Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Dive deep into your creative practice and refine your choreographic voice on our MA Dance Choreography and Professional Practices. Explore the art and craft of dance-making and entrepreneurial perspectives, to support the development of work for a range of contexts and audiences. You'll study producing for small/mid-scale touring and dance pedagogy, ensuring you have all the tools to realise your creative projects and grow new audiences for your work.
Industry collaboration and real-world learning are central to our courses. Whilst studying you'll take part in masterclasses, participate in work-based learning and observe professional commissions led by establishing professionals, providing you with invaluable industry experience whilst developing your professional networks.
Dance at Salford is a community of lecturers, students, artists in residence, alumni artists and visiting professionals that work together to provide professional training and education to support your career aspirations. As a postgraduate dance student studying at Salford, you'll have access to a vibrant local dance scene with links to local venues and dance organisations. We'll create collaboration and networking opportunities through live dance and music events, as well as access to discounted supplementary training and live performances, creating space to engage with like-minded creative artists.
Our MA programmes are well respected in the industry, with graduates going on to work with Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Ruth Jones (Manchester Pride, Manchester Day Parade), Walk the Plank (Green Spaces Dark Skies), The Lowry Creative Education Team, Die Cast Mcr and Coalesce Dance Theatre.
You will:
- Be taught by practising dance professionals on a course with a reputation for supporting successful dance artists and graduates
- Be given the opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant arts and performance scene in Salford and Manchester
- Learn as part of a creative university with leading industry partnerships; with organisations such as Arts Council England, Joss Arnott Dance, Company Chameleon and The Lowry Theatre Manchester
- Explore your creative ideas and passions through specialist portfolio work/research that you can use in your wider career
- Evaluate your skills and knowledge; opening up wider career possibilities and supporting sustainable careers in dance
- Study full-time or part-time to fit with your current professional obligations
Ideal Students
This is for you if...
- You want to engage with creative trends and current issues within the field of professional dance and performance.
- You are keen to explore, experiment and take risks in your current choreographic practices.
- You have the desire to expand your professional skillset in producing, touring, workshop development and delivery.
Curriculum
In the first trimester of this MA in Choreography you'll immerse yourself in an intensive creative module, exploring a range of practical and theoretical perspectives on dance making, both in industry and academia. You'll learn through a combination of practical sessions and seminars in which you'll experience, explore and discuss the work of professional practitioners. You'll reflect on creative influences, and values and explore your position within the field.
In trimester two, you'll take your studies further, looking at the use of practice-based research and experimentation. A dance pedagogy module explores creative and inclusive strategies for teaching and learning. You'll gain a solid understanding of how to plan and apply for funding to support a mid-scale production tour.
You'll draw together all your learning into your final semester, applying practical skills and case study research techniques within an Industry Placement. The final module is a practice-as-research project or dissertation, an opportunity to develop your own area or research, you'll work with a supervisor or develop and interrogate a line of enquiry and share your practice.
Studying on this programme, you'll learn a range of valuable choreographic practices and gain a solid understanding of industry practices, to both inform and develop your work in a range of contexts.
Semester one
- Choreographic Practices
- Approaches To Dance Pedagogy
Semester two
- Choreographic Investigations
- Producing For Small and Mid-scale Touring
- Approaches to Dance Pedagogy
Semester three
- Practice-As-Research Project/Dissertation
- Collaborative Practices In Dance
- Industry Placement
Career Opportunities
Completing a master’s in dance choreography will equip you with the skills to succeed in a range of environments in the cultural sector.
You’ll be set to move into a variety of careers, such as becoming a professional dancer, choreographer or dance teacher. You may also choose to move into a related role such as working in arts administration for a theatre or dance company.
You’ll have a deep understanding of choreographic approaches, understanding of current practice and production, policy and legislation in the arts, as well as transferrable skills preparing you for wide range of careers across the sector. Your ability to research, develop and deliver ideas in a creative and professional way will be highly valued by many employers.