Katie Thomas is a second-year Dance student at Leeds Beckett. Throughout her time at university, she's taken on numerous extra-curricular activities, including working with LEEDS 2023 and supporting university Open Days. Here, she talks through her university experience so far and offers some advice for people who may be considering studying at Leeds Beckett. 

Course: BA (Hons) Dance

Tell us a bit about yourself, why you chose to study your course and what interests you the most about the subject area.

My name is Katie, I’m a second-year undergraduate dance student at Leeds Beckett. Dance has been my passion for roughly ten years now, so when it came to picking a university course it only made sense to study Dance. I looked at arts universities but ultimately decided on Leeds Beckett because I wanted to be able to meet people from all different courses and walks of life. They have also provided me with multiple performance opportunities both as a part of the course and as professional experience outside of our timetabled work.

What creative opportunities have you had through Leeds Beckett?

At the start of 2023 I got to be a part of the opening show for LEEDS 2023 at Headingley Stadium, where I got to dance as part of a large professional ensemble to a sold-out stadium of nearly 15,000 people. This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had and was a privilege to be a part of. I also performed live in City Square as part of LEEDS 2023. It was a new challenge for us as we were performing as part of a large wooden installation which caused us to focus on interesting pathways and new movement involving kicking off the wooden planks and dancing atop benches.

The university staff sit on a board of directors with multiple companies and arts schools, which means they can send us opportunities for performing. We have had a few professional workshops where industry dancers have come and taught classes to us. This includes Dan Banes, a former Ballet Boys performer, and Opera North which formed part of an audition to be a part of their most recent work.

What has been your favourite thing about your course so far?

By far and away my favourite part of the course is the lecturers. Not only do you get specific one-to-one feedback during technique and creation-based classes, but you also feel like you’re being facilitated in a dedicated and trusting way. The lecturers get to know us all on a personal basis and each have such unique styles. We also have guest lecturers who teach technique classes infused with their own background. This greatly helped to build my confidence over first year.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about studying your course?

My best advice for anyone coming to study at Leeds Beckett is to take as many opportunities as you can. Be this from the lecturers providing you with extra-curricular opportunities or chances to collaborate within the university. The arts building holds multiple courses which allows for a large range of interdisciplinary work to emerge. Whether this is starring in or choreographing a dance film, working with fashion students on costuming, music students to create your own aural setting for a piece or working with the older year groups. 

At the start of the year the master’s students have a module called Commission in which they get to make a five-minute piece over three weeks with dancers from the undergraduate programme. Also, second year’s can perform at ‘Lift Off Festival’, where third year students create a twenty-minute dance on a theme of their choice. This is brilliant to be part of, both in preparation for your own Lift Off Festival but also to perform to a large audience while learning about creation, music, and lighting along the way.

Photography by Troy Walker