Promoted by Northern School of Contemporary Dance

The 21st century combination of dance and creative enterprise

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Today’s competitive creative climate demands more from dancers and choreographers than technique. Those who manage to grasp a range of creative enterprise skills have an edge over their competitors and are more likely to excel.

All artists who study dance can expect to refine and develop their performance, but few are taught valuable arts management skills over the course of their studies, making it difficult to strike a balance between presentation and production.

An emerging choreographer has a long list of responsibilities to juggle, including managing and evaluating a project through all its phases, budgeting, fundraising and marketing. A great independent artist must therefore be confident both behind and beyond the curtain. With the right project management skills under your belt, you can make the most of your raw talent and stand out from the crowd.

If you’re keen to create your own work and seize any opportunity that comes your way, opt for a Master’s that also develops your project management, fundraising and marketing skills to help take your work to the next level.

One conservatoire dance school that promotes and teaches these skills is the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) in Leeds, UK.

A leading centre for dance education and development, NSCD collaborates with both national and international partners, providing you with an inclusive, mutually respectful and generous learning environment. It’s a place of imagination and innovation, where you can take creative risks and grow as an artistic individual.

As NSCD Principal, Janet Smith MBE explains, “The staff and I are proud of the expressive, reflective performers, and the distinctive creative voices emerging from the school. It’s extremely rewarding to see our graduates achieving their ambitions. In so doing, many are breaking new ground. We are also very excited to see many of them interested in reaching out to help make the world a better place through dance, knowing that dance matters.”

NSCD’s MA Dance & Creative Enterprise (DACE)

This Master’s programme at NSCD will grant you the tools needed to thrive in today’s competitive choreographic sphere.

The course fully supports independent artists and their creative ideas, enabling them to define and develop their artistic voice while learning essential skills in project management, business planning, fundraising and marketing.

The uniqueness of the course lies in the way the module structure balances choreography and research-led activity with vital business skills. Supplementing your creative ambitions with fundamental knowledge of how business works gives an edge to your professional portfolio.

The MA DACE encourages further development through individual and collaborative approaches to arts practice and enterprise, all under the guidance of some of the UK’s leading academics, practitioners and specialists in both the art and business of dance.

Graduates of the course have gone on to showcase their innovative work internationally, work as producers for arts venues, and even run successful arts festivals.

Keeping the course content engaging, NSCD delivers this degree through a combination of practical classes and workshops, lectures and seminars, meetings with academic tutors and small group tutorials that enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered.

You’ll have access to industry-standard facilities and additional rehearsal spaces to refine your personal projects and productions, including eight large dance studios, the Riley Theatre, a lighting studio and a gymnasium.

With additional tuition including evening enrichment classes (which have previously included pointe work, men’s ballet vocabulary and lighting for dance), and workshops and talks by guest choreographers and companies, this school has it all.

There’s even reduced-price theatre tickets, health and well-being days, and on-site injury intervention and counselling services.

By enrolling in the MA DACE, graduates leave prepared for the modern creative industries, powered by the confidence to create their own work and evolve into successful producers, forming their own company or taking centre stage on artistic productions.

So, if you’re ready to take your place in the creative industries to higher ground, apply now.

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