Performing Arts
Performing Arts
Industry professionals
Throughout your course you'll take part in masterclasses and workshops with industry professionals, work on industry briefs with arts production companies, or get hands-on practical experience at COLL!DE, one of Britain's most vibrant and innovative annual student-led dance festivals.
Your tutors and lecturers will encourage you to be daring. You'll be taught in hi-tech studios and specialist performance spaces by professional practitioners with established reputations in dance, music, performance, and applied practices.
Undergraduate courses
Postgraduate courses
About us
Thanks to our reputation, you'll have numerous opportunities throughout your course to work with acclaimed professional artists, such as renowned choreographers Kenrick Sandy (Boy Blue) and Hofesh Shechter, as well as top companies like the Half Moon Theatre Company, the Hackney Empire and the London International Festival of Theatre.
This may also include working with organisations such as Theatre Royal East or the National Youth Theatre, or spreading your wings with performances at lively east London venues in Shoreditch and Brick Lane.
Why choose us?
You'll develop the techniques and knowledge to equip you for professional practice. Thinking critically about performance will deepen your understanding of your craft.
You will work with professional practitioners on UEL's academic team and through master classes delivered by visiting professionals.
With undergraduate courses in dance, music and performing arts, we have a diverse community of creatives. And we're leading the way. We pioneered our Urban Dance BA - it's still the only course in the UK to focus on urban dance styles from around the globe.
Our facilities
The School of Arts and Creative Industries (ACI) Dance, Music and Theatre facilities are located in the newly built University Square Stratford building. The multi-purpose studios have fully sprung professional level dance floors, mirrors, ballet bars and high quality lighting, HD video and sound infrastructure. These two spaces are dedicated to teaching dance and movement performance as well as being spaces for professional performance production. All of our studios are available for rehearsal use by our student body outside of lectures as well as on our graduate rehearsal support programme.
The Black Box studio is a professional theatre production space. Equipped beyond industry standards with high quality lighting, sound and HD video infrastructure. The Black Box studio is acoustically treated and has a fully sprung dance floor. This is a space designed for full technical, performance and teaching flexibility, devoted to producing high quality performance work.
The spacious Live Rooms contain a Boston GP-218 concert grand piano, Yamaha Motif 8 synthesiser workstation, Yamaha Stage Custom drum kit and various percussion instruments.
Control Room A is kitted out with:
- Apple Mac Pro with Logic Studio 2
- Avid Pro Tools 10, Ableton Suite 8 and Waves Diamond plugins
- Native Instruments Maschine 1.8
- Novation Impulse 25 USB/MIDI keyboard controller
- Euphonix MC Mix and MC Control v2 control surfaces giving a total of 12 available faders
- 2 x Focusrite Octopre MkII 8 channel microphone preamplifiers with a total of 16 mic/line inputs
- MOTU 2408 MK3 24 channel digital audio interface and PMC TB2 transmission-line monitor loudspeakers
Whilst Control Room B houses our advanced Pro Tools Suite:
- Apple Mac Pro with Avid Pro Tools|HDX 10
- Logic Studio 2
- Ableton Suite 8 and Waves Diamond Plugins
- Native Instruments Maschine 1.8
- Novation Impulse 25 USB/MIDI keyboard controller
- Avid HD I/O audio interface
- Avid C|24 24 fader control surface with 16 microphone pre-amplifiers
- Universal Audio 6176 valve channel strip (microphone pre-amplifier, EQ and compressor/limiter) and
- Genelec 8040A active monitor loudspeakers
In addition, students also enjoy access to seven Practice Rooms and an Equipment Store with a large array of musical instruments and recording equipment for hire.
What we're researching
The results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), a six-yearly national review of higher education research, underlined the quality and impact of our work. An impressive 92 per cent of UEL's overall research was recognised as world-leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised.
Our Centre for Performing Arts Development (CPAD) has become an international centre for research in the performing arts and supports research that is concerned with political, philosophical, cultural, ethical, socially-engaged and community applied issues.
