Master of Arts in Dance Performance
Helsinki, Finland
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English, Finnish, Swedish
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
EUR 5,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* annual tuition fee for students who study in English and who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland
Introduction
Note: no admission is available in 2024. Please get in touch with the University of the Arts Helsinki to know about the next possible time to apply!
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Develop as an artist and performer with a personal voice in relation to society and its changing views of art.
About the studies
The Master’s Degree Program in Dance Performance is comprised of two years of full-time studies that develop your skills as a performer and as an independent and reflective artist. After graduating, you will have the preparedness to work in diverse and variable contexts of dance art. You will be able to develop as a solo performer and as an active member of an artistic team.
The program develops the students’ independent artistry, their deep and critical understanding of the current issues, practices, and concepts of dance and performance art as well as of the interactive relationship between art, society, and the environment. The studies also deepen and broaden students’ skills as dancers and performers, preparing them to take their place in the diverse and ever-changing operating environment of dance art. Studies focus on versatile practices and methods of performance as well as on research within the framework of dance and related art forms. Studies consist of thematic studies in dance performance and artistic projects, contextual studies providing a foundation in contemporary performance and the work of a dancer, and optional studies. The thesis project is a combination of an artistic project and a written section. In the thematic studies of dance performance, students investigate corporeality through varied movement practices and somatic methods, deepening and expanding their unique qualities as dancers and performers in thematic workshops and performance processes. In these studies, students develop their own artistic work through grappling with a variety of aesthetical, ethical, and political issues. In the contextual studies, students develop and deepen their thinking on dance performance in relation to the theoretical and historical questions of their field of art as well as in relation to production. The historical changes that dance performance has undergone and its different lines of development provide a framework for the question of the significance of dance performance as one contemporary art form.
Throughout their studies, students develop into active members of artistic teams, reflecting on artistic questions from the perspective of a dancer and a performer. They become acquainted with the possibilities of applying dance art in various contexts. During their studies, students work both independently and in collaboration with other students in ways that support their development into artists and performers with a personal voice, in relation to an ever-changing society and art field. The studies enable students to gather an understanding of dance performance and to investigate its possible manifestations. The MA program offers students the opportunity to create an artistically challenging thesis project. As part of their thesis, students have the option to choose between performing in an artistic work either provided or approved by the degree program. In the written part of the thesis, students further deepen their understanding of dance performance and the specific topics of their field.
The MA program in dance performance advances students’ preparedness for doctoral studies, and it collaborates with the Performing Arts Research Centre (Tutke). The MA program in dance performance is also an essential agent in the Theatre Academy’s international publication series Kinesis, which publishes research studies on dance.
Collaborations and traineeships
The MA Programme in Dance Performance collaborates with other degree programs at the Theatre Academy as well as with the Performing Arts Research Centre (Tutke). Students have a lot of freedom in their curriculum, allowing them to complete a traineeship in the professional dance sector, pursue studies of their own choosing or carry out personal projects.
Teachers
Our teachers are experienced experts in their field. In addition to the permanent teaching staff, the program welcomes top experts from both Finland and abroad as guests on a regular basis.
Program Outcome
- Students have the ability to work in independent and creative artistic processes and possess good intellectual knowledge of their profession as well as a readiness to communicate considerations in art and continue on to doctoral studies.
- Students are able to apply the studied movement and performance practices and their underlying principles to their artistic work.
- Students have an understanding of the central concepts of dance art and are able to articulate different corporeal, historical, and philosophical notions of movement and performance. They are able to identify historical changes in dance performance and reflect on their own work in relation to the different contexts of contemporary performance.
- Students are familiar with significant artists and artworks in Western dance as well as understand the different ways in which dance has constructed and continues to construct its meanings.
- Students are able to identify changing performance practices and new relationships that emerge through them with respect to performance, the audience, and society.
- Students are able to keep an open and creative mindset in working with choreographers and other artists towards a common goal taking shape through a joint process.
- Students have knowledge of the production of a dance work and understand the contexts in which performances and artworks are presented.
- Students are able to articulate the aims and the content of their work and as well have a critical reflection. In the artistic part of the thesis, students demonstrate their mastery of the different facets of dance performance.
- In the written part of the thesis, students demonstrate mastery of the basic concepts of dance performance, knowledge of the field of art, and in-depth knowledge of the subject of the thesis. They possess the ability to independently ponder and communicate the issues of their own field of art.
Scholarships and Funding
Please visit the university website for more information.