Art of Dance and Nonverbal Theatre (P0215D310011)

Programme objectives

The goal of the programme in the Dance Pedagogy specialisation is to deepen the student’s familiarity with the issues of the field. The programme facilitates the student’s understanding of the links between artistic didactics, theories and methods of education, and scientific research in biomechanics or psychosomatics. Research in the interdisciplinary field of dance pedagogy interconnects knowledge from a wide range of specialist disciplines related to the science of the body, movement thinking, the physical skills of an individual or a specific group, dance medicine, kinesiology and pedagogical psychology.

In the artistic and creative specialisations of Choreography and Non-Verbal Theatre, the doctoral programme combines education in the artistic and scientific spheres. In both areas, the goal of the programme is to deepen the student’s familiarity with the issues of the field and to facilitate his or her understanding of the links between artistic practice and theory. The student creates his or her own interconnected artistic and theoretical profile. The programme includes the graduate performance in the form of a presentation of an artistic creative project.

The goal of the programme in the Dance Theory specialisation is to deepen the student’s knowledge of the scholarly discourse in the field, its methods, tendencies and the results of current research. At the same time, emphasis is placed on developing each student's research specialisation. This is manifested in the dissertation, which is an independent scholarly work in the field of dance theory focusing on significant issues in the field, presenting new findings, developing new methodological procedures and stimulating the development of the entire field. The student elaborates a selected topic in the area of historical and systematic dance theory (history of dance including contemporary history, dance anthropology, analysis and theory of dance, sociology of dance, aesthetics of dance, psychology of dance, etc.). As part of the programme, the student also becomes involved in scholarly life in the form of participation in scholarly conferences, publishing activities, and collaboration on international projects. At the same time, the student participates in the department’s grant activities and related opportunities to develop the field.

Profile of a programme graduate

A graduate in the Dance Theory specialisation is equipped for scholarly activity in the field at the national and international level, and engages with confidence in historical, theoretical, and in particular methodological discourse. The graduate is able to perform independent research, which he or knows how to conceive from the phase of studying sources and field research to their criticism to scholarly elaboration with invention and scientific precision. The graduate has his or her own clearly defined position in the contemporary research spectrum, is involved in scientific life and brings to it a distinctive topic, point of view and interpretation of phenomena.

A graduate of the specialisations in Choreography and Non-Verbal Theatre is a distinctive artistic personality able to create a work of art (including the ability to make the necessary practical and organisational arrangements), who advances original artistic values, demonstrates facility with the contemporary artistic discourse and introduces distinctive features to it. At the same time, the graduate is well oriented in the field’s scholarly discourse and is able to formulate a theoretical reflection on the field with scientific objectivity. The graduate’s scientific skills are unique, particularly in his or her theoretical understanding and interpretation of the internal mechanisms underlying the formation of an artistic work, as well as the link between artistic expression and the conceptual/artistic context.

A graduate of the Dance Pedagogy specialisation is an artistic pedagogical personality who makes use of proven and innovative methods and approaches in educational processes, and demonstrates a facility with contemporary artistic and scientific discourse. He or she is able to formulate a theoretical reflection on the field with scientific objectivity. His or her expert role lies in comprehensive consideration of the art of dance, the body and movement, and in the ability to work eruditely with the standards of pedagogical engagement to educate and train a future artist or to provide lifelong education.

Expert knowledge

• The graduate possesses deep knowledge of the historical and cultural contexts in the theory and practice of the art of dance and non-verbal theatre.

• The graduate possesses detailed knowledge of dance and non-verbal theatre, their movement principles, specific characteristics and constitutive elements, as well as the theoretical and methodological tools utilised to study their nature.

• The graduate has an overview of developments hitherto and the current state of dance research with respect to the issues of his or her field, both domestically and internationally.

• He or she is well oriented in current developmental trends in choreography, directing, aesthetics and didactics, and is able to formulate well-founded opinions on these trends.

• The graduate demonstrates superior and comprehensive knowledge in the creative, teaching and research areas specified in his or her individual study plan, and is able to communicate this knowledge in the form of teaching as well as in scholarly discussions.

