“Certified Masters in Dance Direction” Program

Candidates Criteria To Enter The Certified Masters In Dance Directions…
 - Must be a Certified Member of DMA in Good Standing 
 - Must have completed the DMA Teachers Training School Program plus one year as a Post Graduate 
 - Must Attend The DMA Teachers Training School to present their research in dance project

The Dance Masters of America’s “Certified Masters in Dance Direction” Program will view dance as a communicative art with multiple roles: performance, choreography, education, recreation, production and research. Our focus will be to expand beyond the established DMA Teachers Training School Program with practical work, thought and research, which will include one’s vision and dance identity. We shall endeavor to develop skills in the creative process (teaching, choreography, and specialization), the integration of arts and dance sciences, extended research in dance and its related areas, and the application of these in the art of dance. 

The Dance Masters of America’s “Certified Masters in Dance Direction” is a serious professional program where candidates already have the technical and pedagogical proficiency and understanding to support their graduate work. This is not a program designed to teach “how to teach” or “dance”, presently offered by the DMA TTS Program. However, it is understood that continuing technical and pedagogical study is necessary for all serious dance educators. The fields of study and course offerings will be selected because they are directly connected to all educational, choreographic and administrative aspects that entail dance direction.

The Dance Masters of America’s “Certified Masters in Dance Direction” candidates will follow the DMA TTS Post Graduates Core Curriculum while completing the current Graduate Seminar courses for the “CMDD” Program. Graduate Seminar courses are structured to integrate both theory and practice in a classroom setting or in seminars.

Graduate Seminar I: Envisioning Dance Education
The objective of the course is to give an overview of dance and dance education, describing the difference between the dancer and the dance educator. Identifying three types of learning experiences that constitute dance education: dancing, dance making, and dance appreciation.

Master’s Program Special Studies Courses. (A Three Year Program)
Over the course of three years, six Master’s Special Studies Classes will be offered. These include Master’s
Technique Jazz Dance Theory, Aesthetics and Practice; Master’s Ballet Theory, Aesthetics and Practice; Master’s
Technique Tap or Modern Dance Theory, Aesthetics and Practice; Master’s Choreography and Creative
Movement:; Master’s Dance History/Performance Appreciation; and Master’s Mind-Body Integration.

Graduate Seminar II: Project – Research in Dance – Graduate Research Paper
The objective of a research paper is to provide TTS Post Graduate students with the opportunity for serious scholarship and research in dance and related fields of study allied within the art of dance. The area of research is determined by the teacher’s area of specialization or interest. 

Upon completion of the three-year program, those qualified participants desiring to test-out and receive their Master’s Certification In Dance Direction will have a choice of three methods of testing.

  • The completion of an extensive thesis paper (22-30pages) on an approved subject and orally present their research in a paper presentation forum.

  • The completion of a shorter paper and a comprehensive oral exam, electing one Master’s Technique Subject area. (Jazz, Ballet, Tap or Modern)

  • The completion of a shorter paper and a presented choreography project with oral remarks on choreographic research/