Dance Pedagogy (N0215A310039)

Programme objectives

The Master's degree in Dance Pedagogy provides education in the field of dance pedagogy, which includes the development of the student's methodological and didactic thinking within the chosen curriculum and pedagogical skills based on intensive practice. The teaching system encourages the student to conduct his/her own movement research. It provides space for the development of his/her creativity and artistic expression. Through the form of discussion, the student alienates the way of thinking and looking at the issues of dance pedagogy and education in the 21st century in the Czech and international context.

The student systematically deepens his professional methodological and didactic knowledge in the given specialisation, which logically follows and develops his creative pedagogical skills, thinking and complex reasoning about movement based on the anatomical knowledge of the body that he has acquired in the Bachelor's programme.

He/she will gain a detailed overview of the development of dance in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries and the basics of dance management and production. The student learns to contextualize a professional topic and perceive the chosen field in the context of dance in general and in relation to other artistic disciplines and culture.

Future dance educators who undergo intensive dance practice supervised by university studies in dance pedagogy will contribute in a distinctive way to the development of dance education. Through their pedagogical work in leisure activities, they will also contribute to the broader education of society in the field of dance, which is today a fundamental prerequisite for the existence of and respect for professional art.

Profile of a programme graduate

The student is able to competently teach dance techniques and repertoire specialized according to the chosen in different age groups and at all levels of expertise of the dance performer. He/she is able to perceive the role of the dance teacher not only in terms of narrowly professional dance teaching, but also in terms of pedagogical psychology and to be aware of the responsibility for the overall development of the dance performer. He/she must be able to define goals, choose methods and procedures. The basic values in teaching should be above all - the ability to motivate, communicative skills, empathy, respect and trust, openness, positive attitude, constant self-development, search for new ways and approaches, self-reflection. The graduate strengthens his/her conviction of the effectiveness of pedagogical action in accordance with the value orientation and in terms of the principles of communication in a democratic society.

The student demonstrates a broad knowledge of the history, theories, concepts and methods of dance and the discipline, and is able to apply this knowledge to artistic/creative practice in the field of dance arts. Can ask questions and locate, organize and interpret information or sources of inspiration relevant to the solution of a defined problem or artistic representation of a given topic. The student can use dance terminology and basic technologies of the field and,

The student is able to incorporate consideration of the ethical dimension of problems into problem solving. The student is able to communicate clearly and persuasively to professionals and lay people the nature of professional problems in dance and non-verbal theatre and his/her own views on their solution. Is able to collaborate effectively and harmoniously on collective team projects and to summarise the views of other team members in a clear manner. Is able to communicate within the scope of his/her professional knowledge and skills in at least one foreign language. He/she is able to acquire further professional knowledge, skills and competences independently, based primarily on practical experience and its evaluation, but also by independent study of theoretical knowledge in the field.

Rules and requirements for creating study plans

The basic framework for the conception of study programmes at AMU is created by the AMU Rules of Quality Assurance System, specifying the basic principles of accreditation processes. The current practice is further formally anchored by the AMU Accreditation Rules. These set the parameters common to all study programmes taught at AMU and also transfer part of the responsibility for subject specifications (theatre, music, dance, film/television) to the faculties.

The curricula are drawn up in accordance with the AMU Attendance and Examination Regulations. On the basis of the specificities of higher artistic education, this document defines within the typology of subjects the required main subject (PH): this is a key artistic (or talent-based) core course, for which the assessment is always carried out on a commission basis and which does not allow for re-attestation. Another specificity of the curricula is the flexibility allowed in the distribution of credits (60 ECTS per academic year) between the winter and summer semesters, based on the greater workload associated with the completion of artistic outputs in the summer semester in some disciplines

The theoretical and historical background of the field is a compulsory part of all study programmes; these are compulsory core courses co-determining the profile of the graduate and forming part of the state final examination. Each study plan also includes compulsory completion of discipline-specific English language instruction, with a minimum of 6 ECTS per study cycle.

Courses completed by examination are graded on a scale from A to E (F = fail), while „pass/fail“ grades are used for other courses; a combination of the two types of assessment is not possible.

The standard length of a lesson is 45 minutes. The basic organisational forms of teaching are lecture, seminar, exercise, workshop, the last three forms of teaching involving the creation of artistic outputs to varying degrees. Teaching takes place either on a weekly basis or in the form of intensive blocks or workshops.

