MA

Choreography

Teaching & Learning

What you'll learn

This module will introduce you to the notions of choreographic research at masters level and prepare you for the rest of your course. You will discover some key frameworks and principles for approaching choreographic research, enabling you to develop autonomy and self-direction in your practice and research.
Engage with the professional model of responding to a commission. You will be presented with a range of mini/micro choreographic commissions, each posing a number of aesthetic, formal, conceptual or pragmatic challenges, and asked to produce imaginative and innovative responses to these commissions.
Further develop the thinking and practices introduced in the Research & Development and Commission modules as you enhance your ability to interrogate reflectively in and on the creative development of your own choreographic ideas. You will employ dramaturgical strategies to open up your own and others material and thinking.
The culmination of your learning, the major project will give you the opportunity to design and fulfil a choreographic research project and to realise a finished piece of work (or series of works) which will be performed publicly in a festival of work from the MA Choreography course.
This module will introduce you to the notions of choreographic research at masters level and prepare you for the rest of your course. You will discover some key frameworks and principles for approaching choreographic research, enabling you to develop autonomy and self-direction in your practice and research.
Engage with the professional model of responding to a commission. You will be presented with a range of mini/micro choreographic commissions, each posing a number of aesthetic, formal, conceptual or pragmatic challenges, and asked to produce imaginative and innovative responses to these commissions.
Further develop the thinking and practices introduced in the Research & Development and Commission modules as you enhance your ability to interrogate reflectively in and on the creative development of your own choreographic ideas. You will employ dramaturgical strategies to open up your own and others material and thinking.
The culmination of your learning, the major project will give you the opportunity to design and fulfil a choreographic research project and to realise a finished piece of work (or series of works) which will be performed publicly in a festival of work from the MA Choreography course.

What you'll learn

This module will give you the opportunity to work closely with an established and professional choreographic artist, establishing a mentor-mentee relationship. Through this relationship a professional working environment will be established where your choreographic practice is developed further through workshops, showings of work and critical discussions.
Study choreographic practices that have been characterised as sitting within what has been called the 'Expanded Field'. This includes a study of conceptual and post-conceptual dance practices and the notion of choreographic propositions existing in a wider context to include multiple formats and expressions, experimental and interdisciplinary practices.
Your opportunity to make work in and/or with a community, this module will focus on the use of models of socially engaged practice, including critical consideration of participatory practice. You will consider the political and ethical questions that may arise through this practice such as authenticity, empowerment and activism.
This module enables you to explore and critique the political and cultural contexts of important national and international dance festivals. You will witness a range of international choreographic works, and participate in talks and master classes, as a way of contextualising the work. You can use your own experiences as a tool to inform your critique. As part of the module, you will attend an international dance festival.
Study the professional context in which artists are required to teach workshops, master-classes or to ‘tour’ their teaching alongside performance work. You'll understand this method as a way of gaining support and building public engagement, opening up and sharing process and practice. You'll address the ways in which choreographers can share and develop their practice as teachers and the skills required to do this effectively. Teaching and workshop situations are often a creative space for artists to test their own creative thinking, choreographic philosophies and embodied principles with a group of workshop participants. As such, you'll consider how pedagogy is situated in relation to your artistic practice and explore how you want to establish your teacher identity. The module will focus on what the key concerns of artists teaching with integrity may be in contemporary contexts. Your focus will be the teaching of creative practice and choreography, and you'll explore the pedagogic and philosophic principles of ‘workshopping’ and creative group leadership.
This module will foster your skills in improvisation as a performed choreographic practice. You'll study and train in improvisational methods and skills in a range of frameworks of practice, for example ensemble practice, performer/maker, director/facilitator and as collaborator. You'll explore spontaneous composition as a practice as you employ improvisational states, scores, imagery, concepts and structures to develop improvised performance material. This module will aim to disrupt the binary understandings of the terms choreography and improvisation. You'll participate in experiencing self-organising principles in action in ensemble dance-making, and be encouraged to consider the aesthetics and ideologies presenting themselves in this context of practice.
We'll lead you through a series of classes in voice and body-based training including Feldenkrais, Yoga, Tai Chi, Clean Language, Kalaripyatthu, Hart and Polyphonic singing.
Gain hands-on experience with a placement opportunity linked to your career aspirations. Placements might include working in administration in an arts organisation, engaging in undergraduate teaching or contributing to in-house artist projects, either in a supportive role or in a performance context. This is an opportunity to undertake an undergraduate teaching placement through shadowing and collaborating with staff; residencies with established artists and companies; event, project and festival management opportunities with university partners; international platform opportunities.
Visit a national or international performance festival with and take the opportunity to collaborate in talk-back sessions with artists, directors, critics and academics. You will submit a written report on your experience.
This module will give you the opportunity to work closely with an established and professional choreographic artist, establishing a mentor-mentee relationship. Through this relationship a professional working environment will be established where your choreographic practice is developed further through workshops, showings of work and critical discussions.
Study choreographic practices that have been characterised as sitting within what has been called the 'Expanded Field'. This includes a study of conceptual and post-conceptual dance practices and the notion of choreographic propositions existing in a wider context to include multiple formats and expressions, experimental and interdisciplinary practices.
Your opportunity to make work in and/or with a community, this module will focus on the use of models of socially engaged practice, including critical consideration of participatory practice. You will consider the political and ethical questions that may arise through this practice such as authenticity, empowerment and activism.
This module enables you to explore and critique the political and cultural contexts of important national and international dance festivals. You will witness a range of international choreographic works, and participate in talks and master classes, as a way of contextualising the work. You can use your own experiences as a tool to inform your critique. As part of the module, you will attend an international dance festival.
Study the professional context in which artists are required to teach workshops, master-classes or to ‘tour’ their teaching alongside performance work. You'll understand this method as a way of gaining support and building public engagement, opening up and sharing process and practice. You'll address the ways in which choreographers can share and develop their practice as teachers and the skills required to do this effectively. Teaching and workshop situations are often a creative space for artists to test their own creative thinking, choreographic philosophies and embodied principles with a group of workshop participants. As such, you'll consider how pedagogy is situated in relation to your artistic practice and explore how you want to establish your teacher identity. The module will focus on what the key concerns of artists teaching with integrity may be in contemporary contexts. Your focus will be the teaching of creative practice and choreography, and you'll explore the pedagogic and philosophic principles of ‘workshopping’ and creative group leadership.
This module will foster your skills in improvisation as a performed choreographic practice. You'll study and train in improvisational methods and skills in a range of frameworks of practice, for example ensemble practice, performer/maker, director/facilitator and as collaborator. You'll explore spontaneous composition as a practice as you employ improvisational states, scores, imagery, concepts and structures to develop improvised performance material. This module will aim to disrupt the binary understandings of the terms choreography and improvisation. You'll participate in experiencing self-organising principles in action in ensemble dance-making, and be encouraged to consider the aesthetics and ideologies presenting themselves in this context of practice.
We'll lead you through a series of classes in voice and body-based training including Feldenkrais, Yoga, Tai Chi, Clean Language, Kalaripyatthu, Hart and Polyphonic singing.
Gain hands-on experience with a placement opportunity linked to your career aspirations. Placements might include working in administration in an arts organisation, engaging in undergraduate teaching or contributing to in-house artist projects, either in a supportive role or in a performance context. This is an opportunity to undertake an undergraduate teaching placement through shadowing and collaborating with staff; residencies with established artists and companies; event, project and festival management opportunities with university partners; international platform opportunities.
Visit a national or international performance festival with and take the opportunity to collaborate in talk-back sessions with artists, directors, critics and academics. You will submit a written report on your experience.