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 NYU 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.
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.
Students will work with a faculty mentor through Independent Study from second-year fall through the culminating project in the second year spring, including the summer term which will include the option of teaching one week in the BFA Summer Program.
2
Students will work with and academic advisor to select electives based on their interest(s) of research study. Example electives are a non-exhaustive list. Course options vary semesterly and can be taken within the Dance Department, other Tisch departments, and/or other NYU schools.
3
Offered by the department of Performance Studies.
4
Offered by the department of Art and Public Policy.
Culminating Final Project
The Culminating Final Project is a creative endeavor supported by a body of work generated over two years of investigative and mentored research. The project may encompass a broad range of political, cultural and historical contexts. This is an opportunity to contribute new perspectives to the field, and may take a variety of formats:
Evening length performance (30-45 minutes)
Substantial Research Paper
As an interdisciplinary program, we accept multiple forms of writing and performance
Film/Multimedia Project (of comparable scale): choose to work in a variety of media based formats that include dance-film, video art, virtual gallery, vr, xr, ar, and interactive installation projects that are all housed within an online or online formats including a website, social media platforms, aps for devices and blogs.
Curatorial Project, such as a panel or conference
Scientific study
Pedagogical Contribution- Online learning module, presentation of technique or embodied practice
Graduate Dance Seminar: Insights and Approaches II
2
Electives
4
Independent Study (Thesis Mentorship)
8
Credits
14
Total Credits
60
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have achieved:
The completion of a thesis or creative project that reflects significant artistic development or contributes new insights to the field.
The ability to formulate a clear plan for a sustainable artistic practice.
The curation of a portfolio, which may include teaching philosophy, dance video, scholarly writing, website development, new class syllabi, or other work accumulated over the program’s two years.
A deepened understanding of connections between dance and other fields, by exploring diverse disciplines and reimagining their relationship with dance.
The capacity to engage in critical conversation on embodied process from multiple perspectives.