“Falmouth was the perfect place to find my feet”: From dance student to Artistic Director

Bakani Pick-Up has gone from studying Falmouth’s Dance & Choreography BA(Hons) course to being appointed Artistic Director for the National Dance Company Wales.  

Since graduating in 2016, Bakani’s love for dance has transformed into an innovative and impressive career in choreography. He has created his own choreographic performance company, the ‘Bakani Pick-Up Company’, which explores identity and reflects on important topics such as decolonisation, through movement. With work having been presented at London dance and performance centre The Place, Vienna Secession in Austria, and on BBC Four, the years since Bakani’s time at Falmouth have been full of accomplishments.  

When asked how he found his time at Falmouth, he told us: “Studying at Falmouth was the perfect place to find my feet and explore the different ways that the body intersects with other practices.”  

On how the course helped to shape his career, he explained: “The modules we studied across all three years set me up for a portfolio career in theatre, film, and site-specific practice and research. As the landscape in the dance sector shifts and becomes more diverse, it’s important to have these spaces, such as the course at Falmouth, that gives students multiple opportunities to build a practice that is fit for the dance world as it is today.” 

Reflecting on the quality of the course, he added: “Having worked across the country in higher education, the value of Falmouth’s Dance & Choreography degree can’t be under-estimated. The course gave me all the tools I needed to build and sustain a career in dance as I begin my role as Artistic Director, and joint CEO, at the National Dance Company Wales. Finding myself in this position makes me even more thankful for the skills I learnt at Falmouth.” 

Take the first steps in forging your own career in dance with Dance & Choreography BA(Hons)