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University of the Arts Helsinki Master of Arts in Dance Performance
University of the Arts Helsinki

Master of Arts in Dance Performance

Helsinki, Finland

2 Years

English, Finnish, Swedish

Full time

22 Jan 2025*

Aug 2025

EUR 5,000 / per year **

On-Campus

* applications are open 8-22 January 2025

** annual tuition fee for students who study in English and who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland

Introduction

"Applications are open from the 8th of Jan. until the 22nd of Jan. 2025"

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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

Scholarships and Funding

Admissions

About the School

Questions