Dance and Participation
master of fine arts in dance & participation
The international MFA in Dance and Participation takes its starting point in the artistic and social potential of dance and choreography. The field of study is participant involving practice, understood here as a spectrum spanning artistic, social, collaborative and educational approaches to the art form.
The programme targets professional dancers and choreographers who want to extend their artistic practice to involve people outside the professional dance field in the creative process, to develop new approaches, methods and expressions.
As a student, you will work practice-oriented with projects and inquiries involving different (groups of) people. Backed by artistic and academic tools and theories, you will be encouraged to develop your own distinct participant involving practice. You will work on finding new ways to bring each participant’s individual abilities, experiences and interests into play in the creative process, and learn to situate and critically engage with your own artistic proposals.
1st semester
Contextualisation (5 ECTS)
Pedagogy and creative practice (20 ECTS)
Artistic enquiry (5 ECTS)
2nd semester
Contextualisation (5 ECTS)
Pedagogy and creative practice (10 ECTS)
Performance project (15 ECTS)
3rd semester
Contextualisation (10 ECTS)
Pedagogy and creative practice (15 ECTS)
Artistic enquiry (5 ECTS)
4th semester
Graduation project (30 ECTS)
Study and teaching methods
The course of study alternates between classes, workshops and periods in which the students carry out pedagogical and artistic inquiries in the field, including periods in which the students plan and implement projects with particular participant groups. Reflection formats vary in form, from tightly structured writing tasks to open portfolio hand-ins, from individual practical inquiries to group feedback processes, from academically structured thinking to physical artistic speculative practice. The programme concludes with a substantial graduation project.
The programme is affiliated with various national partners and international networks, and as a student, you may partake in workshops, conferences, exchanges and study trips where you encounter leading artists and scholars in the field. Collaborations with students from other fields of study, placements and a focus on entrepreneurship further enable you to conduct independent projects and further a sustainable career after graduation.
The main teaching language is English, however, it is possible to hand in written assignments in one of the Scandinavian languages.
The faculty
Laura Navndrup Black is the Head of Programme. Throughout the education, you will work with prominent Danish and international guest teachers, researchers and artists from the field of study.
The international field of dance and participation is developing rapidly these years and encompasses a growing range of artistically founded approaches to participant involvement and co-creation of works. This calls for dance professionals who can organize, manage and complete complex and unpredictable participatory projects. The job prospects for Dance and Participation graduates are good and varied.
After completing the programme, you will be able to work independently and entrepreneurially with participant involving dance projects. The programme equips you to take responsibility for your own professional development and specialisation, including - but not limited to - working as an independent artist, working in education or culture institutions or pursuing a research career. As with most other artistic educations, graduates mostly work freelance and are hired on project basis or develop their own work.
The entry requirement for the programme is a degree in dance equivalent to Bachelor’s level and a passed admission test. The admission test consists of a written application (pre-qualification) and an audition. Up to seven students will be admitted every second year.