The curriculum automatically assumes prerequisites in the form of sequences of courses, indicated by an ascending number after the course title. This type of prerequisite is not specifically mentioned in Part BIII for individual courses. If a course has a non-sequential prerequisite, it is explicitly listed in Part BIII for the course. In the same sense, we do not list prerequisites; these are determined by the mandatory inclusion of the course in a particular year and semester along with other courses.

The candidate applies directly to one of the three specializations: Methods of Classical Ballet Technique, Methods of Modern and Contemporary Dance, Methods of Folk Dance. The ratio of the credit load of the specialization part to the common base is 20%.

The common core subjects are: Master Diploma Thesis Seminar 1–4, Didactics of Dance Education 1–2, Pedagogy 1–2, Dance in Europe after 1945 1-2, Kinesiology 1–2, Organization and Management in Dance Education 1–2, Basics of Dance Aesthetics 1–2, English for Students of Theatre 3–4.

The curriculum includes compulsory elective trainings other than the student's own specialization, which increase the student's technical proficiency and his/her perception of methodological work in the context of other dance techniques. Each semester the sudent must elect one of two dance trainings outside their specialization to get at least 2 credits from the compulsory elective trainings per semester.

The curriculum provides for elective courses, which make up 22 credits out of a total of 120. Courses to be listed include Dance and camera, Dance on Points, Folk Dance Repertoire, Dance Interpretation Practice, Stage Practicum, Folk Dance Culture, Dramaturgy of Ballet and multimedia Theatre, Analysis of Dance, Methods of Writing Professional Essays and Thesis, Intermedia and Stage Technology, Historical Dances, Laban movement analysis / dance movement therapy, Kinetography, and others.

General information about admission process

The entrance examination consists of an interview on professional issues, dance technique exercise analysis, the focus of the candidate's Master's studies, and the abstract of the intended thesis in the chosen specific curriculum.

There is a fee for studying in English. The amount of tuition fees for each study programme, including specialisations, is set by the Dean's Decree, which is published in the relevant section of the faculty website in English.

The conditions of the admission procedure, including the determination of the method of scoring and its range, are regulated for each academic year by the relevant decree of the Dean, which is subject to approval by the Academic Senate of the Faculty.

Applicability to other types of academic programmes

Graduates of the Master's programme in dance pedagogy may apply for a doctoral programme in a related field - dance science or choreography and choreographic theory. He or she is also eligible to continue in a doctoral program in other humanities or arts disciplines.

Parts of the state final examination and their contents

The SCP consists of two parts

1. Graduate artistic performance - pedagogical output: teaching performance of a 90-minutes lesson in a given specialization.
2. Written thesis of min. 40 standard pages

State final exam consists of three parts

1. Defence of the pedagogical output of the given specialization
2. Defence of diploma thesis
3. Theoretical oral examination

a. Didactics and methodology of the given specialization

b. Pedagogy (subject of the profiling foundation Pedagogy)

Other academic duties

An obligatory component of the study is active participation of students in professional discussions, shows, analysis or dance-educational seminars and workshops organized by AMU or other institutions. The student systematically examines the topics discussed in his/her teaching practice. He/she observes and compares the teaching methods of different teachers - he/she completes observations with recommended teachers or educational institutions with a dance focus of different types (i.e. state conservatories, dance studios, professional dance companies) and creates a structured record of the visits.

Students work systematically on their master's thesis and engage in research activities as part of their master's thesis. Study the required and recommended professional literature.

During the course of their studies, students create their own professional portfolio, in which they continuously incorporate the outputs of assignments and independent activities within their core courses. The finished portfolio is presented during the final state examination in didactics and methodology of their specialisation.

Anticipated job placement for graduates (typical employment)

A graduate of the Master's programme in Dance Pedagogy is able to competently teach dance techniques and repertoire specialised according to the chosen curriculum. He/she is prepared to methodically lead dance classes for all ages. He/she can be employed as a dancer, dance teacher, ballet master, repetiteur, assistant choreographer etc., in theatres and ballet or dance companies as well as in art education.

He or she is also equipped with an overview of dance history and theory, the basics of dance composition, improvisation, choreography, stage practice, dramaturgy and production, so that he or she can pursue artistic creative or organizational work in the field.

He is ale to organize, author-legally, or author-technically secure a public presentation of an artistic performance. He/she is able to coordinate the activities of a creative team in the realisation of an artistic work of a smaller scale and simpler character and to take responsibility for its results, according to the framework assignment and the resources allocated within his/her field.