Performance: Dance - BFA
Full-time format:
4 Year
Part-time format:
N/A
Requirements:
Grades-Plus
Grade range:
70-75%
Faculty:
The Creative School
Experiential learning:
Studio course(s) available
Is this degree for you?
Immerse yourself in an intense conservatory environment where the moving body is a vessel for creative expression and discovery. In Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)'s Performance: Dance degree program, rigorous dance training and public performance form the core foundation of your experience. You’ll sharpen your technique across diverse styles including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, West African, and street styles. Your studies will be supported and enhanced through work in partnering, improvisation, creation, anatomy, music, film, and history.
Collaborate with world-class guest artists and gain industry experience through an exclusive partnership with Fall for Dance North. With thorough studio training and career preparation, you'll be ready to excel as a performer, choreographer, and leader in the global arts landscape.
The following is a preview of first-year courses based on the available current academic Undergraduate Calendar for this program.
1st Semester
LIBERAL STUDIES:
One course from Table A - Lower Level Liberal Studies.
* PFD 100 has a Course Count of 2.00 and a GPA weight of 2.00.
2nd Semester
LIBERAL STUDIES:
One course from Table A - Lower Level Liberal Studies.
* PFD 101 has a Course Count of 2.00 and a GPA weight of 2.00.
Career possibilities
- Artistic director and curator
- Arts administrator and company manager
- Digital media creator
- Movement and rehearsal director
- Performer and choreographer
Employer possibilities
- Compagnie Marie Chouinard
- Côté Danse
- Disney Cruise Line
- Mirvish Productions
- ProArteDanza
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Location, applied
Study in the heart of the theatre, television and film production industry in Toronto, and benefit from industry collaborations, live productions and the chance to build your professional network.
Apply your studies
You’ll spend 75% of your class time in the studio or in rehearsals, building a broad movement literacy ranging from ballet, modern, contemporary and jazz to West African and street styles.
Explore the world and big ideas
Pursue an international exchange, travel intensives or the Global Campus Studio, an internationally-focused virtual course where you’ll collaborate with students from around the world.
This is a Grades-Plus program. Admission decisions for Grades-Plus programs are based on academic performance plus non-academic criteria such as interviews, auditions, essays and portfolios. Your ability to follow and adhere to the requirements is part of the assessment of your application.
Academic requirements for full-time, 4-year program
To be considered for admission, Ontario high school students must meet the following requirements:
- Completion of the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
- Completion of 6 Grade 12 U or M courses with a minimum overall average of 70%
- Completion of the following required Grade 12 U course with a minimum grade of 70%:
- English/anglais (ENG4U/EAE4U preferred)
An overall average of 70% is required for consideration. Due to competition, the average needed for admission can fluctuate each year (it depends on the number of applications received and the number of spaces available). The grade range at the top of this page represents the average required in previous years.
Academic admission requirements for all other applicants are available on the admission requirements page. If you haven’t been educated in Ontario, you may be considered with the equivalent of the Ontario requirements. TMU reserves the right to determine equivalency at its sole discretion.
Fall 2027 non-academic requirement due date:
February 1, 2027 or 10 business days from your application submission date, whichever comes later.
Applicants will attend an in-person audition or may submit all components of their non-academic requirements (including the audition) online when necessary.
Please note: The audition panel strongly encourages candidates to attend an in-person audition if possible. A digital submission can sometimes feel flat or 2-dimensional, which may not fully capture your artistic range, presence, and potential. In-person auditions run between 3 to 4 hours. This format allows our faculty to observe you across multiple dance forms and improvisational contexts, while providing valuable time for us to get to know you as an applicant.
In-person auditions will commence in January 2027. The Performance: Dance degree program will contact you via email with an invitation to sign up for an audition date after you have applied to the program.
Please ensure you have paid the $50 assessment fee online prior to attending your audition. This fee is in addition to your application fee. You won't be able to proceed with the audition if the fee is unpaid. Please refer to the assessment fee section below for instructions on how to pay.
Audition
Dress code for in-person auditions
Please wear tights, leotard/fitted T-shirt and ballet slippers for ballet. Form-fitting, comfortable clothing is required for jazz and modern/contemporary. If you have jazz shoes or indoor sneakers, please feel free to bring them. You may also be asked to work in bare feet and/or socks for modern/contemporary. Hair must be up and off your face.
Expectations for the in-person auditions
Be prepared for:
- 60-minute ballet class
- 40-minute jazz class
- 40-minute modern/contemporary class, including some improvisation
- Solo component
- Short, individual interviews with Dance faculty members
Solo component: You may be asked to perform a solo as part of the audition process. Please prepare a one-minute solo in the dance form of your choice. Faculty would prefer to see contemporary movement in the solo, if possible (no pointe work). Please ensure your music source is reliable.
Important notes
- All candidates must have some prior training in at least one of the following disciplines: ballet, modern, jazz or contemporary dance
- All candidates will audition in the presence of other candidates taking part in the session as well as the audition panel
- All candidates must commit 3-4 hours to the audition process
In order to submit an audition video, you're required to email audition@torontomu.ca first. The required item will then be added to your ChooseTMU Applicant Portal allowing you to submit. You must submit all components (including the audition) via the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal if selecting this option. Please refer to the submission instructions section below.
These requirements are due by February 1, 2027 or 10 business days from your application submission date, whichever comes later. We therefore ask that you send the above email well in advance of this date.
Audition
Please provide a YouTube or Vimeo link to your audition video in a .pdf document and upload this file following the submission instructions below. Make the link public or be sure to include the password in your .pdf file. Confirm that your link works and won't expire.
At the beginning of your video, state your name, where you are from, your age and height. Tell us why you're auditioning for TMU’s School of Performance: Dance program.