As our staff profiles indicate, all of our academics are teachers, practitioners and researchers active in the performing arts making performance work or leading funded research projects.
Some examples include:
- Dr Dominic Hingorani, Course Leader for MA Acting and Theatre Directing is co-artistic director of Brolly Productions - a cross-arts performance company that engages new and diverse audiences
- Liselle Terret and Clare Qualmann Co-Course Directors for BA Drama, Applied Theatre and Performance are both active in performance making and publishing
- Our dance team members, such as Dr Sarahleigh Castelyn and Dr Laura Robinson, who are leaders in their respective fields of performance politics, hip hop dance and choreography
- Our music team, such as Helen Reddington with publications on gender and politics

I chose the University of East London because its urban dance course is the only one of its kind in the UK. The most memorable thing has been seeing myself and others finding our own style and also progressing academically.
Scott Dean
BA (Hons) Dance: Urban Practice
Careers
Our courses will set you up to take full advantage of the demand for creativity, innovation and professionalism within the performing arts and wider creative industries sector.
We've produced actors, arts administrators, teachers, broadcast journalists, advertisers, designers and scriptwriters, music producers, sound designers and DJs.
One of our Applied Theatre graduates went to work as an assistant director for National Theatre of Wales and now runs his own theatre company. One of our Urban Dance graduates featured on TV's Got to Dance. Some of our music graduates have signed to an independent record label.
When you consider the range of careers that just a small cross-section of our students have gone into since graduating, anything seems possible.
At UEL, you'll have access to:
- Employability skills training such as interview techniques and CV writing.
- Career Assessment, giving you the opportunity to learn about yourself and Career Coach will help you to discover career suggestions based on your interests.
- UEL Skills Academy, where external professionals deliver sessions on the competencies most prized by graduate employers.
- Internships, placements and volunteering opportunities from our work placements team.
- Professional mentoring scheme, matching students with staff from major companies.
- Networking opportunities and annual careers fair.
- Support with setting up your own business.
Our location in one of Europe's largest regeneration areas and our extensive links to local employers will also give you access to fantastic internships and placements. From heavy industry to high-tech, health and social care to the arts, there are so many opportunities right on our doorstep.
Our staff
Find out more about our staff by visiting our School of Arts and Creative Industries (ACI) page.
Career Coach
Use our online Career Coach to see the different career paths that your chosen subject area can lead you to.
Get information on specific careers, job roles, potential wages and available jobs in the sector.
Or take a quick quiz to find a career to match your personality type!
Work placement
We always keep your future career in mind. You can follow our students who have gone on to succeed in the arts world in diverse roles such as choreographers, actors, dancers, composers, sound artists, songwriters, arts education officers, event organisers, teachers and community artists.
Music and Performance Features
Emi Matsushita
Current Partner Links
Creative Access is working to change the face of the creative industries with the single purpose of providing young BAME people, paid training opportunities in creative companies and supporting them into full-time employment.
Brolly Productions
As a BME led company we aim to engage new and diverse audiences; especially among those who may not have attended an arts event before. We believe that both the stage and the company should reflect the diversity of our audience.
Blue Skies
Blue Sky Actors are Stratford Circus Art Centre's resident theatre company for actors with learning disabilities and difficulties.
Speech Bubbles: London Bubble
Supporting children to develop communication, confidence and wellbeing
Clean Break
A women's theatre company changing lives and changing minds – on stage, in prison and in the community.
School 21
We are a new, state-funded, mixed, 4 to 18 school set up to prepare all our children for success in the 21st century.
Haringey Shed
Haringey Shed is an inclusive theatre and performing arts company for children and young people. We provide a range of term time after school activities and holiday programmes as well as outreach work in the community, working in local schools, nurseries and community centres.
Hackney Children's Theatre
Hackney Children's Theatre is east London's newest project presenting theatre for children.
Kiln Theatre (formerly Tricycle)
The Kiln views the world through a variety of lenses, bringing unheard voices into the mainstream. It presents high quality and innovative work, which provokes debate and emotionally engages. Located in Brent, the most diverse borough in London, the Kiln is a local venue with an international vision.
