Dance: Interdisciplinary Research (MFA)

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Program Description

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.

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 Tisch 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.

The 2-year, 60-credit program will accept 4 students.  Full tuition remission is provided.

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.  

Additional info can be found on our webpage. 

Community Engagement

Students are encouraged to engage with an outside community organization or production company in the Fall of the 2nd year. This experience is meant to activate dance within other contexts outside of the Tisch academic setting. The goal is to create deeper artistic, intellectual, communal, civic and social impact for the culminating project and its dissemination in the professional world while offering service to the local community. Through exposure to cultural production in the workforce, clear strategies for identifying and expanding one's audience/community, along with post-graduation job placement can be generated.

Potential sites for the relevant application of dance research within this component include social justice organizations, non-profit art institutions, digital technology labs, wellness and movement therapy programs, environmental organizations, design houses/ateliers, research institutes, etc.

Admissions

All graduate applicants to the Tisch School of the Arts are required to submit the General Graduate Application, as well as a department-specific portfolio or creative supplement. Each of these can be submitted online.

See Graduate Admissions for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

For international applicants, see International Applicant Requirements. Applicants with international credentials should be sure to check to see if their credentials are equivalent to an American Bachelor’s degree before applying.