The Master's program in Contemporary Dance Education (MA CoDE), successfully accredited according to the Bologna guidelines, is aimed at professional and experienced dancers, performers and choreographers who wish to explore the foundations of their work. The program, conceived under the direction of Prof. Ingo Diehl and established in the long term at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main responds to the increasing demands and current artistic developments in the professional field. The Master of Arts degree equates to 120 ECTS credit points and qualifies for the third cycle of the Bologna Process.

Competences

The English-language full-time program trains skills in developing and communicating the latest approaches to learning in the field of dance. Through a wide range of propositions/offers especially the personal interests of the students will be carved out and supported. The focus in education lies on a comparative methodology in contemporary dance and in group-processes as well as in somatic practices. The theoretical direction of the program focuses on new approaches in dance and training-science and physical research alongside processes of artistic documentation. Through supplemental focuses in the fields of communication and management students will be qualified to promote the development of structures and the dance field’s general framework. The M.A. program places itself internationally within the field of artistic research, theoretical contextualisation and practical use.

Aims

The aim is to train dance educators who are capable of combining educational activities with high artistic aspirations as training directors or choreographic assistants in municipal theaters or on the independent scene, as dance educators at universities, in private dance schools, or in the municipal sector. Graduates should be able to implement their knowledge and skills in various working areas and shape the future of dance.

Partners

The various offers and the connections with the professional field in the form of targeted projects and interdisciplinary exchange formats are carried out in association with the Hessian Theatre Academy and in close cooperation with the Motion Bank/Hochschule Mainz project (Institut Designlabor Gutenberg) and various foundations. The close collaboration with the international MA CoDE alumni network is integrated in the study course. The program currently cooperates with major events in the field, such as the German Dance Congress, the choreographer Jenny Beyer and the Choreographic Centre K3 at Kampnagel in Hamburg as well as the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt or the Tanzhaus NRW. There are close partnerships with study programs at the universities DOCH Stockholm, the International Summer Academy of Hollins University (USA) in Berlin, the Academy for Cultural Education Remscheid and the Riveria Outokumpu dance department in Finland. Further informations on these outreach-projects you’ll find under News/Projects.

Admission to the Master's program in Contemporary Dance Education requires:

• a Bachelor degree or a comparable academic degree or
• three years or more of professional experience (evidence must be submitted) in the field of dance as well as proof of knowledge and skills demonstrated at the entrance examination and equivalent to an academic degree required pursuant to lit. a).

For admission to this Master's program in Contemporary Dance Education a sufficient written and oral command of German or English is required. Admission to the Master's program in Contemporary Dance Education is also subject to candidates passing an entrance examination. 

The application process for this full time study program occurs every three semesters. The next admission begins in winter semester 2024.

The application deadline is February 1st to April 1st, 2024.

The entrance examination comprises theoretical as well as practical components:

1. Upload relevant certificates and three written tasks which demonstrate a knowledge of the art form dance, choreographic and performative aspects, teaching of movement concepts as well as an adequate ability to express oneself in writing in the German or English language.
   (a) A personal letter of motivation stating the reasons for choosing this course and university as well as the candidate's ideas in relation to his/her future positioning in the sphere of work (ca. 4000 characters)
   (b) A written report on a performance or dance lesson of one's own choice (ca. 2000 characters)
   (c) A written didactic plan of a teaching concept (1 A4 page) 
   (d) Payment of Fee
2. The Audition to which selected participants will be invited consists of four practical components:
   (a) pedagogic communication of a teaching concept (20-30 minutes) in addition to a written didactic plan of the teaching concept (1 A4 page)
   (b) written analysis and reflection of a teaching unit in situ (30 minutes)
   (c) practical examination in physical/technical experience and skills as well as a group examination in artistic and improvisational skills (30 minutes)
   (d) presentation of a piece of movement research (ca. 5 - 10 minutes)
3. Interview:
   (a) Discussion about the motivation for the chosen field of study and where the candidate imagines his/her future sphere of activities. At the candidate's request, the interview may be conducted in English (20 minutes).
   (b) Candidates who do not hold a first academic degree have to demonstrate evidence of the knowledge and competences corresponding to a first academic degree appropriate for the chosen program of study. As evidence, the candidate must present a report on a topic taken from the field of work in a second interview (20 minutes). This part of the examination will be assessed as "bestanden" (passed) or "nicht bestanden" (failed). Admission to the Master's program in Contemporary Dance Pedagogy is not possible if a candidate fails this part of the entrance examination. The assessment will not be included in the overall result of the entrance examination.

The aptitude test is conducted in two stages. The first stage (two written tasks) must be passed. Failure to pass the first stage of the test precludes participation in the remaining stages and the test has not been passed. The written tasks have to be uploaded together with the documents and will be proofed by three examiners.

The following points can be achieved:
2a): 0-7 points
2b): 0-5 points
2c): 0-3 points
2d): 0-5 points
3a): 0-5 points

The entrance examination is declared "passed" if candidates achieve a minimum of 13 points (a maximum of 25 points is possible) overall.

Please apply online!

The application deadline is February 1st to April 1st, 2024.