LADA (Live Arts Dev Agency)
Established in 1999, the Live Art Development Agency (LADA) is the world's leading organisation for Live Art, producing specialised projects, opportunities, resources and publications for those who make, watch, research, study, teach, produce, present, write about and archive Live Art, and creating conditions in which diversity, innovation and risk in contemporary culture can thrive.
LIFT
Since 1981 LIFT has been pioneering new forms of theatre, presenting spectacular performances and moments of magic in every corner of the capital. A year-round programme culminates in the world-renowned biennial festival that transforms the city into a stage.
Bobby Baker & Daily Life Ltd.
Daily Life Ltd creates powerful art that changes the way people think about mental health.
Lewisham Youth Theatre
Lewisham Youth Theatre delivers participatory drama and performance projects with young people aged 3-24 who live or learn in Lewisham, with the aim that everyone who takes part will gain increased wellbeing and life chances. We believe that participation in theatre leads to the development and empowerment of young people. We commit to ensuring that this opportunity is available to all young people in Lewisham and that no-one should be excluded because of economic or social background.
Access All Areas
Award-winning, urban, disruptive performance by artists with learning disabilities and/or autism
Half Moon Young People's Theatre
Celebrating the very best of children's theatre and work for young audiences at our Limehouse venue.
Croydonites Festival of New Theatre
Croydonites is a festival of contemporary theatre and performance from artists based in Croydon and around the UK.
Boundless Theatre
Boundless Theatre Company is a designer-led organisation that believes that theatre needs to be inquisitive and innovative. We represent the diversity of our community by collaborating with multi-ethnic and multilingual artists from all over the world. We are committed to creating productions of new and existing work that pushes the boundaries of cultural conception by reinventing stories, and by the creation of imaginative, visually mesmerising theatre.
Magic Me
Magic Me is an arts charity that brings the generations together to build a stronger, safer community. Our projects often link unlikely partners. Young people aged 8+ and adults aged 60+ team up through shared, creative activity. Intergenerational groups meet on a weekly basis in schools, museums, older peoples clubs, care homes, community and cultural organisations. Projects are led by our team of freelance creative artists: musicians, dancers, photographers, printmakers, writers and drama specialists. They design activities to stimulate conversation and an exchange of ideas. Participants are often diverse in culture and faith as well as age group.
M-Set
Our multi-sensory process of working creatively should be of value in itself. Using a full range of technical resources including lighting, sound and special effects the children will be encouraged to get involved with all aspects of the workshop. They will touch, move, listen, play and create, gradually converting their workspace into an imaginary environment.
The Challenge
We design and deliver programmes that bring different people together to develop their confidence and skills in understanding and connecting with others.
Unicorn theatre
The Unicorn is the UK's leading professional theatre for young audiences, dedicated to inspiring and invigorating young people of all ages, perspectives and abilities, and empowering them to explore the world - on their own terms - through theatre.
Young Vic
At the Young Vic, we tell stories that change the way people look at the world. Our shows are created by some of the world's great artists - of this generation and the next. With roots deep in our neighbourhoods, we reach out to theatre-makers across the globe. We have the most diverse and engaged audience in London, enjoying work of the highest quality at low prices. In our award-winning super-flexible theatre, you'll never feel you're in the same place twice.
PAL
PAL (Participatory Arts London): a collective voice for people that design, produce and facilitate participatory arts in London. Reflecting on our practice; pursuing peer-to-peer learning.
Mousetrap Theatre Projects
Mousetrap Theatre Projects is a theatre education charity dedicated to bringing the magic of theatre into the lives of young people.
Gendered Intelligence
Our mission is to increase understandings of gender diversity through creative ways.
Our vision is of a world where people are no longer constrained by narrow perceptions and expectations of gender, and where diverse gender expressions are visible and valued.
We work predominantly with the trans community and those who impact on trans lives; we particularly specialise in supporting young trans people aged 8-25.