The Alma Mater Dance Academy is the only accredited tertiary institution in Slovenia that offers a valid first Bologna (BA) degree in contemporary dance and ballet education.
The programmes are performed separately with joint classes of theoretical and non-specific subjects. Professors are esteemed and acclaimed international dance educators and pedagogues. The diploma acquired at the Dance Academy offers skills and competences for a successful career in dance as choreographers and dance/ballet teachers. After this BA degree, students can continue their studies to the MA level in artistic and other programmes throughout the world. The duration of the study programmes is 3 years with a total of 180 ECTS credits and the acquired title is graduated dancer/choreographer. The tuition fee is 3.800,00 Euros per year.
Olivera Ilić (1952) grew up in Novi Sad, Serbia where she completed a natural sciences high school and the Theatre school – ballet department. She came to Maribor in 1970. Throughout her ballet soloist career she dance major leading and soloist roles in ballet and opera performances that were on the repertoire of the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor. She appeared at many concerts in Maribor, Ljubljana, Nova Gorica and Novi Sad. She is the recipient of the youth award Golden Bird. During her active dancing career she was teaching ballet at the primary and secondary ballet schools in Maribor and at the same time she graduated from the Faculty of Education – fine arts. As a jury member she participated at the First Yugoslav Ballet Competition in Belgrade. In Slovenia she was the jury president of the first and the fourth state ballet competition under the auspices of TEMSING.
After twenty years of active dancing for a year she led the ballet company in Maribor and started to work as an assistant, first for ballet performances, later on for opera performances as well.
She graduated from the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana, department of social pedagogy. At the Faculty of Education in Maribor she is the head lecturer of Didactics of dance education. In cooperation with the Teaching Institute she held seminars for educators and teachers all throughout Slovenia. For one year she taught Didactics to trainees at the higher ballet school in Ljubljana. She acquired her master's degree in social sciences at the Faculty of Arts, Maribor.
Advantages
Study at the Dance Academy is active. The programme is based on dance classes of selected dance orientation (modern dance, jazz dance, standard and Latin dance, and social dance) where dancers are trained in creativity and expressiveness, dance techniques, and understanding and controlling their bodies and space. They also acquire the required professional and practical knowledge for physical preparation of dancers, preventive medicine, physiology, music, ballet, psychology and pedagogy, acting and music, choreology and dance history, organisation and management in culture, and stage, audio, and video technology.
We, at the Dance Academy, wish to provide our students connection with external institutions where student deepen their knowledge and experience, make their professional name, exchange contacts and acquire practical training. The programme emphasises creativity, respect for diversity, consideration of human rights, solidarity and mutual help, humanism and responsible attitude towards work, students, lecturers, experts and general public, as well as social environment.
Employability
Dancer choreographer profession is highly oriented towards self-employment. The student acquires professional and practical knowledge, and the required social networking with dance and educational institutions and individuals. Dancers and choreographers work in theatres, dance groups, studios, institutions, schools, associations, and clubs. Dancers and choreographers also work in educational and healthcare institutions. The profession is mostly dynamic and requires work with a large number of co-creators or students.