Specialist skills

• In addition to his or her command of classical staging approaches, the graduate is also able to make use of current technological possibilities in the areas of choreography and directing in a multimedia and interactive environment.

• A graduate in the artistic and creative specialisations of Choreography and Non-Verbal Theatre is capable of fully autonomous creation. Skills of the craft enable him or her to respond flexibly to the demands of individual genres while maintaining a high level of artistic quality.

• The graduate is proficient in the standard scientific and investigative working methods of artistic and art-theoretical research, and is able to apply these methods.

• The graduate is able to publish in the scholarly press, perform qualified critical and popularisation activities, and elaborate teaching texts (e.g. lecture notes, educational presentations), monographs and scholarly works with a systematic, analytical, didactic or historical focus.

• The graduate is able to work as a highly specialised teacher in secondary and higher education.

General competencies

• The graduate is able to communicate fluently about highly specialist issues in his or her native language and one foreign language; the graduate is able to express himself or herself in a cultivated manner both orally and in writing.

• The graduate is able to identify suitable grant opportunities and implement scholarly projects, both as an individual investigator and as the leader of an investigative or artistic team.

• The graduate is able to participate creatively in the activities of a team or working unit, taking a conceptual and systematic approach to long-term goals and standard activities alike.

• The graduate is able to conceive and organise larger scholarly events (conferences, symposia, workshops, summer schools, and the like).

• The graduate is able to contribute to the integration of dance and non-verbal theatre into the contemporary social scene, and to support their cultural promotion and appreciation.

Rules and requirements for creating study plans

General information about admission process

The doctoral programmes with specialisations in Dance Theory, Dance Pedagogy, Choreography and Non-Verbal Theatre are intended for Master’s programme graduates in these fields and related fields who pass the entrance examination and demonstrate the necessary knowledge of the field.

The applicant is required to include a proposal for the dissertation project with his or her application.

Educational and practical requirements

• compelling results hitherto in creative production, choreographic composition, publication activity or applied research;
• creative thinking ability and/or dance-theoretical/dance-scientific thinking ability;
• a comprehensive overview of the discourse in the field and commensurate ability to articulate one’s ideas;
• knowledge of English with the ability to express oneself professionally in an international dialogue both orally and in writing.

The admissions process consists of one round. During the admissions interview, the applicant shall present his or her project proposal. The entrance examination includes the submission of an overview and results of the applicant’s professional experience hitherto (including a portfolio and publication activities), and an interview examining the applicant’s:

a) familiarity with the methodology and theory of contemporary dance/theatre science and other theoretical approaches in performing arts research;

b) knowledge of the theory and history of dance or non-verbal theatre;

c) familiarity with contemporary artistic trends in dance and non-verbal theatre, and with their interdisciplinary relationships;

d) knowledge of the psychosomatic contexts in dance and movement expression;

e) knowledge of the broader and narrower contexts of the proposed dissertation topic.

The applicant must also possess commensurate knowledge of foreign languages, to be demonstrated in the form of an examination at the AMU Language Centre prior to the start of the admissions interview. The required level and group of languages from which it is possible to pass an examination are defined for each academic year by a relevant Decree of the Dean, which is subject to approval by the academic senate of the faculty.

Together with the application for admission, the applicant shall submit his or her dissertation proposal, including the artistic and theoretical parts of the applicant’s project. In particular, the dissertation proposal shall contain a clear plan of research activities to be conducted during his or her studies, and shall formulate how the applicant intends to actively participate in the artistic and research activities of the departments, or how he or she could become involved in pedagogical activities.

As part of the entrance examination, the applicant shall submit and present representative samples of his or her activities hitherto.

For the theoretical part of the project, the applicant shall specify, among other things:

– the current state of knowledge of the issues, including key scholarly writings as points of departure for his or her own research;

– a specification of the research topic in as much detail as possible;

– anticipated research methods;

– anticipated research objective;

– anticipated component outputs.

Applicability to other types of academic programmes

Parts of the state final examination and their contents

Other academic duties

Characterisation of professional practice

Anticipated job placement for graduates (typical employment)