Top Colleges offering Dance Courses: Admission Process, Eligibility Criteria & Fees

If you are passionate about making a successful career in dance or choreography, it is better to dedicate your time to pursuing a dance or choreography course. Dance has different genres, be it classical, swing, hip-hop to contemporary, dance enthusiasts must practise as much as possible by taking a course. There are various colleges and universities in India that offer dance courses for passionate dancers. Read this Shiksha article to learn about top dance colleges in India, the necessary skills for dancers, and more.

If you are devoted to dancing and making choreographies it is better to follow your heart and passion and pursue a course in dance or choreography instead of wasting your time in a field where you do not belong. Dance art form is not limited to one genre, be it classical, swing, hip-hop to contemporary, one can find their genre and find courses that can help them enhance their skill and help them pursue what they truly want to do. In India, various prestigious institutes and colleges offer dance enthusiasts to get admission to pursue their dance careers. Dance comes under Art and therefore, it falls under the category of Performing Arts.

A Bachelor of Performing Arts aim at three significant factors– Music, Dance and Drama (Theatre). The dance and choreography course helps learners hone their dancing skills, excel in the genre, and gain theoretical knowledge about what they love to do. Pursuing a dance course can help students transform into professional dancers.

To pursue a dance course, it is better to first research and then join a dance or choreography course of your choice. Begin by specifying colleges that offer their preferred dance courses, be it classical or Western dance courses. To specify the college/university/institute, one must learn about the admission process, the eligibility criteria, the fees and the seats offered. Shiksha lists the top colleges in India offering dance courses.

Also Read: Modern Dance

Skills required to be a Dance Choreographer

Candidates interested in pursuing dance courses must have a special inclination towards dancing. Candidates must be creative and capable to innovate new style and movements for dancing. Candidates need to check the list of skills required to be a Dancer or Choreographer in the form of a table:

Also Read: Ballroom Dance

Top Dance Colleges in India

Rabindra Bharati University

In the list of top dance colleges in India, the Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) is widely known for their artistic courses. The university offers admission in Dance, Drama, Vocal Music and Instrumental Music. Offering a variety of courses, the Department of Dance offers students admission in undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses. Every year the department produces dance performances, dance dramas, particularly to Tagore’s dance dramas. The structure of the courses is as follows:

Course	Duration	Eligibility Criteria
BA (Hons) in Dance	3-Years	The candidate should have done their class 12 or its equivalent with special aptitude dance.
MA in Dance	2-Years	The candidate should have done their graduation (BA) in Dance or any other subject with special aptitude in Dance from a recognised university.
PhD	2-5 Years	The candidate should have done their MA in the concerned or allied subject from a UGC recognised college with at least 55% marks.

Admission Process: The candidate will first have to apply online on the official website of the university and based on the application sent in, candidates will be invited for an interview or audition. Judged on the performances, candidates will be granted admission in the university. Candidates will have to pay the fees before the last date to book their seat.

Banaras Hindu University

The Faculty of Performing Arts under the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) offers students admission in performing arts and has a vision of projecting learning in the form of Kala (Music, Dance, Fine Arts). The Faculty of Performing Arts is initially known as ‘Sri Kala Sangeet Bharati’. Students who are interested in taking up classical dance courses in Kathak and Bharatnatyam, BHU offers students admission in the following courses:

Course	Duration	Fees (In Rs)
Bachelor’s in Kathak	3-Years	3,420 (Per Semester)
Bachelor’s in Bharatnatyam	3-Years	3,420 (Per Semester)
Master’s in Music (Dance)	2-Years	4,160 (Per Semester)

Eligibility Criteria: The candidate should have done their class 12 from a recognised board and should have secured a minimum of 50% in their class 12.

Admission Process: The candidates will first have to apply online on the official website of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and then appear for the BHU Undergraduate Entrance Test (UET). Candidates who clear the BHU UET will have to appear for an interview or audition. Students who clear the two rounds are offered admission in the university.

