Dance studies at University move into second year

It started with a group of students brimming with a sense of expectation and no doubt a measure of apprehension. Today these students are ready to enter their second year of a three-year Bachelor (Honours) in Dance Studies course at the University.

They are the first home-grown group of this kind. Suitably equipped academically, they immediately took to this course, which offers a wealth of theoretical skills that complements and is complemented by a cache of practical skills and sensibilities for which the students had been previously well-primed at the various dance schools on the island.

The first year consisted of 140 mornings of practical workshops, learning to master a range of dance styles, investigating the relationship between the body, choreography and technology, getting acquainting with the basic tools and structures of dance composition. These were followed by as many afternoons spent going through the history of dance and its role in society, undertaking, for the first time, in-depth studies in the language of dance analysis.

The students were assigned a variety of tasks including choreographical projects, student-led work, essays, and live presentations. Their tutors, some of whom are active performers, hail from a number of specialised dance backgrounds. Most enjoy international repute and offer the students not just the benefit of their knowledge but also a network of contacts outside Malta.

The journey of these students is just one year old and already they are a group of beautifully-toned and articulate young people who have just started to pierce through to the mysterious world of dance.

This year the University is ready to welcome another group. All relevant information can be found at www.um.edu.mt/medinst. Any enquiries can be addressed to dance.medinst@um.edu.mt.