Curious about studying MA Dance and Choreographyat Leeds Beckett University? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
MA - Master of Arts
City Campus
Part Time
Sep 2026
2 Year
Perform and create dance and choreographic work in professional standard contexts. You’ll collaborate in an exciting, dynamic and experimental environment. As part of this course, you’ll have opportunity to: Find new ways to produce and perform innovative choreography Choose optional modules to create an individually tailored programme of study Explore your artistic interests and make several new performance works including a final major work of your choosing Engage with up-to-date dance scholarship and learn how to apply this to industry practice Use alternative and traditional settings for dance performance; studio, theatre, gallery, museum, site and/or screen-based projects are all possible Study participatory, immersive and socially engaged practices to develop new creative practice with community groups Share ideas with fellow students to collaborate, critique and engage with each other's artistic identities Develop the skills to respond to dance and choreographic commissions Direct, perform in or collaborate on interdisciplinary and experimental projects Your creative community On this course you’ll join a dynamic creative community at Leeds School of Arts, where you’ll learn from dedicated industry professionals who perform, create and write. Your lecturers bring insights from working as artists and teachers with leading choreographers, dance companies and festivals nationally and internationally. You’ll learn alongside fellow dance-artist students from different parts of the world. We encourage a collaborative community where you’ll be able to share practice, participate in each other’s projects and learn from fellow artists on your course. We support bold experimentation and dynamic skill acquisition.
Explore a range of research methods relevant to the performing arts, including both traditional and creative practice approaches. This module will help you identify and apply appropriate research strategies for your own independent project. You'll engage with methods such as creative archival research, practice-based research, theatre, dance and performance history, performer training as research, body-centred performance research, applied performance research, audience studies, and ethnographic and critical approaches to performance analysis (e.g. semiotic, phenomenological, post-structural, feminist, postcolonial, and queer perspectives). Optional modules may also be available for this course.
This module presents a set of artistic commission briefs, delivered sequentially. Each brief outlines specific requirements and desired outcomes, challenging you to respond resourcefully and creatively within tight timeframes. You'll explore a breadth of choreographic, theatre, and performance-making approaches, each shaped by distinct audience, contextual, and commissioning demands. The emphasis is on your ability to work responsively, adapting your practice to meet a range of expectations. Each commission offers an opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of your creative practice. Assessment focuses on your imaginative skills, your responsiveness to different stakeholders, and your ability to communicate effectively – both through the creative work itself and through your professional conduct throughout the process. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
Build on the thinking and practices introduced in the R&D and Commission modules from semester 1. In this module, you'll engage with dramaturgical practice as both a method of choreographic analysis and a tool for deepening rigour in your creative process. You'll focus on developing your ability to reflect critically in and on the creation of your own choreographic ideas. Beginning with the notion of the dramaturg working from the centre of creation, you'll employ dramaturgical strategies to explore, interrogate, and expand your own and others' choreographic material and thinking. A key part of the module involves sharing your work-in-progress in a dramaturgical forum, where you'll observe and critically discuss the micro and macro details of each other's material. You'll also explore experimental strategies to question how your work communicates meaning, concept, and embodiment. Your choreographic material will be examined through physical, conceptual, visual, and structural lenses – using research, practice, and dialogue to strengthen the integrity of the emerging choreographic work. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
This module brings together your learning from across the master’s degree. You'll design and deliver a major research project that includes a completed performance work, publicly presented during the end-of-course festival. Your project will also include a coherent and reflective piece of critical writing or a viva voce, articulating the findings of your creative and academic research enquiry. In addition, you'll produce an artist statement aligned with professional expectations, complementing your final performance. The project should demonstrate a professional approach to both the creative process and the presentation of cultural work. Ultimately, you'll be encouraged to actively engage with contemporary communication channels to showcase your potential to shape current art practices and contribute new perspectives and understandings. Optional modules may also be available for this course.
4.4
