.

Scenographic Costumes engages with the impact and role of costumes within scenography and live performance to enable you to master the design, development and construction of a variety of scenographic costumes. You will research the wider notion of scenography and costume and explore different aspects of the interpretation and construction of costumes. The module places you at the forefront of contemporary thinking about costume for performance and the performing costume and enables you to investigate the blurring boundaries between site, body and costumes.

Advanced Prosthetic Make Up and Special Effects will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the uses of prosthetic make up and SPX within the field of theatre, film and TV in order to explore and interrogate the usefulness of its various applications and techniques. The module will incorporate introductory historical and theoretical perspectives on some of the key examples in the field of prosthetic make up and SPX used in live and recorded performance. You will develop skills in sculpting and moulding your own makeup prosthetics, focusing on how the human anatomy relates to sculpture, thus creating the most realistic effects to enhance and mask the performer. You will engage with a number of artworks and conduct laboratory experiments, developing a technical vocabulary and critical understanding of prosthetics and the body.

Practice as Research in Costume explores the blurring boundaries between architecture, the body and costumes through the completion of an independent critical and practical research project. You will select the specific line of inquiry but areas of potential study may include scenographic costumes, performing costumes, ephemeral costumes and the in-depth study of particular styles and periods. The area of study chosen must be something that you have not studied in a previous or simultaneous module, unless the project can be demonstrated to be a further extension of previous investigation.

Acting and Directing Reconsidered entails both reconsidering and re-evaluating modern conceptions of the art and cultural significance of the actor and the director in the theatre. The module also introduces contemporary theories and practical strategies relating to the art, craft and role of the theatre actor and director in contemporary cultures. You will investigate and interrogate their respective identities and working relationships in the context of live theatrical performance today.

Theatre, Gender and Sexual Politics explores a range of different types of dramatic text and theatrical experience linked to the fundamental themes of gender and sexual politics.  The module interrogates themes of gender and sexual politics and examines the ways in which playwrights and practitioners have sought to use theatre as a forum to challenge gender roles and sexual ideology.

Theatre of War: Ideological Conflict and Political Commitment in Drama explores a range of different types of dramatic text and theatrical experience linked by the fundamental theme of war. The module examines ways in which playwrights spanning the history of world theatre have sought to dramatise ideological conflict, political commitment, ideas about nation, and responses to colonialism and imperialism. The social, political and ethical roles and responsibilities of the playwrights who respond to war through the making of play-texts will also be debated.

Postcolonial Theatres has a transnational and trans-historical focus. The module offers you the opportunity to engage with the complex of discourses around postcoloniality and its inflection in and through theatre practices. You will encounter plays from a range of historical moments in which tensions around colonial and imperial projects were specifically foregrounded. The aim is to inform the creation of theatrical performance with critically evaluative insights into theories of postcoloniality.

On the Road: Enabling Better Worlds enables you to experience and interrogate interventionist theatre practice in diverse cultural, social and political contexts. Working as part of a group, you will have the opportunity to plan, create and implement a company-based practical project. This will involve all aspects of conceptualising, forming a sustaining an interventionist theatre company. You will generate an original company profile and devise a clear company purpose and intent. From applying for funding, through to project completion and evaluation, you will design and implement placement-based events which explicitly address the needs of an agreed target audience or client group.  Viable creative and administrative structures will also need to be established.

Event Planning and Management enables you to develop key vocational skills and understanding in the areas of event management, project design and business planning. These key themes of the module will be placed in the wider context of arts management and arts funding. You will explore and examine all that is involved in the professional planning and management of events in the field of the performing arts. The module also examines the practical strategies which make creative concepts succeed. You will work through speculative creative ideas and proposals, and consider the ways in which creativity can be facilitated through appropriate and comprehensive planning and management. This will ultimately enable you to put the theory of event planning and management into practice.

