Vision

De-disciplined study

At the master's course Performance Practices, we are dedicated to de-disciplining the field of performance by breaking down breaking down disciplinary boundaries. Students have the opportunity to engage with different disciplines, using the disciplines as lenses to understand their unique characteristics and limitations. As a result, students experience a diverse and interdisciplinary learning environment, with the integration of seemingly distinct disciplines such as performance studies, dance studies, social sciences, politics, psychoanalysis, and philosophy.

The studio: a critical space of becoming

Our goal is to transform knowledge by experimenting in studio practice and practice-as-research. We weave theory into practice, and in doing so, connect the studio to the outside world. The studio is not just a place for experimentation and discovery, but also a starting point for new and innovative ideas. We believe in collaborating with professionals and non-professionals, as well as with humans and non-humans, to create a more ecological approach to performance practices.

Being critical for me requires one thing: dropping the whole concept of what art should do or be. Thinking is full of dissent, confusion, and uncertainty. I’m geared towards what could be – or become.

 We aim to go beyond the traditional binary model of theory versus practice by embracing and promoting diversity in artistic research. We see research as a process that involves a dynamic relationship between different practices. We consider artistic processes, documentation of practices, and critical positioning in educational and artistic institutions as sources for embodied and intellectual inquiry. These sources have the potential to challenge, revitalize and surpass traditional methods of artistic production and education. Ultimately, they enable us to explore new and potential futures.

Performance as a way to question the normative disciplining of the body

We believe that our bodies act as a stage where we practice and display the behaviours that our society deems appropriate. By studying and experiencing the typical ways that our bodies are trained to conform, you will gain insight into your own social status and be able to choose whether to maintain it or challenge it. As a student, you are encouraged to think about how dance and choreography can influence your own body and research, and to approach storytelling in a way that values different perspectives and voices that are often ignored or overlooked.