About Us
The new MA Performance is entering its third year growing from a longstanding tradition of postgraduate study in dance at Chichester, and in 2008, we are delighted to be able to offer an exciting exchange opportunity with SUNY BUFFALO where screendance pioneer Elliot Caplan and his team are based; this compliments our existing Screendance and New Media Performance Practices Strand. The mapdance company goes from strength to strength with commissioned work from Liz Aggiss, Kerry Nichols, Hannah Gillgren and Nik Haffner currently touring the UK and Europe. Our modular programme includes study options in Techniques for Performance, New Media and Performance, Pedagogical Approaches, Experiencing Arts Theraphies, and Writing for Dance.
The MA Performance: Dance has 3 pathways: Performers, Makers and Independent Researchers.
The Performers’ pathway is for full time students only and includes membership of the university touring dance company mapdance. The company works with established and young choreographers and tours nationally and internationally.
Work created on the Makers’ pathway may explore different choreographic practices, including site-specific, installation and new technology. If appropriate it may be included in the repertory of mapdance. Makers if full time students, and accepted into the company by audition, can perform in one company work.
The Independent Researchers’ pathway allows for practice based or theoretical research of the student’s choice.
Students work with nationally and internationally renowned arts researchers including Valerie Briginshaw, Yael Flexer, Ann Nugent, Sarah Rubidge, Andrea Dividson and Marisa Zanotti. Guest artists have included Lea Anderson, Frank Bock, Elliot Caplan, Mark Jeffery (Goat Island) and Rosie Lee.
The MA is part of the lively research culture within the School of Visual and Performing Arts, which includes visiting artists contributing to regular research presentations, performances, installations and exhibitions and a weekly Contemporary Critical Theory Reading Group. For the current programme, please visit the website: www.chi.ac.uk/research/SVAPAResearch.cfm (external link)
Specialist facilities for dance (see Gallery) consist of a new purpose-built Performing Arts Centre with four studios, completed in September 2006, two further dance studios, rehearsal rooms, and two theatres, one small-scale and one medium-scale, with state of the art sound and lighting and video projection equipment to facilitate multidisciplinary work. There is also a Media Centre providing bookable cameras, video-editing facilities, and digital imaging and multimedia workstations.
