Dance: Performance and Professional Practices
Full-time
One year
September 2025
In a nutshell
Join us to expand yourself as a performer, an artist, a collaborator, and a well-rounded dance professional in the thriving cultural scene in Salford and Manchester.
This MA Dance Performance and Professional Practices programme is a professionally focused course, co-designed and co-delivered with our industry partner, Joss Arnott Dance (JAD). In this intensive course, you will focus on contemporary dance and contemporary dance performance at the highest level. The programme also addresses the wider needs of the dance professional including modules on producing, teaching and workshop design/delivery – allowing you to develop skills, knowledge and experience to expand their professional opportunities upon graduation.
You will become part of Emergence postgraduate dance company, who work with internationally acclaimed choreographers to produce a programme of new performance work each year. Emergence tour nationally each spring season led by Artistic Director, Joss Arnott, with Programme Leader, Debbie Milner. You can track the progress of this year’s company by following the programme on Instagram @emergence_dance.
This prestigious and highly selective programme has industry collaboration at its heart and mirrors working environments in the creative industries. Graduates have been successful in gaining employment in the region and are central to the buoyant dance infrastructure in the north-west. Alumni are working with companies such as: Company Chameleon, Joss Arnott Dance, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Coalesce Dance Theatre, Move MCHR, Ludus Dance, and Kapow amongst many others.
Beyond the north-west our graduates are working with prestigious companies in the UK and Internationally: New Adventures, Beijing Dance Theatre, ACE Dance and Music, Lisa Simpson Dance, Tavaziva, Springs Dance Company, Gothenburg Opera, and Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre
International
We are excited to promote a globally diverse student cohort and encourage applicants with a diverse range of dance training and education, including professional experience.
International applicants: Please check the international intakes page for the latest information and application dates.
You will:
- Develop as a performer through opportunities to work with Joss Arnott and internationally acclaimed choreographers
- Enhance your ability as both a professional dancer and dance professional, developing your skills as a creative entrepreneur and enabling you to pursue a long-term career in dance
- Have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant arts and performance scene in Salford and Manchester, and expand your creative horizons with a national tour
- Create a portfolio of work and experience that can be used in your wider career
students accepted
This is for you if...
You are an early career dance professional who is a brave and engaging performer, and a committed collaborator.
You are ready for an intensive and rewarding learning experience.
You have a strong technical base in a range of dance styles, in addition to a willingness to experiment creatively and a hunger to develop as a professional dance artist.
All about the course
If you’re an emerging or established dancer who wants to add another dimension to your performance technique, as well as gain an understanding of what it’s like to dance professionally, our MA dance course is for you.
Your first trimester will lay the foundations for your time on this master’s programme. Alongside your fellow students you will work creatively with international choreographers to devise new pieces of repertory. You will develop your choreographic and reflective skills as a developing dance artist.
In your second trimester, you will begin to hone your skills as a performer and ensemble member, as you rehearse and refine the Emergence repertoire ready for touring. As well as continuing to develop your dance technique and performance skills, you’ll look at professional elements of the dance industry, including producing for small to mid-scale touring, and teaching dance in both curriculum-based and community dance settings.
Your final trimester will take you through the performance and professional practices involved in touring. You may be involved in elements such as workshop delivery, supporting the tour producer, engaging with the technical team, and more. As well as this, you’ll be researching an area of your choice, to develop innovative performances and research outputs.
Alongside the creation, rehearsal and touring of the repertoires, modules will combine dance technique lessons, practical workshops, lectures, seminars and student-led discussions. The course allows you to develop a critical and professional understanding of the relationship between theory and practice, best preparing you for a portfolio career.
Find out what you’ll be covering in each module in the full course breakdown below.
Dance Repertory Development
In this first semester, you will establish the new student company and work intensively with international choreographers to create new pieces of repertory. Whilst practically focused, you will also be developing your skills as a reflective artist through engagement in reflective writing and critical analysis.
Personal And Ensemble Development
This module shifts the company from an intensive creative mode into a deeper period of rehearsal and development. Daily technique classes support the rehearsal and refinement of the new works, as well as developing a new ensemble work with Joss Arnott. This module supports you to reflect on your specific development as a dancer and collaborator, building on strengths and addressing areas for development: physically, creatively and professionally. The module is delivered throughout the spring and will include the premiere performance of the new programme of work.
Approaches To Dance Pedagogy
In this module, you will be introduced to the modern perspectives on dance teaching and learning. You'll expand your knowledge of creative and physical techniques implicit in dance workshop development and delivery.
Students have a choice of a second module option in semester two, choosing from one of the following two modules:
Producing For Small and Mid-scale Touring
This module digs into the knowledge, skills and professional context surrounding producing and touring. Taught by professional producers, this module deals with funding, programming, liaising with venues, programmers and technical teams, marketing and audience development. The content is designed to support skills in self-producing as a part of your portfolio career development.
