Choreomundus – Erasmus Mundus Master in Dance and Movement as Practical Knowledge and Heritage (henceforth known as Choreomundus) is a new title proposed for an existing EMJMD programme (2012-2025) that is designed to increase awareness of humanity’s intangible heritage. Choreomundus formerly emphasised dance in its title and was a unique Erasmus Mundus master in dance. However, a growing number of dissertations in related practices such as martial arts, traditional wrestling and in the Olympic sports such as breaking or snowboarding have convinced the Consortium to open for applicants interested in sport as heritage as well as in traditional rituals and games. Hence the change of the title integrating both Dance and Movement as Practical Knowledge and Heritage.
The programme was founded by a consortium of four universities: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Norway, University of Szeged (SZTE) in Hungary, Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA) in France and University of Roehampton London (URL) in United Kingdom. Since 2012, Choreomundus trained 263 students from 80 countries over 13 cohorts. Only 12 dropped out (or their graduation is pending) from all accepted. More than 10% are aged 40+. This has given rise to an expanding international network, covering all continents, enabling connections between people, between ideas and between cultures represented in good balance in the programme: Americas 69, Asia/Australia 64, Europe 56, sub-Saharan Africa 48, Middle East 26.
Choreomundus – Erasmus Mundus Master in Dance and Movement as Practical Knowledge and Heritage, established in 2012 and having recruited nearly 300 students from 80 countries, is a two-year fully joint programme taught principally in English and currently run by a new Consortium of four Partner Universites:
It addresses dance, movement and related practices as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) from the perspectives of Ethnochoreology, the Anthropology of Dance, Sport and Movement, Heritage Studies, Technology for Dance and Sport. It focuses on fieldwork and engages with movement analysis, motion capture, ethnographic and documentation techniques. Its intercultural and transcultural foundation with a team of international staff and targeted recruitment from all continents contributes to the promotion of culturally sensitive modes of knowledge transmission. It addresses the effects and conditions of displacement and migration in the 21st century through study of people’s traditional performance practices, whether artistic, ritual or sports. To these ends students study in three countries with the option of studying in a fourth non-EU partner. They find employment worldwide within national and international public and private organisations responsible for the safeguarding of ICH (museums, leisure and creative industries, tourism etc) and in more socially inclusive projects working with diasporas, displaced persons, and communities such as refugees. They continue their education into doctoral research. Alumni conferences (2016, 2018, 2022, 2024) promote networking, business ideas, joint research, artistic practices and work collaborations. The programme delivers a fully joint degree with single diploma parchment signed by all four universities and is managed by four joint committees.
The coordinator, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), is a comprehensive university devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, research, arts and innovation, and fostering critical thinking, imaginative response as well as the desire and capacity for lifelong learning of our students who will have an impact on the world, locally and globally. Scholars from Lithuania and abroad who participated in the reestablishment of VMU in 1989 have also defined our principles, which we have been following ever since: a commitment to foster a liberal and democratic learning environment, emphasising the importance of aesthetics, honesty, tolerance and independent thought. VMU has a reputation as a university with a globally oriented, free-spirited, liberal mindset. The time spent at VMU is a formative step in the lives of our students, facilitating not only career opportunities but also personal growth, strength of character and a sense of self-fulfilment.
