Uni to axe dance course in performing arts shake-up
By Liz Hobday
The only university in Queensland to offer a degree in dance should axe its course, a review has found.
The Queensland University of Technology has released a broad-ranging review of its performing arts courses, after pausing its undergraduate dance intake in 2024.
The review, which was conducted by a four-person panel with consultation held over the summer break, has found the dance major within QUT’s Creative Arts degree should be discontinued due to low student demand.
QUT’s Kelvin Grove campus.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt
“Given the low numbers in dance, a different approach is required immediately,” it said.
A course focused on dance teaching, described as a “very attractive niche” for graduates, should be offered with or through the School of Education instead, the review found.
It also called for a shake-up of QUT’s acting training, with a recommendation it should focus on screen and digital performance, and offer limited live acting development.
“Even with the philanthropic support that it receives, acting is still not viable in the current financial environment,” it stated.
More generally, the review found a disconnect between the university and industry across the disciplines of acting, dance and drama.
The findings are expected to affect course offerings from 2026.
Dance has been taught at a $60 million facility at QUT’s Kelvin Grove Campus, which has specialised dance and concert halls and recording studios. A specialist course devoted to dance performance was already cut in 2021.
Queensland is home to some of the nation’s leading companies, such as Dancenorth in Townsville, The Farm on the Gold Coast, Queensland Ballet and the Australasian Dance Collective in Brisbane, as well as dozens of First Nations dance companies.
It’s understood almost 100 submissions to the review were received from across Australia’s dance industry.
University degrees, with fees paid through long-term government loans, are by far the most accessible training option for students wanting to study performance.
AAP