Dance

We prepare you for the demands and challenges of a professional career in dance. We work with highly motivated, disciplined and creative people who are interested in shaping the future of dance.

Study Dance at VCA

Our program emphasises artistry, performance, choreographic practice and research within an inclusive environment for achieving excellence. We place curiosity, making, cultural awareness and creative questioning at the heart of our curriculum.

As an undergraduate student you will learn to dance in any direction. Training in an intensive, collaborative, studio-lab environment in key areas of contemporary dance, physical theatre, ballet, choreography and performance, you will acquire skills in physical thinking complimented by body conditioning, dance philosophy, interdisciplinary practice and dance science.

Performance excellence is the nerve centre of the degree. Students engage in studio classes, masterclasses with visiting artists, workshops and interdisciplinary projects culminating in  a capstone graduation show directed by renowned choreographers. Breadth subjects at each year level enable you to explore cross disciplinary studies from the wider University community, such as Indigenous Arts and Culture, accessing knowledge and skills that will build on existing knowledge or present opportunities for you to investigate and develop new interests.

Future pathways

Upon completion of the course, you may choose to apply for our Master of Dance or a fourth-year Honours degree. An honours year provides an intensive mode of study allowing you to master your specialisation and create a pathway into advanced graduate study options in dance.

VCA Dance students are part of the vibrant Melbourne dance scene and benefit from the proximity of local choreographers, companies and organisations including Anouk Van Dijk (Countertechnique), Stephanie Lake Company, Lucy Guerin Inc (WXYZ Studios), Chunky Move, Cypher Culture, Temperance Hall and Dancehouse.

First Nations Mentoring and Ann Kantor Fellowships

The aim of the First Nations Mentoring and Ann Kantor Fellowships ensure that when First Nations dancers from across the country choose to study at Melbourne, there is a culturally safe space for them to grow.

For further information contact VCA Dance Lecturer (Indigenous) Rheannan Port port.r@unimelb.edu.au

Dance courses

A huddle of hands, their nails are painted and there is blood on their hands.

2024 Graduating Season

Take a look at the exciting performances of our graduating Dance students.

View now

Our people

One of my favourite things is when the Dance students are introduced to Interactive Composition students to create art together in Choreography class. They push the boundaries of how dance and sound cohabit the space, they gain insights into each other’s disciplines and participate in lively discussion about their artform. Ultimately, lasting collaborative relationships are formed.

Anna Smith
Lecturer in Dance

Want to know more?

Get information on the courses you’re interested in, or ask our team a question.

Make an enquiry

News

Sydney Dance Company’s momenta – a breathtaking study in perpetual motion

9 October 2024
Artistic director Rafael Bonachela’s latest work for the Sydney Dance Company, momenta, had its Melbourne premiere on 8 October at the Playhouse Theatre in the Arts Centre....

Riverdance at 30: How Riverdance shaped Irish dance, and reflected a multicultural Australia

30 May 2024
Ireland won the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, but their victory was overshadowed by the seven-minute interval “filler” that received a standing ovation.The combine...

Four productions showcase student work across Acting, Dance, Music Theatre and Design and Production programs

29 May 2024
Students from the Victorian College of the Arts’ Acting, Dance, Music Theatre and Design and Production programs will this week launch the first of four productions as p...

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VCA events

  • Displaced | Australian Saxophone Quartet

    Friday 25 July 2025 7:30pm - 9:00pm
    The Australian Saxophone Quartet (ASxQ) presents Displaced (2025), a major new work for saxophone quartet by Professor Elliott Gyger, exploring themes of individual and collective identity in a globalised world. The program also features works by Australian composers Tim Dargaville, Chris William...
  • Master of Music (Orchestral Performance) Showcase Concert

    Wednesday 30 July 2025 7:30pm - 9:00pm
    Join our Master of Music (Orchestral Performance) students for their annual showcase concert. You will hear the entire cohort perform alongside elite musicians from our city’s professional orchestras in performances of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals. The ...
  • Guitar Festival 2025: Kanahi Yamashita

    Saturday 9 August 2025 7:30pm - 9:30pm
    This event is presented as part of the 2025 Guitar Festival at the Conservatorium A concert featuring international guitarist Kanahi Yamashita.   Kanahi Yamashita is supported by Altamira Guitars. More upcoming Faculty of Fine Arts and Music events
  • The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony Concert

    Sunday 17 August 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm
    Join The University of Melbourne’s Wind Symphony for their third concert of 2025. The ensemble’s energetic program kicks off with the Paul Hindemith’s Symphony in B-flat. The concert also features two Australian composer premieres and horn soloist, Carla Blackwood. The evening will conclude w...
  • Morning Melodies: Victorian College of the Arts Music Theatre

    Monday 18 August 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm
    Join the graduating students from the Victorian College of the Arts - Australia’s (VCA) brightest emerging stars—as they celebrate the beloved music of The Golden Age of Musical Theatre. This eagerly awaited performance promises a captivating mix of intimate solos, spirited duets, and dynamic...
  • Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra and The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony

    Thursday 21 August 2025 7:30pm - 9:00pm
    The Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra joins forces with The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony to present a program of epic contemporary works for wind, brass and percussion, including the world premiere of Symphony No. 4 for Winds by Paul Dean. Program: Daugherty – Lost Vegas ...
  • The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony

    Saturday 23 August 2025 7:30pm - 9:30pm
    Join The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony for their first concert in Verbrugghen Hall! The energetic program kicks off with the Hindemith Symphony in B-flat. The concert will also feature two Australian composer premieres and horn soloist, Carla Blackwood. The evening will conclude with Kevi...
  • A Book of Hours

    Wednesday 3 September 2025 7:30pm - 8:30pm
    A Book of Hours A Book of Hours is a revelatory new multi-disciplinary work, combining a world of projected movement and a dynamic live musical score. Created by composer Kate Neal, filmmaker Sal Cooper, choreographer Gerard Van Dyck and performed by new music ensemble Rubiks Collective, A Bo...
  • Directing, writing and dramaturgy for the contemporary theatre: A conversation

    Monday 22 September 2025 6:00pm - 8:00pm
    Directing, writing and dramaturgy are integral to VCA Theatre: As an institution, how do we foster contemporary practice and new ideas within the local and international theatre ecology? This event is a panel discussion featuring VCA Theatre’s Chris Mead, Kat Henry, Sarah Woodland and Raimond...
  • Conversations in Music

    Tuesday 23 September 2025 7:30pm - 9:00pm
    Join pianist Andrea Lam for a program that spans over 300 years of music, from Bach to now. This concert celebrates the release of her new solo album Piano Diary (ABC Classics) and features Conservatorium staff - Bachram by Melody Eötvös and collaborative performances with Sophie Rowell (violin) ...
  • Piano Festival 2025: An evening song and dance

    Saturday 11 October 2025 7:30pm - 9:00pm
    This event is presented as part of the 2025 Piano Festival at the Conservatorium. Conservatorium Keyboard Area staff join together to perform solo and duo repertoire that was inspired by – or emulates the spirit of – both song and dance. The concert will showcase our internationally recognise...
  • Gender Defying Jazz 2025

    2 November 2025 - 7 December 2025
    Gender Defying Jazz (GDJ) is a program run by Andrea Keller, Head of Jazz & Improvisation at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne. Beginning in 2017 and originally called Girls Do Jazz, the name of the program has been changed to Gender Defying Jazz, to more truly re...