Dance Studies - MA
Key information
UL’s one-year, full-time Master of Arts (MA) in Dance Studies is designed for experienced dancers in Irish, Ballet, Contemporary and other forms who wish to deepen their academic and reflective practice.
The programme supports students in contextualising their performance experience through critical engagement with theory, ethnography, and cultural analysis.
You will explore diverse repertoires and styles through both practical and theoretical lenses, while developing skills in fieldwork, ethnographic writing, and ritual studies.
Modules also introduce interdisciplinary approaches to dance, including media technologies, somatics, and documentation of arts practice.
You will produce a final presentation output or dissertation, allowing you to showcase your research or performance at a professional level.
Graduates are equipped for careers in dance performance, education, cultural policy, or further academic research.
During this programme, you will:
- Develop theoretical and practical knowledge of diverse dance repertoires, including Irish, Contemporary and Western Art styles.
- Critically engage with ethnographic research methods and fieldwork techniques used in dance studies.
- Explore dance forms in cultural and ritual contexts, linking performance to historical and genealogical roots.
- Learn to document and reflect on dance practice through writing, media technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches.
- Choose from a wide range of electives including somatics, choreography for camera, cultural policy, and Irish traditional music and dance.
- Complete a final dissertation or presentation demonstrating your research or performance expertise.