For more information on BHU UET, candidates can go through the following links as mentioned below:

BHU UET Important Dates	BHU UET Application Form	BHU UET Admit Card
BHU UET Exam Pattern	BHU UET Syllabus	BHU UET Question Papers
BHU UET Results	BHU UET Counselling	BHU UET Analysis

Actor Prepares

Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares is one of the renowned institutes in the nation for upcoming actors and theatre artists. However, the Actors Prepares Institute offers candidates a special programme in Bollywood Dancing. In this programme, students learn the ways and methods of dancing Bollywood style, which children, teenagers and adults have been admiring since the inception of movies in India. Students can go on to become professional dancers or become choreographers and teach actors and dancers in the industry.

Eligibility Criteria: The candidate does not need to have prior experience. Student needs to be above 18 years age and needs to give an audition.

Admission Process: The candidate needs to apply on the official website of the institute as admission is done on a first come first serve basis. The payment of fees needs to be done once the application form is submitted. The fees are non-refundable under any circumstance.

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Another university to make the list of top dance colleges in India is The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU) of Baroda. The varsity is highly renowned for the academics in arts and offer students various programmes in the field of performing arts. The Department of Performing Arts under MSU attracts many students for the diverse programmes offered and also attracts students from foreign countries. The goal of the department is to train students to develop their creative and intuitive abilities whereby understanding the art and science of performing arts and its aesthetics applications. The faculty organizes various lectures by inviting professionals and experts in Dance, Music and Rama. The course structures are as follows:

Course	Duration	Fees
Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA) in Dance (Bharatnatyam/Kathak)	3-Years	9,060 (Per Year)
Diploma in Performing Arts (Bharatnatyam/Kathak)	4-Years (Part-time course)	500 – Boys 420 – Girls
Master of Performing Arts (MPA) in Dance (Bharatnatyam/Kathak)	2-Years	9,720 (Per Year)

Eligibility Criteria: The candidate needs to meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for admission

UG Course and Diploma: The candidate needs to have done their class 12 from a recognised board and should have secured a minimum of 50% in their boards.

PG Course: The candidate should have done their BPA/BA in similar subjects (major or minor) and should have secured a minimum of 55% in their graduation which should be from a recognised university.

Admission Process: The candidate needs to apply online and will have to appear for an entrance test. Candidates who clear the entrance test will be called for an audition at the university and will be judged by the department members. A merit list will be released and candidates who make the list will be invited for admission in the university.

Delhi Dance Academy

If you want to pursue a course in western dance genres, the Delhi Dance Academy offers students professional and diploma courses in genres such as Jazz, Contemporary, Salsa, Hip-Hop, B-Boying, Break Dance. There are online classes which are offered by the Delhi Dance Academy. There are trained professionals who teach people on how to perfect the art, step up the music and feel the beat on every step made. There are professional dance courses which are as follows:

Course	Duration	Fees (In Rs)
Carbon +	9 Months	1,35,000
Diploma in Dance	12 Months	1,95,000

Eligibility Criteria: The candidate must have basic dancing skills and should have passed class 12 and should know how to read, write and communicate in English. The candidate should have a basic dancing level in any dance form.

Admission Process: The candidate needs to apply online on the official website of the academy. From there the candidate will have to appear for an audition. On clearing the audition, the candidate will be granted admission in the programme interested in.

Job and Career Scope in Dance Choreography

Aspirants who have pursued the Dance course can get multiple job opportunities after completion of the course. Candidates can join film studios, theatre groups, classical dance training centres, and educational institutes etc. Candidates can also start working as a freelancer after few years by setting up their dance academy.

Candidates can check the table below to know about the average income of the choreographers:

Read More:

• Bharatanatyam: Revival and colleges offering admission in Bharatanatyam courses
• Want to pursue a Course in Music? Check out the Top Music Colleges in India
• Importance of Music and Music as a Career Opportunity