Part I - Ballet
Dress code: Tights, leotard/fitted T-shirt and ballet slippers, hair off your face
Required elements: Please refer to the table below.
| A) Barre work (15 minutes maximum) | B) Centre work (15 minutes maximum) * everything both sides |
|---|---|
|
|
Part II - Modern/contemporary/jazz sequences
Dress code: Form-fitting dance clothing. Hair must be up and off your face.
Required elements:
- Simple phrase showing torso articulation (e.g. side curve, forward curve, spirals, high release/lift)
- Short floor work phrase highlighting your flexibility and including rolls and level changes
- Short phrase highlighting your artistry and demonstrating the use of isolations, musicality and movement with rhythm and groove.
Part III - Choreographed solos
Please include 2 one-minute combinations or choreographed solos of contrasting styles in jazz, modern/contemporary and/or any other discipline of dance you have studied. The panel is looking for the following in your online audition.
- Alignment and posture
- Mobility and flexibility
- Clarity and articulation
- Coordination and agility
- Stability, balance and control
- Strength and power
- Projection and presentation
- Musicality and phrasing
- Artistry and performance quality
- Expression and performance quality
- Efficiency and freedom of movement
- Flow/fluidity/transition in movement
- Use of turnout
- Use of breath
- Rhythm
- Groundedness/earthiness
- Groove
- Nuance and sensitivity
- Use of dynamics
Showcase your technique, movement and performance qualities, artistry, passion and versatility.
Important notes
- All candidates must have some prior training in at least one of the following disciplines: ballet, modern, jazz or contemporary dance
- Applications won't be considered if incomplete or the video link provided doesn't work
Submit a recent photograph of yourself.
Please save your photograph as a .pdf file and upload it (refer to the submission instructions below).
Prepare a current resumé/curriculum vitae highlighting your dance training. Be sure to include the names and addresses of your dance schools and the names of your dance teachers.
Please save your resumé as a .pdf file and upload this file (refer to the submission instructions below).
Your 2 reference forms are a requirement for admission consideration. The 2 forms should be completed by dance instructors, either from your high school or your dance studios (refer to the submission instructions below).
Non-academic requirements must be submitted via the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal. Due to the volume of applications received and our system performance, we strongly encourage you to submit your documents well in advance of the noted deadlines.
Here’s how to access your ChooseTMU Applicant Portal account:
- Get your TMU Student Number in the email acknowledgement of your application
- Activate your TMU Online Identity. Fill in the Activation Form on the Accounts website. When asked for your Student/Applicant ID, enter your 9-digit TMU Student Number. Keep a record of your user name and password
- 24 hours after activating your TMU Online Identity, visit the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal
Complete the following steps to submit your Reference Forms:
- Input your references’ contact information via the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal. Please ensure that all reference information is inputted accurately. If you wish to amend your reference information (e.g. change reference, change email address) please complete and submit the (google form) Upload Help Form (external link) .
- Have your references complete the Reference Form. Your references will receive an email giving access to the Reference Form and instructions. If a reference has not received the email, please ask your reference to review their “trash” or “junk mail.” To request that the email be sent again, please complete and submit the (google form) Upload Help Form (external link) .
- Confirm that your references have completed the Reference Form. A Reference Form is complete once its status on the ChooseTMU Applicant Portal indicates “Received.” It is your responsibility to ensure each reference completes their Reference Form by the noted deadline.
The non-academic requirements assessment fee is $50 CAD and must be paid in order for your submission to be reviewed. Here’s how to pay:
-
Access your ChooseTMU Applicant Portal account (instructions to access the portal can be found below under Submission Instructions).
-
Click on the button to link to the eForms Centre.
-
Next, click on the eForms Center tile.
-
Then click on the Non-Academic Fee Form link.
If you're applying for readmission or reinstatement, you may not be required to submit non-academic requirements. You must inform Undergraduate Admissions of your intentions.
Contact the ServiceHub at 416-979-5036 and ask to speak with the admissions officer by February 1, 2027, or 10 business days from your application submission date (whichever comes later).
Tuition and fees range 2026-2027
For detailed fees info, visit tuition and fees by program and costs to expect.
Full-time format:
Ontario: $7,466 - $8,018
Out-of-province: $9,266 - $9,851
International: $38,733 - $39,209
Over $20M across all levels of study
We award more than $20M in awards, scholarships and bursaries throughout all years of study.
Find scholarships for you.
Explore financial assistance
Learn more about government financial aid programs like OSAP, out-of-province student loans and U.S. student loans.
Apply for financial assistance.
“Through the immersive experiences of the program and the opportunities to delve into different dance forms, I discovered new dimensions of creativity and expression that have sparked a passion within me.”
- Millina Fletcher, Performance Dance, Class of 2024
75%
Time spent in studio and rehearsals
Creativity is the catalyst for building the future — driving insights, inspiring learning and expanding what’s possible. At The Creative School at TMU, creativity is at the heart of every experience. With unique programs, global partnerships and practical experience in the heart of Toronto, you’ll evolve your craft. You’ll graduate ready for an impactful, fulfilling career.
The Creative School degree programs
Performance: Dance students take the stage with international choreographers for SPRINGWORKS
Third and fourth-year Performance: Dance students brought the stage to life during SPRINGWORKS, an annual showcase created in collaboration with Performance: Design and Production students across all years of study. This year, the show featured choreography by the National Ballet of Canada’s Choreographic Associate, Guillaume Côté and award-winning choreographer Esie Mensah, with lighting design by Arun Srinivasan.
Read more: Performance: Dance students take the stage with international choreographers for SPRINGWORKS
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh
Your next steps
Disclaimer:
While every effort is made to ensure accuracy on this site, in the event of a discrepancy, TMU's current Undergraduate Calendar is the official reference.