Contemporary Musical Theatres focuses upon current trends and developments in musical theatre. You will undertake a series of critical reviews of contemporary musical theatre works, critically evaluating both their ‘internal’ construction and the cultural context in which it gains significance. This knowledge and critical evaluation of  contemporary musical theatre will then be applied in the development of a manifesto, through which you will devise and express your creative vision for future developments and innovative practice in musical theatre.

American Musicals explores the emergence and development of American musical theatre throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. With musical theatre established as a global form, American musical theatre retains a distinctive and influential identity. This module focuses specifically upon a critical examination of the historical relationship between American musical theatre and identity formation from the national to the personal. While principally situated within the context of American national, subcultural and personal identity formation, the study of American musical theatres necessarily examines the global reach and impact of this specific form of musical theatre.

Arts and Enterprise is a theory and practice-based module where you are expected to demonstrate independence in the creation and implementation of an applied performance project. You will utilise skills of an independent practitioner, such as enterprise, pitching for work, project management and the articulation of current arts funding and strategies involved in the planning and delivery of a project. You will devise and deliver projects in a real world context and experience challenges in unfamiliar settings which will enhance your skills in problem solving, negotiation, collective decision making and liaising with client groups.

Installation and Immersive Performance explores and interrogates contemporary, innovative and avant-garde practice in areas such as video art, installation art, performance art and immersive performance. The module will develop an advanced knowledge and critical perspective on specific areas of your choice within the subject area and provides you with the opportunity to create live art work manipulating your own creative relationship between ‘body’, visual technologies, critical-scenographies and live performance. The aim is to challenge the conventional definitions and boundaries of current understanding of what constitutes performance.

Drag Kings and Drag Queens analyses the relationships between performance, gender, sexualities and identity and studies the ways in which performance might be deployed in the service of specific political and cultural agendas. Through a consideration of the performativity of drag performance, the module will consider a variety of topics which may include, but are not limited to, drag performance, costume, lipsyncing and the use of humour. The module is also underpinned by wider theories and histories of sexuality, performativity, gay and lesbian theatre, trans-identities, drag, HIV/AIDS, and activism. Additionally, you will consider the ways in which performance intersects with other identity-forming discourses such as gender, ethnicity and class.

Autobiographical Performance explores and examines autobiographical performance and engages with experience linked by the fundamental theme of Identity.  You will investigate the ways in which some contemporary practitioners have exploited stories about themselves and made theatre out of the idea and nature of the individual self. The module also explores earlier interpretations of autobiographical performance and the ways in which we utilise various methodologies to create fresh and exciting approaches to performing identity.

Contemporary Popular Performance explores and examines the variety of contemporary forms of performance that speak to notions of ‘popular culture’. This might mean, for example, that they specifically address audiences from a broad range of class, gender and racial backgrounds, that they intentionally engage with settings and environments beyond the conventional places of performance, or that they use forms and tackle content that are seen as more democratic, accessible, everyday, oppositional, critical, or political. The aim is to analyse the meaning and significance of ‘popular performance’ in contemporary cultures, examine the history, development and current status of ‘popular performance’, enabling you to understand the ways in which it can speak to, but also challenge, the meaning of the idea of ‘popular entertainment’ today.

Dancing Anarchy analyses non-mainstream dance practice and examines its relationship with established and traditional forms. The module questions how dance might be deployed in the service of specific political, social and cultural agendas. Using a wide range of non-mainstream performance practices, you will analyse and create hybrid forms of dance. You will also develop dance-performance vocabulary in terms of appreciating and producing dramatically visual choreography.

Advanced Technical Theatre Skills equips you with the advanced skills, knowledge and understanding required to creatively exploit the theatrical possibilities of technical equipment in the areas of theatre lighting and sound. The module enables you to enhance your practical skills, working independently with equipment in a range of theatre production contexts. It also seeks to enhance your experience of the role of the theatre technician as a theatre artist realising performance creatively and equips you with an advanced understanding of safe working practices in the performing arts industry.