Teaching Strategy And Design In Dance
This practical and theoretical module delves into the concepts and approaches central to dance teaching within a curriculum setting. You will consider the function of curriculum as the ‘spine’ of the learning experience and explore creative and physical approaches to engage you with new skills and knowledge within and through dance. This module will equip you with a foundation of pedagogic theory and practical knowledge central to work in the dance studio as a classroom.
Practice-As-Research Project/Dissertation
In this final project, you will be asked to propose an area of exploration, arising from your experiences in the previous modules and focused on future work within profession. Upon submitting a proposal, you will be assigned a supervisor to support you on this journey of enquiry. Either individually or in collaboration with others, the results of these investigations will be presented at New Adelphi alongside a wider programme of dance performances and events.
Dance Performance Practices
This module is embedded into the performance and professional practices involved in touring. In a six-week block, your learning will occur both on campus in rehearsal and in various national venues during performance. You will also have a professional role in supporting the wider tour, which may include elements of workshop delivery, supporting the tour producer, engaging with the technical team, etc. The module will focus on your practical knowledge of dance performance, but in the professional contexts specific to a touring company.
Please note that it may not be possible to deliver the full list of options every year as this will depend on factors such as how many students choose a particular option. Exact modules may also vary in order to keep content current. When accepting your offer of a place to study on this programme, you should be aware that not all optional modules will be running each year. Your tutor will be able to advise you as to the available options on or before the start of the programme. Whilst the University tries to ensure that you are able to undertake your preferred options, it cannot guarantee this.
BE A PART OF A CREATIVE, SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY
All our Dance courses are delivered by the Salford School of Arts, Media, and Creative Technology. Our focus is to ensure that you have the skills you need to pursue your dreams, and we encourage our students, past and present, to collaborate with each other and achieve great things.
Each year - through the Create Student Awards – our school celebrates the incredible achievements and successes of our final year and postgraduate students.
Whatever you choose to study with us, you’ll be mentored and supported by experts. And once you graduate, it won’t end there. You’ll join a thriving alumni network across Greater Manchester and beyond, meaning you’ll be supported professionally and personally whenever you need it.
Our Dance facilities
This course is based at our £55 million New Adelphi building, the home of performance and creativity on campus.
Our range of performance facilities include:
Dance studios – our industry-standard studios are where you’ll spend much of your time, honing your skills in a professional environment to best prepare you to enter the world of dance.
New Adelphi Theatre – this 350-seat venue provides opportunity for you to stage performances in front of live audiences. It also regularly hosts professional shows and performances.
Studio theatre - this classic black-box performance space offers a more intimate venue than the New Adelphi Theatre. It features flexible seating and staging, so you can shape the space to meet your creative needs.
Joss Arnott
Artist Director, Emergence
Founding Joss Arnott Dance in 2010, Joss is an internationally award-winning choreographer who has been continuously supported and commissioned by leading UK dance agencies, venues and funding organisations.
A shortlisted artist for One Dance UK’s People’s Choice Award 2020, Joss is in demand as a choreographer and has been commissioned to create work for professional dance companies including Rambert and for leading dance conservatoires. His artistic vision is fuelled by creating a portfolio of work for a diverse range of audiences which are at the heart of everything he produces, including indoor, outdoor and family orientated productions.
Joss strives for innovation of the highest quality and curating world class collaborations for JAD which became evident in 2015 with the company’s 5th anniversary tour that featured live music from the world’s premier solo percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie.
With a commitment and passion for talent development, Joss has been a Focus Group Artist for Sadler’s Wells National Youth Dance Company, BBC Young Dancer consultant and has worked with and produced multiple works for national Centre for Advanced Training Schemes. He is also a featured artist for AQA’s 2020/21 Performing Arts Qualification.
He received his first international dance award in 2016 for his solo work V for Outstanding Choreographic Musical Interpretation and Dance Technicality from WARSAWZawirowania Dance International.
2018 marked the year of the newly formed partnership between Joss Arnott Dance and the University of Salford with the launch of a new MA Dance Performance and Professional Practices programme that established EMERGENCE, now a leading postgraduate performance company, that tours newly commissioned performance work by internationally acclaimed choreographers annually.
In 2019 he became an Associate Artist at Déda and in the same year Joss Arnott Dance were selected to be part of Surf the Wave, UK Dance Showcase and joined the Without Walls Programme with PULSE!, a dance and live music duet created for the streets set around a 3.5 m high percussion wheel designed by Linbury Prize winning artist Eleanor Bull and engineered by Rolls-Royce.
2020 marks Joss Arnott Dance’s 10th anniversary and the company celebrated this key milestone developing the DANCE:CONNECTS – PULSE! 2.0 initiative. With support from Arts Council England’s Emergency Response Funding and commission funds from Pavilion Dance South West, JAD were able to financially support more than 25 independent dance artists and work with hundreds of people of all ages from across the world including Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and the USA through online live workshops, tutorials and accessible pre-recorded Learn at Home videos.
