School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

Jump into choreography, performance, and teaching to become a community-minded dancer trained in modern, contemporary, and global forms. Grow outside the classroom with year-round performance opportunities, industry placements and collaborative research projects to become a dance leader and advocate of today and tomorrow. 

The AMPD Advantage: 

• First and most comprehensive dance program in Canada. 
• 35,000 square feet of sprung floor in sunlight studios. 
• Teacher training program option with Canada's National Ballet School. 

Program Overview 

Students in the Dance (BFA, BA) program take a common first year, then branch into one of two streams: (1) the Choreography/Performance stream; or (2) the Dance Education stream. 

Choreography/Performance Stream 

Studio work in contemporary/modern dance, with options in urban, contemporary/ballet and world dance forms, is the core of the Choreography/Performance stream. Students develop skills in movement observation, production, and performance. Understanding choreographic elements, principles, semantics and embodied storytelling informs AMPD Dance's blended curriculum. This stream is ideal for students eager to create and present original works in various performance spaces. 

Dance Education Stream 

This stream explores practical and theoretical aspects of teaching dance in various communities and settings, including innovative approaches and experience working with children, youth, adults in all stages of life, marginalized individuals, and people with disabilities. This stream is ideal for students entering the dance field as recreational, community-based, and private educators. 

For students interested in a teaching career, York University Faculty of Education offers a concurrent education program where students can earn their Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in conjunction with a Bachelor of Education (BEd). 

Teacher Training Program 

In addition to the Choreography/Performance and Dance Education stream, students can apply to the Teacher Training Program offered through Canada's National Ballet School. In this program, students will split five years of study between both intuitions, earning an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance from York University and a diploma from the National Ballet School.