The NBA offers classes in dance history, dance and health (anatomy, theory and kinesiology) and music. In addition, the NBA study programme offers dance theory classes focusing on the knowledge and attitude required for the professional practice of ballet. In these theme-based classes attention is given to subjects that promote the integration of theory and practice. Themes include ‘Watching dance: what do we see, feel and think (kinaesthetic experiences)’; ‘The ballerina as a social construct’; ‘Dance and other arts’; ‘Dance criticism’; ‘Dance and age’. These classes are intended to help the dancer engage with the performance, the choreographer and the specific ballet that they are going to dance, and to prepare them for a broader professional field and for life after their career in dance. Particularly in the second year, practical classes are linked to theory classes, one example being the incorporation of Forsythe repertoire.

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