Master of Dance
Master of Dance
The Master of Dance is the first program in Australia dedicated to dance as an interdisciplinary practice enmeshed with local and global crosscurrents of movement cultures, dance health and education, and choreographic thinking. This two-year program focuses on dance as an embodied experience augmented and informed by a rich field…
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Master of Dance is the first program in Australia dedicated to dance as an interdisciplinary practice enmeshed with local and global crosscurrents of movement cultures, dance health and education, and choreographic thinking.
This two-year program focuses on dance as an embodied experience augmented and informed by a rich field of knowledges, including contemporary aesthetics, dance science, cultural theory, and everyday politics. The Master of Dance provides a vehicle for students to engage in practice-based research, dance theory and creative technologies equipping them with the skills and know-how to advance their capabilities for working in today’s professional environment. The program promotes understandings of the social, political and cultural issues around embodiment, community and the environment. Taking place within this expanding field, it empowers diverse ways of knowing, making, learning and participating in dance as a generative force contributing to culture and society at large. The program offers pathways for dancers into specialised careers through its emphasis upon applied practice including through working in situ and through placements. It prepares students for careers, including in dance and community practice, dance health and well-being, cultural leadership, choreography and performance. Six core subjects and an extended research project develop multiple vocational routes through the dance and performance field. Interdisciplinary, environmentally responsive, digitally enabled, somatic informed dance meets the world through research-creation processes of making, writing and performing. Opportunities for industry placement and input from leading professionals in the dance field ensure relevance and aim to generate opportunities for employability. Who is this course for? Open to students with expertise in all forms of movement practice from any culture or geographical area, the Master of Dance is designed to attract students wishing to contextualize and extend their practice and career changers with a specific interest in dance, dance education, and recent developments in the field.
The course focuses on the rigorous preparation of graduate students to work across all areas of the dance profession. Students will graduate with skills suitable for pursuing careers in choreography, inter-disciplinary practice, community engagement, health, arts advocacy, education and research. Learning outcomes: On completion of this course, graduates will have developed: Advanced skills in synthesising critical perspectives on dance and the body through written, embodied, choreographic and pedagogic practices; Demonstrated scientific and somatic knowledge about the body in dance training and education applied to enhance performance, health and wellbeing; Advanced capacities to experiment across media with developing and representing dance as research; Confidence to engage with communities of dance practice and environments through reciprocal and ethical relationships that acknowledge different worldviews. Graduate pathways: Upon completion of the program, graduates can select to undertake further study in the Doctor of Philosophy – Fine Arts and Music in Dance.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne enjoys an outstanding reputation with world rankings, consistently being placed as Australia’s leading comprehensive research-intensive university, and is one of the world’s top 50 (as per Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2015 – 2016 and Academic Ranking of World Universities 2015). There are over 80 different undergraduate study areas and over 270 graduate courses at Melbourne for students to choose from. The University has extensive global networks and has seven campus locations across Melbourne and rural Victoria.
