image: © David Lindsay
We caught up with alumna Nga Man Cheang about her time on our MA in Dance and Creative Enterprise course.
Originally from Macau, Nga started performing aged 13. Upon graduating with a BA, she began working as an independent artist, producing her own work with the goal of touring it. However, she lacked some crucial skills to put her plan into action and decided that she needed to learn more about the business side of dance.
“At the same time, I wanted to build my knowledge of choreography, movement and body dynamics under the guidance of experienced tutors in an inspiring, research-led environment. That’s why I chose the MA Dance & Creative Enterprise at NSCD.”
Nga said the graduate student lifestyle at NSCD was rewarding, chiefly the experience of learning from a seasoned faculty. She also praised student support, adding that NSCD tutors were always on hand to help students.
“All of the staff are sophisticated dancers, producers or choreographers who have been working in the industry for years; they have a wealth of expertise under their belt and connections to the industry. They can tell you most of the problems that you will face in the industry and teach you how to deal with them.
The English Language Support for international students really helped to reduce our panic when it came to academic writing. The openness of the school system gave us a lot of freedom to create and take risks with our artistic development.”
With access to industry-standard facilities students enjoy a high-quality learning environment. Meanwhile, the programme also balances modules that help students to develop business and project management skills without compromising artistic development.
“Everything we did in class could be directly applied to our future of work in the industry.” Nga explained.
“I discovered things I’d never thought about before. I found myself asking, ‘What else?’, ‘What is missing?’, I think this is a really helpful habit to develop that I’ve take forward with me in my career, and part of a continual process of becoming a better artist.”
