RPL for Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance)

Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) takes 17 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for CUA51520 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 17 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you CUA51520. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what CUA51520 involves →

The 17 units you complete, chosen from these 43

You do not do all 43. Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) is 7 core units, which everyone does, plus 10 chosen from the 36 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Core units — everyone does these

• CUADAN517 — Refine dance partnering techniques
• CUADAN531 — Refine dance techniques
• CUAPPR512 — Develop sustainability of own professional practice
• CUAPRF511 — Refine performance techniques
• CUAPRF513 — Prepare for and perform in competitive environments
• CUAWHS413 — Incorporate anatomy principles into skill development
• CUAWHS511 — Maintain a high level of fitness for performance

Electives — you choose from these

• BSBCRT412 — Articulate, present and debate ideas
• BSBCRT512 — Originate and develop concepts
• CUAACT411 — Use acting techniques in performance
• CUABRT415 — Provide technical support during virtual and hybrid events
• CUABRT502 — Manage and operate technical requirements for virtual and hybrid events
• CUACHR411 — Create and perform dance pieces
• CUACHR413 — Develop choreography skills
• CUACHR511 — Create and perform complex dance pieces
• CUADAN432 — Improvise advanced dance sequences
• CUADAN511 — Refine ballet techniques
• CUADAN512 — Refine ballet performance skills
• CUADAN513 — Perform repertoire for corps de ballet
• CUADAN514 — Perform ballet solo variations
• CUADAN515 — Refine contemporary dance techniques
• CUADAN516 — Refine cultural dance techniques
• CUADAN518 — Develop expertise in allied contemporary dance techniques
• CUADAN519 — Refine pointe work techniques
• CUADAN520 — Refine street dance techniques
• CUADES523 — Design virtual and hybrid events
• CUADLT411 — Document dance
• CUADLT412 — Explore the relationship between music and dance
• CUADTM413 — Apply safe dance teaching methods
• CUADTM431 — Design and conduct dance learning program
• CUAFIM511 — Source funding for projects
• CUAIND411 — Extend expertise in specialist creative fields
• CUAIND412 — Provide freelance services
• CUAMUP511 — Apply theatrical make-up and hairstyles
• CUAMWB403 — Prepare to work with confronting material and processes in the creative industries
• CUAPRF412 — Develop conceptual and expressive skills as a performer
• CUAPRF420 — Develop on-camera performance skills
• CUARES501 — Refine conceptual understanding of dance
• CUARES503 — Analyse cultural history and theory
• CUAWHS406 — Interact appropriately with children in performing arts environments
• CUAWHS411 — Apply movement and behavioural principles to conditioning
• CUAWHS412 — Participate in gym and resistance training for performances
• CUAWRT501 — Write about dance

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Certificate IV in Community Culture (CUA40225, 15 units)

When you are ready, see what CUA51520 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.