Work with international guest choreographers as you develop your technical and performance skills
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Wednesday 13 November
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Overview
This MA Performance Dance degree is led by mapdance company Artistic Director Yael Flexer. The course operates as a professional performance programme.
This course is ideal for recent graduates or a dance artists who wish to extend their technical and performance skills after completing a recognised BA degree.
This degree is an opportunity to work with established and up-and-coming choreographers, reflect on your professional practice and prior training, and complete an intensive technical training through a variety of contemporary techniques, Pilates, contact improvisation and ballet. Working intensively with international guest choreographers, you will develop your technical and performance skills and deepen your understanding of the creative process through experiencing varied choreographic methodologies and artistic approaches.
mapdance operates as a professional company with daily technique classes and rehearsals. You will tour nationally and internationally during your studies, performing with the company and offering educational workshops from mid-February until May. You will deepen your understanding of your professional skills through practice, research and scholarship and learn to articulate what you do in written and spoken form.
For 2025, the company has commissioned new works by Rhiannon Faith, Ben Wright and Ceyda Tanc, as well as the re-staging of Luke Brown’s Let Us Know You from mapdance 2023
There are opportunities to engage with cutting edge research into interactive technologies and to market yourself professionally as an artist using DVD and website technologies.
On this course you will:
- Learn from guest lecturers including included practitioners and curators all working in dance research.
- Have opportunities to engage in cutting-edge research with interactive technologies.
- Attend presentations by visiting artists and researchers.
- Have opportunities to market yourself professionally as an artist using DVD and website technologies.
The Course
What you will study
You will study the core module Repertory, and Techniques for Performance on both the MA and postgraduate diploma study pathways, as well as one optional module. To complete the MA, you will also study the core Dissertation module.
Only a selection of optional modules will run each year. We will confirm the modules available during induction week.
Modules
Artist As Producer
You will undertake initial research into a range of contemporary dance and performance related platforms, festivals, projects and artist-development schemes both within the UK and in European or international contexts. You will develop an articulation of your work and practice through the development of a website resource that includes a distinctive artist’s ‘statement’.
Body in Site
In this module, you will consider approaches to, and the implications of, site-dance. A range of site-specific dance, movement installation, perambulatory performance and durational approaches will be explored through practical experiments and theoretical study. The module will explore how the moving body relates to site and will explore a range of socio-political and cultural theory through which body-site relationships can be considered.
Developing Dance Practice
You will explore strategies for developing dance practitioner processes, working practices, and creative and organisational methods specific to a work-based context. You will explore a practice of your choice and engage with tutorials either in person or remotely.
New Media and Performance Practices
This module explores the relationship between new medias and dance performance practices. Using various software programs in tutor-facilitated sessions, you will practically explore the programs for use either as a creative medium or for documentation/dissemination purposes and will practice your skills through exercises using the software. You will also develop your practical skills with the software through the design and production of either a creative work using digital media, a documentation package suitable to the work you choose to document, or other means of disseminating research via digital interfaces such as Internet.
Pedagogical Approaches
Through a combination of lectures, seminars and practical tasks, you will analyse, deconstruct and reconstruct technical exercises and phrases in order to build a critical base of teaching material. Planning, phrase construction and giving corrections will be explored in the context of somatic development and consideration of issues relating to health and safety. You will also be expected to undertake critical analysis and evaluation of professional dance classes. You will be introduced to lesson planning, devising schemes of work appropriate to different teaching situations such as primary and secondary syllabus work, special needs and working with the elderly and community-based groups.
Philosophy and Aesthetics
In this theoretical module you will explore how knowledge about dance is rooted in philosophical and aesthetic ideologies, from both historicised and contemporary perspectives. You will look through a wide lens at dance and its evolving beliefs, with the main focus on dance as art, and contemporary dance.
Repertory
This practical module is an opportunity to work on the creation or re-staging of a repertoire work.
Dancing in the construction or reconstruction of a work of repertory provides you with opportunities to extend creative practical skills in dance performance. You will apply your choreographic knowledge and performance skills to devising and problem-solving within select frameworks linked to research processes (practical and contextual) underpinning the repertory.
You will engage with choreographic devising and performance as an independent group or as part of the MA company MapDance.
To study this module you must also select Techniques for Performance.
Scientific Principles of Dance Practice
You will use a combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and independent exploratory tasks to examine interrelated theories from motor learning and control, physiological training principles, psychological approaches to dance practice and embodied perception. You will consider how to apply these principles to advance and enhance dance practice.
Techniques for Performance
This module will include daily technical training to develop your interpretive and presentational skills in preparation for performance. You will explore motion complexity, qualitative interpretation, musicality, alignment, flexibility, core strength and stamina as you develop the technical skills you will need as a professional dancer.
Teaching and Assessment
How you will learn
You will study through theoretical and practical workshops, lecturers, seminars and rehearsals.
You will be assessed through a range of assignments depending on which study route you choose.
Assessment on the MA performers route is based on three core modules:
- Repertory (60 credits)
- Techniques for Performance (30 credits)
- Dissertation (60 credits).
Assessment on the postgraduate diploma performers route is based on two core modules:
- Repertory (60 credits)
- Techniques for Performance (30 credits).
You will also choose one optional module worth 30 credits on each pathway.
Your performance assessments will be continuous and process based. The Repertory module is continuously assessed with marks given by guest choreographers during the creation process as well as marks given by both Artistic Directors in rehearsal and on tour assessing both process and performance.
Will
Facilities
Rehearse and perform in practical spaces
You will perform in an Arts Council funded Dance Theatre Space and rehearse in four superb dance studios, the large gymnasium and two sprung-floor spaces. You will also be able to take advantage of a programme of dance company performances, workshops and events supported by Arts Council funding.
Dance Studios and Rehearsal Spaces
Perfect your performance in designated rehearsal spaces.
The ShowRoom
A fully equipped 212-seat public theatre venue with a reputation for presenting some of the most exciting dance and theatre companies touring on the UK circuit.
Exercise Laboratory Facilities
Access Science and Health labs to monitor you body as you dance.
Learning Resource Centre
The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) contains the library, a café, IT/teaching rooms and the Support and Information Zone (SIZ).
Library
Our campus library holds more than 200,000 books and over 500,000 eBooks.
Past graduates
Hear from our students
Hannah Marshall
Eva Escrich Gonzalez
Ane-Iselin Brogeland
Will Hodson
Careers
Where this course could lead
This course will prepare you for a range of careers and give you experience with a touring dance company. This course also could be a stepping-stone towards further research and PhD study.
You will develop skills in:
- Performance
- Technique
- Teaching in the context of a touring company
- Choreographic methodology and critical thinking
- Working independently (via dissertation projects)
- Research and written communication skills.
Course Costs
Course Fees 2024/25
UK fee
International fee
For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fee page.
For further details about international scholarships, please see our Scholarships page.
University of Chichester alumni who have completed a full undergraduate degree at the University will receive a 15% discount on their postgraduate fees.
Entry Requirements
Typical offers (individual offers may vary):
Honours degree
IELTS
Auditions
You will need to audition for this course.
- In-Person Audition dates: TBC
- Virtual Auditions Dates: Teams interviews are arranged with our MA Dance team once all supporting documents have been uploaded
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Click the ‘Apply now’ button to go to our postgraduate application form. We will consider your application and you may be invited to audition and interview.
