Dance & Choreography Courses in India

Last Updated on July 30, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Hi readers! Do you want to become a choreographer? Do you want to build a rewarding career in dance and choreography sector? If yes, this post will be of help to you. Here, I’ve listed down some of the best dance and choreography courses available in India.

Are you passionate about performing arts and dance? Are you interested in building an offbeat career? If yes, this post will be of help to you!

 

It is not uncommon to see students and youngsters go for tried and tested lines such as – commerce, engineering, BA, medicine, pharmacy, architecture etc. Only a handful of them decide to pursue and build a career in offbeat areas such as choreography.

 

If you are passionate about dance and performing arts, it makes sense to pursue a career in this sector. And choreography is a rewarding profession. Skilled choreographers are in huge demand these days. They have access to different avenues, which helps them obtain money, fame and success!

 

In order to become a dancer/choreographer, you must possess dancing skills. In order to thrive in this profession, one must possess the following qualities – confidence, skills (dancing), connections and experience.

 

Selecting the right career is an important task. It must be well rewarding (financially and job satisfaction-wise). The greatest advantage of having your career built around your passion is that you will never get bored of work! Instead of that, work will be fun for you! In the long run, it will give you immense mental satisfaction.

 

Before heading to the meat of the matter – list of dance and choreography courses in India – let us check out what this domain is all about? Here is everything you need to know about dance and choreography –

 

Dance and choreography: Basic details

In simple terms, dance is a performing arts form. It consists of sequences of human movement. This movement holds aesthetic and symbolic value.

 

Dance can be classified into different types on the basis of factors such as – choreography, movements, place of origin, culture it belongs to, historical period when it originated etc.

 

What is choreography all about, you may ask. Choreography deals with the design and sequencing of dancing movements within a dance. Choreography gives shape and life to a dance performance.

 

Different types of professions are associated with dancing. Some of the notable professions include – professional dancers, choreographers, dance instructors/teachers etc.

 

Let us check out the different types of dance and choreography courses now. Here is everything you need to know –

 

Different types of dance and choreography courses in India

Dance and choreography training programs are usually offered under arts and humanities stream. BA is the most popular course format when it comes to dance training.

 

A typical dance training program will train students in areas such as – dance practice, choreography, kinesiology, dance notation, dance therapy, movements, performance etc.

 

In India, dance and choreography training programs can be classified into different types on the basis of different factors. Some such notable factors include – academic level and format of the course.

 

Based on the academic level, these courses can be classified into the following types – UG, PG and Doctoral Degree. UG stands for undergraduate level. PG stands for postgraduate level.

 

Based on the format of the course, these course can be classified into the following types – informal training programs, certification programs, Diploma programs, Bachelor’s Degree programs, Master’s Degree programs and PhD programs.

 

Let us check out the list of dance and choreography courses now. Here it is –

 

List of dance and choreography courses in India

Here’s the list of popular dance and choreography training programs available in India –

 

1 Informal training programs

Technically, there’s no need to possess an academic degree to become a dancer or choreographer! With the right set of skills, training and talent, anyone can become a dancer or choreographer.

 

Many small dance training institutes and individuals are known to offer informal dance training programs. They will train you in areas such as – dance movements, dance practice, methods, specific type of dance (modern, classical India, western etc).

 

Course duration could be anywhere between 1-6 months. Anyone is eligible to enroll for such dance training program.

 

2 Certificate training programs

On completing this dance training program, successful candidates will obtain a certificate of completion from relevant body/authority. This certificate can later be used during job hunting process.

 

Certificate program’s duration could be anywhere between 3-6 months. It may vary from one institute to another.

 

3 Diploma courses

After completing this training program, successful candidates will obtain a Diploma certificate on course completion. The training period could last for a period of 6-12 months.

 

4 BA courses

BA stands for Bachelor of Arts. It is a Bachelor’s Degree course. The academic program is 3 years long. Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. Some of the notable BA dance and choreography courses are –

• BA in Arts and Dance
• BA in Dance
• BA (Specific Dance form)

 

5 BPA courses

BPA stands for Bachelor of Performing Arts. This course deals with performing art forms such as dance! The academic program is 3 years long. Students who have passed 12th standard are eligible to pursue this course. Some of the notable BPA dance and choreography courses are –

• BPA in Dance and Arts
• BPA in Specific form of dance (example – Kathak)

 

6 MA courses

MA stands for Master of Arts. It is a Master’s Degree course. MA course belongs to PG level. PG stands for postgraduate level. The course is 2 years long.

 

7 MPA courses

MPA stands for Master of Performing Arts. It is a Master’s Degree course. MA course belongs to PG level. PG stands for postgraduate level. The course is 2 years long.

 

Eligibility criteria

• Informal training programs: None
• Certification programs: None
• Diploma programs: None
• Bachelor’s Degree programs: Completed 12th standard
• Master’s Degree programs: Completed relevant Bachelor’s Degree course

 

Duration

• Informal training programs: 1 to 3 months
• Certification programs: 3 to 6 months
• Diploma programs: 6 to 12 months
• Bachelor’s Degree programs: 3 years
• Master’s Degree programs: 2 years

 

Colleges

Savitribai Phule Pune University

• Kerala University
• MGU
• Gujarat University
• Saurashtra University
• VNSGU
• HNGU
• MSU
• University of Mysore
• Sangeet Natak Academy
• BHU
• Andhra University
• Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography

 

Fees

• Informal training programs: 5-20K INR
• Certification programs: 10-25K INR
• Diploma programs: 20-50K INR
• Bachelor’s Degree programs: 5-50K INR per year
• Master’s Degree programs: 5-60K INR per year

 

Admission process

Admission Process may vary from one institute to another. Some institutes are known to conduct merit based admission process. Some other institutes are known to conduct direct admission process. When it comes to merit based admission process, relevant entrance exams are conducted to facilitate the admission process.

 

Career prospects

Trained dancers and choreographers are in huge demand these days. They have access to different types of job opportunities. They may don the following job roles – professional dancer, choreographer, dance instructor/trainer etc.

 

You may also check –

Aviation courses

Travel and tourism courses

Journalism courses

Photography courses

B.Sc. Filmmaking course

Culinary Arts courses

 

Dancers and choreographers may find work at places such as – artist management firms, TV production firms, film production firms, dance groups, dance schools etc. They may even work as an independent choreographer or professional dancer. Apart from that, they may even start their own dance school or training center.