Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) (RTO 4766 & CRICOS IPC 00279B)
COURSES:
CUA50113: Diploma in Dance (Elite Performance)
CUA60113: Advanced Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance)
Bachelor of Arts (Dance)
Bachelor of Arts (Dance) Honours [LINK Dance Company]
AUDITIONS:
WAAPA Open Day: Sunday 11th August
Melbourne: Monday 30th September
Adelaide: Tuesday 1st October
Canberra: Wednesday 2nd October
Sydney: Thursday 3rd October
Brisbane: Saturday 5th October
Perth: (Dip) Thursday 24th October & (BA) Friday 25th October
Darwin: TBC – check website from 1st July
Auditions for Honours and Masters (LINK) courses will be held in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne. Please refer to the WAAPA website for precise dates and locations.
DESCRIPTION:
WAAPA Dance programs have a strong focus on teaching and learning, they are studio practice and performance based. Our fulltime and sessional lecturers bring significant professional expertise to daily tuition. Three performance seasons per year give students the opportunity to work with national and international choreographers. Recent guests include Rafael Bonachela, Helda Seabra, Richard Cilli, Natalie Allen, Lauren Langlois, Sasha Janes, Jayne Smeulders, Nils Christe, Amaury Lebrun and James O’Hara. Student contact hours average between 35-40 hours per week. Semester-long exchange and short-term international tours allow students to benchmark their skills with international peers, encouraging them to expand their learning within different cultural contexts.
Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance): 1 Year full time. This nationally recognised qualification is the first year of our vocational dance program and leads into the Advanced Diploma of Dance. A performance-based course that provides intense technical and stylistic practical experience through class and performance, it is focused on technical training, studio practice and performance. Daily classes and performance rehearsals develop technical and creative skills in discipline areas of ballet, pointe work, pas de deux, repertoire and solos.
Advanced Diploma of Dance (Elite Performance): 1 Year full time. This nationally recognised qualification is the second year of our vocational dance program. The Advanced Diploma addresses the needs of the dancer of the future by building the skills required for lifelong sustainability in the dance profession. Taking a holistic approach, this course refines the dancer’s individuality, confidence and creativity. Advanced technical and creative skills are developed in discipline areas of ballet, pointe, pas de deux, repertoire, solos and performance. Associated areas of study include contemporary, choreography, aerial skills, dance history, music for dance, kinesiology and performance psychology.
Bachelor of Arts (Dance): 3 Years full time. The BA course has performance and classroom practice central to the program. Intensive and challenging, it caters for students who wish to lift their ballet or contemporary studies to a professional level. It encourages individuality encompassing broad career outcomes that include dance performance, choreography, education, research and arts administration. Areas of study include contemporary dance, ballet, performance, choreography, dance history, music, acting, yoga, aerial, tumbling, Feldenkrais Method, alignment and body conditioning. This course provides an insight into dance as an art form of social and educative importance. Students perform in three major performance seasons each year, with a range of Australian and international choreographers.
Bachelor of Arts (Dance) Honours: 1 Year full time. Entry by audition/interview on successful completion of a Bachelor of Arts (Dance) course or equivalent course with a minimum 70% course average. Honours at WAAPA is offered in two modes: Company Research and Individual Research. Company Research involves being a member of LINK Dance Company for a year. LINK is a graduate dance company, the only one of its kind in Australia. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between university studies and professional practice. Through LINK, dancers have the unique opportunity to gain professional experience, whilst also being able to further their research interests.
TEACHERS:
Nanette Hassall, Kim McCarthy, Andries Weidemann, Justin Rutzou, Michael Whaites, Sue Peacock, Diana de Vos, Danielle Hunt, Jayne Smeulders, David Mack, Kynan Hughes, Claudia Alessi, Brooke Leeder, Rachel Ogle, Natalie Allen.
“The teachers pushed me further than I believed I could go, they pushed me out of my comfort zone. WAAPA helped prepare me for my future as a professional dancer.” ⏤ Mia Thompson, 2013 Graduate (Queensland Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Sydney Dance Company)
“WAAPA gave me so many new skills with such a variety of teachers over the three years, as well as support to discover exactly who I was as an artist. WAAPA keeps you grounded and strong and ready to tackle the tricky performing arts world.” ⏤ Meg Parry, 2007 Graduate (West Australian Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal)