The legacy in this work is through the film documentation and the existing and new global relationships the company developed throughout the duration of the activity.
Photo credit - Josh Hawkins.
Debbie Milner
Programme Leader
I have twenty years’ experience of working as a professional dance artist and educator I enjoyed 6 years touring with Ludus Dance Company where I developed a passion for delivering high quality creative and cultural experiences to young people. I have since made and performed new works with Axial Dance, Gary Clarke, TC Howard, Lisi Perry and Joe Lau.
I have a proven track record in Artistic Lead and Rehearsal Director roles. Most recently as the Artistic Director of the all-male undergraduate company EdgeFWD. I was also artistic lead for the North West Graduate Company- 12 Degrees North, a non-certificated graduate training programme and touring company that promoted the development and retention of emerging dance talent in the North West Dance Sector.
I have been working in Higher Education for 12 years and have developed my teaching knowledge with an MA Education( Distinction) and am an HEA Fellow. My dance teaching draws on my experience as professional dancer and incorporates current industry knowledge gained from continued personal engagement in professional dance employment, workshops and training. This breadth of experience has given me a broad palate of knowledge and skills to share and explore with my students.
My teaching and research considers how we can best prepare and support dance students so that they graduate with the information and confidence necessary to navigate their chosen career path. In my teaching I encourage students to be curious, intuitive and honest in exploration and play.
What about after uni?
If you study a Master’s in dance performance, you’ll be well-positioned to forge a career as a professional dancer working freelance, as a performer within an established dance company, as a creative educator, or in a portfolio career inclusive of arts marketing and administration.
Graduates have been successful in gaining employment with: Joss Arnott Dance New Adventures, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, Beijing Dance Theatre, ACE Dance and Music, Company Chameleon, Lisa Simpson Dance, Tavaziva, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Springs Dance Company, Coalesce Dance Theatre, Kapow amongst many others.
Many other graduates have developed their teaching portfolio and are working with organisations such as The Centre for Advanced Training, KTDanceworks, Ludus Dance, Yorkshire Dance Centre.
We’re very proud that graduates have developed their own companies and have been in receipt of ACE funding and other national grants for the Arts,
Studying on this course will equip you with a wide range of transferrable skills that can be used in a variety of roles and industries. You’ll be able to generate, develop and present your ideas to a professional standard, as well as have strong research and evaluation skills, all of which are highly valued by employers.
Career Links
This Master’s degree in Dance Performance has links with a number of industry bodies, including Joss Arnott Dance, The Lowry, and Company Chameleon,
Our annual dance artist-in-residence scheme which has included companies such as Company Chameleon, Hawk Dance Theatre, Kapow Dance Theatre, as well as independent dance artists. As part of this scheme, our dance students benefit from workshops, apprenticeships, performance and project opportunities, mentoring opportunities. Each academic year, we run a range of Masterclasses to develop your knowledge of the wider dance ecology and to assist you in developing your personal career trajectory. Recently, this has included work with artists such as Kerry Nichols, James Wilton Dance, and Gemma Nixon, among many others.
As part of the annual tour, your will also be performing at a range of UK venues and working with industry professionals at each. In addition to personal networking, this will strengthen your understanding of the variety of venues for dance performance in the UK.
What you need to know
APPLICANT PROFILE
Are you an enthusiastic and committed dancer? Would you like to improve your technical ability and enhance your career prospects? Do you envision yourself dancing as part of a company?
If so, we’d love to hear from you. Our MA in Dance Performance is designed for dancers at all stages in their career. We’re looking applicants who have either been working professionally or have studied on a related undergraduate course.
You should be dedicated to pursuing a career as a professional dancer, performing in a company model. You’ll need to be prepared to undertake intensive rehearsal and touring, as well as rigorous independent research.
The application process will also involve an audition/interview and a personal statement (up to 500 words). Students will be asked to write about the ways that this specific MA programme will help them advance from their current work within dance towards specific career aspirations.
If an applicant is international or unable to attend the interviews, we will need:
A 3–5-minute show reel recording that showcases your dance technique and performance ability.
- The footage does not need to be professionally filmed or edited.
- You should review and watch existing Emergence repertoire footage to better understand the aesthetic and physical branding of Emergence’s work and the level of technical and performance ability expected on the programme.
Standard entry requirements
To join this MA you should have a second class honours degree, 2:2 or above.
International students
International applicants will be required to show a proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.0, with no element below 5.5, is proof of this.
We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.
We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.
The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.
Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).
How much?
| Type of study | Year | Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time home | 2025/26 | £10,590.00per year |
| Full-time international | 2025/26 | £17,000.00per year |
Additional costs
You should also consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits.
Scholarships for International Students
If you are a high-achieving international student, you may be eligible for one of our scholarships. Explore our international scholarships.