Dance updates

The new DP dance course will be launched in February 2027 for first teaching in August 2027. First assessment will take place in May 2029.

Below you will find an overview of the course updates. For a technical breakdown of the DP curriculum and assessment methods for this course, read the dance subject brief.

You also can view information on the current dance course.

To view all subject briefs, visit the DP curriculum page.

Overview of the new course

The new dance curriculum offers a diverse, practical course through which students grow as independent dancers and artists. The new course allows students to

• deepen their understanding of dance as an art form through both academic and practice-based inquiry
• strengthen their personal practice and creative voice through engagement in the artistic processes of dance making
• express and communicate their artistic intent creatively through dance across diverse formats and audiences
• assess the depth of their creative process and the effectiveness of their dance work and artistic outcomes.

The course focuses on learning and teaching dance skills through continuous engagement and application, preparing students to adapt and flourish in various dance contexts. Its components are deeply rooted in artistic inquiry and dance-making processes. They also reflect creative practices from global contexts, offering progressive development of diverse skills and competences towards authentic dance-making.

Designed for dancers at all levels aspiring to deepen their artistry and versatility, this curriculum uniquely blends diverse practices and creative engagement to support lifelong engagement with the art form.

Course content changes

The new course responds directly to the evolving landscape of dance education by prioritizing inclusive, student-centered learning through authentic dance-making processes. It aligns with contemporary pedagogical standards that emphasize continuous skills development, artistic exploration and embodied understanding of diverse global dance practices.

The curriculum integrates academic and practice-based inquiry, emphasizing the artistic process over technical training. Its flexible structure allows students from diverse backgrounds to engage with dance based on their unique artistic identity.

Students are encouraged to broaden their artistic horizon and nurture their individual creative voice. The course progressively guides students to broaden and deepen their artistic experiences by experimenting with ideas that develop their work toward expressing and communicating an artistic intent.

Higher level (HL) students further develop their own dance projects reflecting real-world practices in the art form.

Additionally, enhanced assessment methods better capture creative and practical outcomes, ensuring students are prepared for the dynamic demands of today’s dance world.

The following table summarizes the focus of each course component.

Investigating dance Students explore and investigate diverse dance forms that are unfamiliar to them, through academic and practice-based inquiry.

Experimenting with dance Students engage in multiple processes of ongoing creative experimentation with movement concepts. They build their movement vocabularies and creative movement skills.

Presenting dance Students develop, organize and structure movement to create and perform original dance works for an audience.

Dance project (HL only) HL students develop a self-directed dance project. They follow a creative process through a combination of choreographic choices and production and design elements.

Changes to the assessment model

The new course has been redesigned with updated assessment components that align with the new course framework. The assessments are distinct from, and not directly comparable to, those of the previous course.

The following table provides an overview of the dance assessments in the new course.

Assessment component	External/ Internal	Weighting at SL	Weighting at HL
Investigating dance (45 hours) Students choose one dance form to report on. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of this dance form through the critical and practical exploration of movement characteristics of the dance form.	External	30%	20%
Experimenting with dance (45 hours) Students select three iterative experiments from one creative process to demonstrate, justify and explain their creative choices and decision-making.	External	30%	20%
Presenting dance (60 hours) Students present two dances. One dance is a solo or duet that is co-developed with the teacher and embodied by the student. The other dance is choreographed by the student for a solo or small group on others.	Internal	40%	25%
Dance project (HL only) (90 hours) Students develop a self-directed dance project and demonstrate how they realized their artistic intent through planning the work, devising and implementing their creative processes, managing collaborations and making creative decisions. The final product of the project will be performed and presented to an audience and submitted in video format.	External	n/a	35%