Overview
The MFA in Dance and Embodied Practice at the University of Roehampton is a comprehensive, practice-led postgraduate program designed to enhance your movement research, creative expression, and professional leadership skills. Throughout the course, you will engage in performance, teaching, and collaborative projects to cultivate a diverse portfolio of original work.
What you'll study
The program emphasizes studio practice, critical study, and project-based learning, ensuring a rich blend of practical development and reflective assessment. The curriculum includes a variety of modules that may encompass:
- Dance Practice – Focus on developing your movement vocabulary, interpretative skills, and practice-led methodologies.
- Dance and Embodied Practice – Exploration of existing methodologies while formulating your own research questions in embodied practice.
- Creative Encounters – Emphasis on collaboration, dialogue, and collective creation.
- Approaching Performance – Insights into rehearsal processes, performance techniques, and presentation strategies.
- Thinking Through Performance – Examining performance as a form of research and considering documentation and ethical practices.
- Dynamic Spaces – Investigating choreography in relation to media, environmental contexts, and contemporary practices.
- Mediated Choreography – Engaging with documentation and digital formats while exploring choreographic translation.
- People Moving, People Dancing – Understanding embodied practices in social and educational frameworks.
- The Performance of Heritage: Dance in Museums, Galleries, and Historic Sites – Analyzing heritage, interpretation, and audience engagement.
- Classicism and Power – Critical examination of aesthetics, authority, and cultural narratives within the realm of dance.
- Dance, Sustainability, and the Environment – Integrating environmental awareness and sustainability into creative practices.
- Dance and Embodied Project – A substantial practice-led project or dissertation supported by critical reflection.
Assessment: Evaluation methods typically include studio-based outputs such as performances or demonstrations, reflective writing assignments, and a final practice-led project or dissertation.
Entry requirements
- Academic background: A second-class honours degree from a recognized university is generally required. Non-graduates with relevant professional experience may be assessed on an individual basis.
- English language: Evidence of English proficiency is mandatory for candidates who have not completed their studies in English. Accepted qualifications may include:
- IELTS: A minimum overall score of 6.5 (or equivalent)
- TOEFL iBT: A minimum overall score of 89 (or equivalent)
- PTE Academic: A minimum overall score of 59 (or equivalent)
- Dance film audition: Submission of a link to a short dance film (up to 10 minutes) where you are clearly identifiable, set in a studio or theatre environment.
- Personal statement: A well-crafted personal statement outlining your motivations and aspirations related to the program.
Career prospects
Graduates of the MFA in Dance and Embodied Practice are well-prepared for diverse career paths within the performing arts. Opportunities may include professional performance, choreography, teaching, community engagement, and arts management. The program equips students with the skills and experience necessary to thrive in various roles, fostering a lifelong connection to the world of dance and embodied practice.