Cooperation partnership for the creation of an International Master in Performance Art and Choreographic Technologies (IMPACT)

<< Background >>The CNSMD Lyon brought together several academic partners and cultural institutions with the aim of developing a joint Master’s programme in Performance and Choreographic Technologies, unique worldwide in its integrated international dimension, uniting European institutions with an African partner.This joint Master’s programme addresses a clear lack of international training opportunities in the field. Its purpose is to train choreographers and performing artists in innovative techniques, aware of the international stage and their societal role, and capable of presenting and advocating for their creations with cultural stakeholders in any context.For the CNSMD, the programme also responds to the absence of a second-cycle degree in dance, a natural continuation for its undergraduate students. IMPACT meets this need while offering economies of scale.This cooperation partnership programme fully matched the requirements for developing such a curriculum, in the same way as previous LLP programmes had supported the creation of the CoPeCo Master’s degree, and Erasmus strategic partnerships the InMICS Master’s degree—two joint Master’s programmes in music that CNSMD continues to offer with its respective partners.<< Objectives >>The partnership aimed to develop an international joint Master’s programme in Choreography and Performance Art (hereafter referred to as IMPACT – International Master in Performance and Choreographic Technologies).The objective of IMPACT was to address:•the most recent forms of artistic research, by enhancing postgraduate provision in this field for a diverse and inclusive student profile;•the absence of integrated international programmes in this area;•the need to improve the quality and employability of a new generation of creators in the field of dance, within an inherently international context.In order to create added value in higher education while remaining competitive, the focus was to be placed on innovative creative practices, particularly with regard to choreographic technologies and performance.By working jointly on this aspect, the project sought to enhance the respective institutional offers of the partners, to establish connections with the artistic centres associated with the project, and to strengthen the ties between the institutions themselves.Finally, the research component of this initiative was intended to be shared as widely as possible.<< Implementation >>To achieve the set objectives, a system of transnational meetings and learning and teaching activities was implemented throughout the project.In total, between September 2022 and June 2025, 10 Transnational Project Meetings (TPMs) were held in different countries. These meetings enabled the co-construction of the joint programme, a deeper understanding of the institutions and their educational offers, as well as the joint drafting of deliverables. They were complemented by 6 online meetings and several additional sessions focusing particularly on administrative matters.3 Learning and Teaching Activities (LTAs) were organised. They made it possible to test the proposed teaching content as well as the student and teacher profiles, thanks to the active participation of students, alumni, and academic staff from the partner institutions.3 Multiplier Events (MEs) were held for the dissemination of results, organised within the partner cultural centers at strategic moments linked to festivals, thereby reaching key stakeholders in the field.The partners also made use of their networks (European Association of Conservatoires, Ministries, other networks...) to disseminate the project more widely and on a more ad hoc basis.<< Results >>The partnership succeeded in defining the itinerant structure of the future Master’s programme and the criteria determining students’ pathways, the student and teacher profiles, the selection criteria, the structure of the curriculum and its core content, the course catalogue matrix, the organisation of the research dimension, the entrance examination, the format and evaluation criteria of the final assessment (artistic project and research), the main principles of student management, and the distribution of responsibilities among the academic partners.Although not yet accredited for this Master’s programme, the CNSMD initiated the process early on, with the aim of obtaining accreditation at the very beginning of 2027.A dedicated website with an evolving structure was developed to present the project and, ultimately, to serve as the programme’s reference site.The “Dance Forum” online platform, linked to this site, replaced the glossary originally planned. It comprises 4 sections: glossary, video resources (including interviews related to the IMPACT project), documentary resources (articles, websites, books), and a Who’sWho.All of this was achieved despite the change of a key partner during the course of the project.