Our Programme
Our programme is a full-time, accredited, educational and work placement programme in performing arts, hospitality, cultural tourism and business. Students receive 900 hours of accredited theoretical and practical training and are assessed through the internationally recognised external examination board Trinity College London and Rock Music School South Africa.
The Academy offers a dual focused programme of both performing arts and business. This is to equip students to build sustainable and prosperous careers in the arts, and teach entrepreneurial and business skills to encourage students to eventually become business owners in the sector.
Our performing arts curriculum consists of three main performing arts departments: Dance, Drama & Music, with students selecting a specific department as their major. Our programme also includes additional compulsory group courses: Musical Theatre, African Music studies, Business & Business in the Arts, Life skills and Film Production studies.
Our curriculum has also has been expanded to include training in traditional and digital marketing, social media, branding and promotions for artists as well as multi-media production and content creation. Our dual focused programme is geared towards the new digital economy, whereby artists need be adequately trained in basic business skills, basic digital solutions, marketing and entrepreneurship in order to navigate the industry of the future and to operate as “DIY’s. (Do-It-Yourself).
Student are also exposed to professional performance experience through an annual schedule of approximately 20 corporate events and professional shows.
Main Performing Arts
DRAMA
Our drama department provides in-depth theoretical, practical, technical and performance training for young aspiring actors wishing to become theatre, film and TV performers, writers and practitioners. The course is designed to develop all rounded and versatile performers and prepare them for the entertainment and creative industries.
Our drama course focusses on:
- History of Theatre
- Acting, Voice, Movement (Performance Art & Physical Theatre) & Improvisation studies
- Acting for Theatre, Film, Television, Advertisements, Radio
- Audition Technique for all platforms
- Scene & Monologue studies using a variety of published and self-written texts
- Devising and writing for Theatre & Film
- Theory and Practical based curriculum
DANCE
Our dance department offers a dynamic course that sharpens dance technique and prepares students for the entertainment industry. The course is practical and theory-based training, and focused on developing students to become all rounded dancers, that can perform in a variety of dance styles.
Our drama course focusses on:
- History of Dance
- Various Dance Styles such as: Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, African, Afro-fusion, Hip Hop & performance art
- Choreography studies
- Performance Technique
- Portfolio Work
- Theory and Practical based curriculum
MUSIC
Our music department offers practical and theoretical musical training, for young aspiring musicians. The course is focused on both vocal and instrumental training as well as musical composition and prepares them to create their own original music and to enter the entertainment industry with confidence.
Our drama course focusses on:
- History of Music
- Music Theory
- Vocal & Instrumental training
- Various styles of music
- Composition & Ensemble
- Theory & Practical based curriculum
Combined Compulsory Courses
Our Musical Theatre course is aimed at combining our three main departments (dance, drama and music) and training our students to become triple act performers. We also focus on creating our own original musicals each year, where students write, compose and perform their own musical pieces for examinations and public performance. Our musical theatre classes are both practical and theory based and has a professional events and performance element included, where students are prepared for professional level performances for private and corporate events and shows.
The course focusses on:
- History of Musical Theatre
- Study of a variety of musical theatre genres and styles
- Writing, choreographing and composing of musical theatre songs and scripts
- Performance technique
- Dance, drama and music training as combined classes
- Theory and practical based curriculum
Our African Music course is focused on the study of cultural diversity that combines all African traditions and cultures. Students will have the opportunity to explore all indigenous instruments and music both through practical and theory based curriculum.
The course focusses on:
- History of Musical Theatre
- Study of a variety of musical theatre genres and styles
- Writing, choreographing and composing of musical theatre songs and scripts
Performance technique - Dance, drama and music training as combined classes
- Theory and practical based curriculum
Learning how to tell stories through the lens. This course is shaped to empower our students to enter the film industry as an informed, confident, self-propagating individual.
Our students are given the opportunity to practice their skills through practical project-based activities.
They are exposed to industry professionals of various levels of experience, knowledge, expertise and most importantly of similar backgrounds so they can be inspired.
The course includes:
- History of Film
- Set etiquette
- Basic Camera & Lighting work
- Script Writing
- Editing & Producing
- Creation of original short films using phones and professional equipment, which gets showcased at public viewing & submitted for short film festivals
Our business and business in the arts course, is a combination of skills-based workshops and curriculum classes taught by various invited guest lectures and industry professionals. The course is designed to teach our students how to become business-oriented thinkers and doers and to develop themselves either into their own sustainable product/ business as performers or how to open up their own future business within a variety of industries.
Focus areas include:
- Basic business foundations and starting your own business
- Understanding our creative industry
- Budgets, contracts, copyrights, marketing & PR
- Funding proposals for productions and business plans
- Producing your own work for Theatre and Film
- Writing a business proposal and pitch
- Strategic business planning
- Job opportunities