Admission Information:	All must pass a dance audition. Academic qualifications to university entry level expected (including a score of 6.5 on the IELTS where English is not the first language)
Drop Out Rate:	4%
Accommodation:	No School accommodation

Institution

Founded:	1966
Structural features:	Founding member of Conservatoire for Dance & Drama.
Site:	The Place, a large building with its own theatre off Euston Road
How to get there:	King's Cross and Euston tube and train stations; Russell Square/Warren Street tube; many buses.
Special features:	Part of The Place, an international centre for dance and home to the Robin Howard Dance Theatre, Richard Alston Dance Company, Centre for Advanced Training and Professional Development. Leading European centre for training professional dancers in contemporary dance and choreography; also runs recreational classes and courses.

Student services & facilities

Student advice & services:	Full-time body-conditioning tutor and part-time osteopath. Resident full-time student support officer & counsellor.
Amenities:	11 dance studios, music studio, body conditioning suite, the Robin Howard Dance Theatre for student workshop performances; bar, café, full disabled access.
Accommodation:	Student services officer gives advice on accommodation. Private halls very close, rents from £234 per week. Rent in local flat-shares from approx £100 pw.

Study opportunities & careers

Library & information services:

Extensive collection of dance, arts, psychology and related studies in addition to a general collection. CD-Rom collection. Information provision, £52 pa spent for each student (FTE). Separate IT service, access 8 hours/day. Ratio 1:15 workstations to students, 1 point with access to the library and internet. Induction to library and information services to new students; basic word-processing course.

Careers:

Personal contact service for jobs, career talks.

Money

Living expenses budget:	Minimum budget of £800 a month (excluding tuition fees) recommended by School.
Term-time work:	School allows term-time work for full-time students (90% believed to work). Some work available in bar, as ushers or in office admin.
Financial help:	Fee reductions of £1000 pa for all UK/EU students whose family income is up to £42.6k pa; scholarships of up to £4000 pa fee reduction may be awarded, based on audition. Also care-leaver’s bursary of £750 pa. For 2nd and 3rd year students only − competitive scholarship/endowment fund. Limited number of government Dance & Drama Awards (DADAs) for degree students and some others. School's own funds offer limited financial support in cases of extreme hardship (does not offer full scholarships for fees).
University tuition fees:	Home students pay £9000 pa for first degrees. International students pay at least £16,000 pa.

Courses

Academic features:

Core of the degree course is professional training, with at least 3 hours of technique classes a day.

Awarding body:

University of Kent

Main undergraduate awards:

Length of courses:

3 years

Main subjects offered:

Choreography
Dance

Student view

Living

Based at The Place in central London, which is also home to the Robin Howard Dance Theatre and resident professional company Richard Alston Dance Company. It has 10+ state-of-the-art dance studios, changing rooms, library, body-conditioning room, theatre, bar and café and more. Euston and King's Cross tube and rail stations only a few minutes' walk away and good bus services. No halls of residence but there are many local hostels and usually fairly easy to find flats. Rent gets cheaper out of central London but travel more expensive. Close, friendly atmosphere - international, multicultural and more women than men. School is small and environment is intimate and student centred. Helpful student support services and each student is allocated a tutorial group. School library open throughout college hours. SU small but active, providing social events and links between students and admin. Degree course consists of practical work with theoretical contexts of dance and is designed to train students as professional dance artists. All courses are full-time and timetables require attendance from 8.30am until at least 4.30pm most weekdays (until 6pm weekends). There are also evening rehearsals and performances at certain times of the year. Plenty of entertainment available in London with a wide range of activities and interests accommodated. Exchange programmes are available with various different dance centres around the world.

Summary

Housing: No college accommodation; advice on local housing available from student services office. Eats: Delicious, cheap, healthy, home-made food at café on premises; caters for vegetarians. Many local cafés, health food store and juice bar. Drink: Local pub, Mabel's, just across road; drink generally expensive in London. Sports: School body-conditioning room. Hardship funds: Helpful staff and access to information on sponsorship. Jobs: Some available in theatre as ushers, theatre bar and admin. Part-time work quite easy to find but can interfere with training. Best features: Being based at a major dance centre. And worst: Lots of hard work. Informal name: LCDS.

Past Students

Richard Alston (Artistic Director of The Place); Ian Spink (choreographer and director); Darshan Singh Bhuller (Phoenix); Jonzi D (choreographer and rap artist); Etta Murfitt (New Adventures); Henri Oguike (Henri Oguike Dance Company); Robert North, Anthony Van Laast, Kim Brandstrup, Arthur Pita (choreographers); most performing members of Richard Alston Dance Company.