The Barbados Community College’s Associate Degree in Applied Arts – Dance is a two-year programme that seeks to prepare trained dancers for the Barbadian dance community and entertainment industry. Students explore a variety of dance idioms and develop skills in Classical Ballet, Modern and Caribbean Dance Forms.  

Skills sets and occupations in dance, choreography and dance instruction are among those required to fuel the national development of Barbados projected through the cultural industries sector.  The dance programme at the Barbados Community College,   as is the case with the other performing and fine arts programmes, supports identified national development objectives. The College provides the education and training needed to prepare Barbados’ cultural professionals to perform competitively on the national, regional and global cultural stage.

The programme is based on the principle that the education of dancers requires a combination of general knowledge and technical proficiency.  Students in this programme may come directly from secondary school or from other fields of endeavour.  All applicants must demonstrate the proficiency levels established for entry to the programme.

Graduation Requirements

Students are required to complete all programme requirements and obtain a GPA of not less than 2.0 in order to be eligible for graduation.

Audition Requirements

All prospective students to the Associate Degree in dance program are required to attend an audition and interview as a part of the application process.

Applicants will be asked to demonstrate competence in dance technique skills, to be reviewed during interview and audition. Applicants must be prepared to dance a solo piece of approximately 1½ mins.

Dress Code

WOMEN must wear black leotards and tights or Jazz pants, MEN must wear form-fitted black tops or vests and black sweat/track pants, Jazz pants or tights.

The two-year full time programme is designed to:

1. Expose students to the various styles of dance
2. Provide a sound technical background in dance
3. Encourage active participation in studio training
4. Expose students to exemplary dance teachers and practitioners
5. Promote an appreciation of the cultural heritage of the Caribbean
6. Sharpen the student’s capacity for critical thinking and aesthetic interpretation
7. Train students as performers and choreographers
8. Train students for participation in Performing/Dance ensembles
9. Promote the students’ ability to communicate effectively in oral, written and non-verbal forms
10. Promote and encourage personal and creative expression as well as an understanding of the elements involved in the creative process
11. Prepare students to pursue further studies

• Four (4) CXC subjects including English at General Proficiency Level, Grades I, II or III (Grade III from 1998 onward), or any qualification considered by the College to be equivalent.
• Applicants must attend an information session at Barbados Community College at a designated time and satisfy interview and audition requirements. A minimum level of proficiency equivalent to CXC Grade III is required. Students with intermediate or advanced dance skills will have better chances of selection for the programme.

The Associate Degree in Dance can lead to a broad range of careers. These include:

Performance, choreography, design (lighting, costumes, stage), notation and movement analysis, dance reconstruction, teaching, technical work, dance management, dance history, research, criticism, dance therapy, dance music and accompaniment and kinesiology.

The programme consists of 26 courses for a total of 81 credits.  In addition to the programme specialization courses, students must take the four General Education core courses for a total of twelve credits, and two electives as stipulated by the Student Handbook.