Cardiff and Vale College gets into step in Rubicon Dance with new partnership

Cardiff and Vale College and Rubicon Dance have entered into a new partnership with Rubicon Dance – one of the oldest and best established community dance organisations in the UK.

The CAVC franchise agreement with Rubicon will see the dance company’s BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance) course coming under the College’s Creative Industries Department. The course will continue to be delivered from Rubicon’s facilities in Cardiff and led by Rubicon’s Dance lecturers.

Established in 1976, Rubicon Dance serves the communities of Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Newport. It delivers 150 sessions to roughly 2,000 people a week and has a sector leading role in qualification and vocational training.

Since 1986, Rubicon Dance has offered a unique, pre-vocational course which prepares talented young people from Wales for entry into Higher Education and the major conservatoires.

Rubicon’s students complete the Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Performing Arts (Dance) to complement their dance training in order to gain enough UCASE points for entry into Higher Education.

CAVC Deputy Principal Sharon James said: “We are thrilled to enter into this agreement with Rubicon Dance – an outstanding leader in community dance with an excellent reputation that is definitely well deserved. Rubicon’s academic and artistic achievements speak for themselves with so many of their students gaining places at the country’s major conservatoires including Laban, Northern Contemporary, London Student and Rambert.

“The College is currently expanding the range of courses we offer in our Creative Industries Department so we are delighted to enter into this franchise agreement with Rubicon Dance.”

Kathryn Williams, Director of Rubicon Dance, said: “Rubicon has been running a full time course for talented young dancers since 1986 and uniquely we deliver it in a professional dance environment. In recent years 100% of our learners have progressed to the UK’s leading conservatoires and dance schools.

“Our approach means that learners gain the highest level of technical, creative and performance skills as well as the crucial qualifications they need to succeed in the dance sector. Cardiff and Vale College has an outstanding reputation for delivering training and education that is directly relevant to the world of work, and as one of the biggest employers for dance, we are thrilled to bring our well regarded course under the College’s umbrella.

“We are also excited about the opportunities for learner progression our new partnership with Cardiff and Vale College offers, with plans for extending our range of accredited dance provision already being developed. Rubicon’s plans for the future include creating additional studio space at the site of the former Roath Library on Newport Road, Cardiff, and we see Cardiff and Vale College as a key partner in this expansion.”