Program Overview

Dance: Interdisciplinary Research (MFA)

Overview

The MFA in Dance: Interdisciplinary Research provides a laboratory for established artists, makers, and practitioners to reimagine and enact dance through a range of collaborative and self-directed research from the speculative to the practical.

Program Description

The program's intimacy and flexibility allow each student to deepen and expand their personal areas of interest through individualized focused mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the production of bold, new creative work. The curriculum includes opportunities to study in other NYU departments, such as Performance Studies, Art & Public Policy, and Interactive Telecommunications Program, and to teach within an advanced research institution in one of the most artistically diverse cities in the world.

Program Requirements

The program requires the completion of 60 credits, comprised of:

• Core Courses
  • DANC-GT 2501: Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches I (4 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2502: Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches II (2 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2503: Worldmaking (4 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2031: Writing: Contemporary Performance Practice (4 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2508: The Business of Art (4 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2504: Pedagogy (2 credits)
  • DANC-GT 2506: Current Topics in Dance Studies (4 credits)
• Independent Study: 18 credits, by advisement
• Electives: 18 elective credits, within Tisch or cross-NYU, by advisement
  • Example Electives:
    • DANC-GT 2003: Dance Technique
    • DANC-GT 3301: Video Art
    • DANC-GT 2507: Movement Science Sensors Lab
    • DANC-GT 2325: Dance Music: A Laboratory for Choreographers and Composers
    • DANC-GT 2602: Global Collaboration: Artistic Dialogue Across Borders
    • Dance and Its Images
    • Studies in Dance: Movement Theory
    • Seminar in Dance Theory: Dance and the Political
    • Anatomy of Difference

Admissions

Applicants to the Dance Interdisciplinary Research program are expected to have at least seven years of professional experience prior to applying to the MFA program. Those applying straight from an undergraduate program or that do not have the required experience will not be considered for admission.

Culminating Final Project

The Culminating Final Project is a creative endeavor supported by a body of work generated over two years of investigative and mentored research. The project may encompass a broad range of political, cultural, and historical contexts. This is an opportunity to contribute new perspectives to the field, and may take a variety of formats:

• Evening length performance (30-45 minutes)
• Substantial Research Paper
• Film/Multimedia Project (of comparable scale)
• Curatorial Project, such as a panel or conference
• Scientific study
• Pedagogical Contribution- Online learning module, presentation of technique or embodied practice

Sample Plan of Study

The sample plan of study is as follows: 1st Semester/Term:

• DANC-GT 2501: Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches I (4 credits)
• DANC-GT 2503: Worldmaking (4 credits)
• DANC-GT 2031: Writing: Contemporary Performance Practice (4 credits)
• Electives (4 credits) Total: 16 credits 2nd Semester/Term:
• DANC-GT 2502: Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches II (2 credits)
• DANC-GT 2504: Pedagogy (2 credits)
• DANC-GT 2506: Current Topics in Dance Studies (4 credits)
• Electives (4 credits) Total: 12 credits 3rd Semester/Term:
• Independent Study (2 credits) Total: 2 credits 4th Semester/Term:
• DANC-GT 2508: The Business of Art (4 credits)
• Electives (4 credits)
• Independent Study (8 credits) Total: 16 credits 5th Semester/Term:
• DANC-GT 2502: Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches II (2 credits)
• Electives (4 credits)
• Independent Study (8 credits) Total: 14 credits Total Credits: 60

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have achieved:

1. The completion of a thesis or creative project that reflects significant artistic development or contributes new insights to the field.
2. The ability to formulate a clear plan for a sustainable artistic practice.
3. The curation of a portfolio, which may include teaching philosophy, dance video, scholarly writing, website development, new class syllabi, or other work accumulated over the program's two years.
4. A deepened understanding of connections between dance and other fields, by exploring diverse disciplines and reimagining their relationship with dance.
5. The capacity to engage in critical conversation on embodied process from multiple perspectives.

Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages. Additional academic policies can be found on the Tisch academic policy page.