MA Performance - Dance (Map Dance)

This MA Performance Dance degree is led by mapdance company Artistic Director Yael Flexer and rehearsal director Luke Brown. The course operates as a professional performance programme. This course is ideal for recent graduates or dance artists who wish to extend their technical and performance skills after completing a recognised BA degree.This degree is an opportunity to work with established and up-and-coming choreographers, reflect on your professional practice and prior training, and complete an intensive technical training through a variety of contemporary techniques, contact improvisation and ballet. Working intensively with international guest choreographers, you will develop your technical and performance skills and deepen your understanding of the creative process through experiencing varied choreographic methodologies and artistic approaches.mapdance operates as a professional company with daily technique classes and rehearsals. You will tour nationally and internationally during your studies, performing with the company and offering educational workshops from mid-February until May. You will deepen your understanding of your professional skills through practice, research and scholarship and learn to articulate what you do in written and spoken form. For 2026, the company has commissioned new works by Luca Silverstrini, Cathy Waller, Amy Morvell , as well as the re-staging of Yukiko Masui’s For Seasons from mapdance 2024. Commissions for 2026 2027 include Alleyne Dance and Takeshi Matsumoto, one more commission to be announced, plus a restaging of Kay Crook’s work Medea.There are opportunities to engage with cutting-edge research into interactive technologies and to market yourself professionally as an artist using DVD and website technologies.

Entry Requirements Typical offers (individual offers may vary): Honours degree 2:2 or higher in a related discipline.

Auditions

You will need to audition for this course.

• In-Person Audition dates: TBC
• Virtual Auditions Dates: Teams interviews are arranged with our MA Dance team once all supporting documents have been uploaded

Personal statement guidance

As part of your application for your chosen programme of study, you are required to complete a personal statement. The personal statement should not exceed 1000 words and as guidance, should include the following. To access your suitability for the programme, it is essential that your statement addresses all four areas below.

1. Your reasons for applying: Why you have chosen the programmes(s) you have, which aspects of the programme(s) you find most appealing and why. Here, demonstrate your interests and passion for the programmes(s) applied for, share your academic and practice-based interests, career goals and how you feel you are ready for postgraduate study.
2. Your preparation: Address how your undergraduate study and/or other areas of study has prepared you for postgraduate study, mentioning your independent work (e.g. dissertation), relevant professional performance; choreographic or teaching experience and any others examples you see relevant. Please feel free to include details such as conferences, placements, reviews and links to websites and/or digital archive materials.
3. Evidence of your skillset: Highlight the relevant skills and knowledge you have that will encourage you to be curious and enable you to succeed at Postgraduate study. These can be with reference to both personal and academic and/or practice-based skills.
4. Your research interests: Share insight into your research interests and experiences and how you might explore these in your Postgraduate Dissertation. In addition, please include what your research interests are informed by and writers, researchers and practitioners who continue to inspire your research and why.