MA Professional and Commercial Dance

Program Overview

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Course Details

The 1-year MA Professional and Commercial Dance has been created and delivered by Shockout Arts. Shockout Arts track record for developing current and industry-focused dance programmes has seen them gain national and international recognition, equipping students and individuals for a dynamic and fast-moving sector.

This innovative and challenging MA allows you to refine your technical, creative and performance practices through a range of projects, performance opportunities and traditional taught modules, designed to nurture and advance the creative practice of dancers and practitioners at all stages of their careers. The programme will also equip students with wider skills surrounding entrepreneurship and creative planning to enable students to sustain career longevity within the dance industry.

This exciting programme allows you to create and form a pioneering, original professional and commercial dance graduate company. Based at Shockout Arts, studying and training in purpose-built, high-specification dance and performing arts studios. The programme will be delivered by a combination of Shockout Arts professionals alongside industry specialists from various fields within the sector to ensure outstanding quality teaching driven by and reflecting industry standards and expectations.

Alongside dance and creative practice students will also be challenged to analyse the professional and commercial dance arena to refine their identity within this emerging area of research surrounding professional and commercial dance. This programme will provide you with real-world experience of professional company ethos and practices to ensure longevity within the ever-evolving professional and commercial dance industry.

For full details about Shockout Arts, their open days and accommodation, please visit www.weareshockout.com

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Highlights

Shockout Arts is a dynamic and innovative institution – the first in the country to offer higher-level and postgraduate qualifications in professional and commercial dance.

This programme will allow you to create and form an emerging graduate dance company within the arena of professional and commercial dance.

This innovative and challenging MA programme offers you the opportunity to advance and refine your technical, creative and performance practices through a range of projects, performance opportunities and traditional taught modules.

This course provides you with the chance to interact, learn and work alongside professional artists from the dance industry. These can include professional dancers, directors, producers and choreographers.

Shockout students have worked with some of the biggest artists in the music and performing arts industry. Credits include Janet Jackson, Kendrick Lamar, Little Mix, Stormzy, Mabel, X Factor and many more.

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Key Features

You’ll also have access to the University’s e-learning resources, an extensive e-library and range or resources.

We offer you opportunities to learn and work with industry professionals from the UK and around the world.

The programme synthesises the traditional techniques of contemporary, jazz, ballet, street and hip hop within the context of commercial and professional dance.

The practical elements of this course involve workshops and structured professional practice in a range of dance types, supported and underpinned by relevant academic elements delivered through lectures, presentations, seminars and tutorials.

This programme actively engages with an exciting and emerging area of research surrounding professional and commercial dance and its associated practices.

The programme creates performance opportunities at a professional level where you can explore and refine your unique choreographic and artistic voice.

Program Outline

This MA aims to provide an industry-relevant specialised education that will refine and nurture your skills, knowledge and expertise in a range of professional and commercial dance genres to a professional level alongside refining and developing wider employability skills to ensure career longevity.

Being able to provide our students with the best possible progression route is highly important to us. As a result of their hard work, our past and present students have performed with some of the biggest names in the dance and performing arts industry.

Credits include: Janet Jackson, Dua Lipa, Zara Larsson, Alexander Burke, Tinie Tempah, Rita Ora, Kendrick Lamar, Ludacris, Mabel, Hrvy, Steff London, Jax Jones, Mariah Carey, Cheryl Cole, Pixie Lott, French Montanna, Demi Lovato, Kylie Minogue, Paloma Faith, Zayn Malik, Will.I.Am, Jess Glyne, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Leshur, Flo Rida, Bebe Rexha, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, Spice Girls Tour, Rai Elle, Stormzy, MTV VMA’s and EMA’s, BRIT Awards, The MOBO’s, X Factor, The Voice, Jingle Bell Ball, V Festival, Wireless, Parklife, Lovebox.

What can I do with this qualification?

Graduates can take advantage of opportunities in a wide range of careers relating to performance, creative producing, education, community, and curatorial and arts administration. Opportunities exist in commercial dance for TV, cruise ships and in promotion and commercial events and popular music performances.

Alternatively, you may choose to further your studies and research at doctoral level contributing to the knowledge of professional and commercial dance.

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Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Possible areas of employment include:

Teaching and education

Arts administration

Broadcasting

Event management

Dance therapy

Marketing and PR

Advertising

Community arts

Musical theatre

Journalism and writing

Mental health and wellbeing

Dance critic

Choreography

Creative direction