COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master of Dance is a two-year full-time graduate degree comprising seven compulsory subjects and positioned at Level 9 of the Australian Qualifications Framework. The course is delivered in English and designed for students seeking advanced scholarly and practice-based engagement with contemporary dance. Applicants who already hold an Honours qualification in dance or a related field may be eligible for 100 points of credit and direct entry into the second year. Admission is based on academic achievement or professional experience in dance or related performing arts. In the first year, students undertake four core subjects that introduce diverse theoretical and practical perspectives. Body, Time, Space and Place examines dance in situ through ecological dramaturgy, somatic practices and intercultural understandings of place, explored through site-specific movement and choreography. Inter-Disciplinary Dance Methods investigates research methodologies in dance studies, critically addressing historical, cultural and aesthetic contexts while analysing convergences between dance and other fields. Choreography as Research provides a collaborative laboratory setting where students develop artistic identity and engage in practice-led exploration using dramaturgical tools, feedback processes and contemporary theoretical lenses. Dance Writing, Archives and Documentation explores how dance is transmitted and recorded through movement writing, oral traditions, digital and multimodal documentation, notation and archival practices. In the second year, Critical Dance Pedagogy examines teaching and learning in community, studio, educational and professional settings, providing strategies for inclusive, culturally relevant and embodied pedagogical practice, supported by a supervised placement. Dance Science and Somatics focuses on safe and effective practice, integrating physiology, biomechanics, psychology and somatic approaches to optimise wellbeing and performance. The Research Project capstone requires students to design and execute an independent research inquiry presented as an exegesis and creative portfolio, which may include live or digital performance outcomes, functioning as preparation for potential research higher degree study.