Admission

In order to apply for the dance movement therapy audition candidates:

• Need to register at Studielink 
• Will receive an email after registration via Studielink with the login and link to Osiris Application
• Need to make the registration complete via Osiris Application
• Need to upload a headshot picture in Osiris Application
• Need to upload a cv and motivation in English in Osiris Application
• Need to provide a (YouTube)link of a video for the preselection in Osiris Application, in order to have a chance of being invited to the group dance audition
• Need to have a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent, more information below). Only applicable for candidates who have been awarded a study place. After receiving the enrolment package, you will be asked to send in your diploma.

The audition procedure consists of the following elements:

1. a. Preselection on work experience (min. 2 years after the BA degree)
1. b. Preselection via video (sending in YouTube link)

2. Group dance audition at Codarts, Rotterdam

3. Online intake interview

4. English Language Proficiency: Non-Dutch students (unless they hold a Dutch or UK bachelor’s degree) need to show proof of English language proficiency. Codarts asks for the level of IELTS Academic 6.0. The candidate needs to produce documents that show the adequate level of English or take a test offered by Codarts after admittance to the programme.

Ad 1a Working experience / cv
We select candidates with a certain amount of life and work experience either professionally, or as a volunteer, preferably in dance and/or social services, after having acquired the BA degree. You can describe the content and scope of this work experience in your CV. If there is any lack of clarity or doubt, we will contact you.

Ad 1a Motivation letter
Write a clear explanation of what motivates your interest in the programme. This motivation letter should not exceed 500 words (approximately one A4 page) and must be written in English. The letter should explain why you want to study dance movement therapy, and how you see dance has influenced your own (mental) health, as well as the health of others. The letter should explain:

• how you have come to wish to become a dance movement therapist
• how this connects with your background in dance and other experience
• what your hopes and expectations for the future are regarding dance movement therapy
• anything else you consider relevant for the application

This letter will give us a good sense of how well you can express yourself (in English) and is an essential part of the selection procedure.

Ad 1b Preselection via video
We ask everyone to do a preselection based on dance by providing a link of a video with some dance assignments. This will spare you unnecessary travel costs and help us manage the audition procedures efficiently. Upload the link of your YouTube video before February 26, 2026 onto Osiris Application. Based on this video, we will invite you (or not) for the group audition.

Assignments for preselection
There are 2 short assignments for your short video, which is to be no longer than 4 minutes in total:
1. Improvise freely in whatever way you like, with or without music with someone else (who does not need to have dance experience). Not a composition but spontaneous dance improvisation. Max 2 minutes.
2. Compose a short phrase without music with different body actions, such as traveling, changing of level, turning, jumping, changing direction and tempo. You can do that in any order you like. Max. 2 minutes.

The video may be shot in one continuous take or constructed from multiple takes.

The group audition date is on March 28, 2026, at Codarts, Rotterdam. You will be invited to participate in the group dance audition after a positive result of the pre (video) selection.

Dance Skills required

• Be an embodied dancer and move clearly and articulately
• Be skilled within at least one form of dance and be familiar with a wide range of other dance forms and dance improvisation
• Be able to communicate non-verbally through dance and movement.

What to expect of the group dance audition?
Dance experience will be evaluated in a group movement audition that consists of a 60-minute dance improvisation workshop. The audition consists of specific assignments, focusing on movement/dance interaction, non-verbal communication skills and verbal reflections. Candidates are not so much evaluated on their technical skills but on physical coordination, use of space, variation in movement and efforts, authenticity, movement articulation, the ability to develop an improvisation task, reflect verbally on this, and generally on the ability for non-verbal interaction. 

If the dance audition proved to be satisfactory candidates will be invited for an online intake interview. This will take place in April or May 2026 (dates to be announced after a succesful live audition). The intake interview allows us to ask you questions about work and education, your understanding of dance and its effect on self and others. Furthermore, to discuss your motivational letter, dance audition and/or life story which could be of influence in following the programme. To avoid disappointments, we also want to hear from candidates what their expectations of the programme are and how they see dance movement therapy as a profession.

To prepare for the intake interview we request that you write approximately a thousand words, (two A4 pages) describing the story of your life. Candidates need to send this in no later than one week before the interview takes place.

Only after the interview receives a positive evaluation, together with the components of the dance audition you will be notified that you are admissible for the Master of Arts Therapies, specialisation Dance Movement Therapy at Codarts, University of the Arts.

Have a diploma from a (preferably) relevant university course (bachelor’s or equivalent); for example, a bachelor’s in dance or dance education, a bachelor’s in dance movement therapy or a bachelor’s in the areas of social services, health care or movement and therapy, such as psychology. It may also be possible to apply for the programme with other diplomas.If the diploma is not directly relevant, the CV and motivation letter need to show relevance.

Non-EU candidates should know that because of the part-time status of the programme, the Dutch government does not grant study permits to non-EU citizens (EU for this rule includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Suriname or Switzerland). If a person from for instance the USA is already in the Netherlands because of, work or partnership, and a residency permit was given on that basis, study will be possible.

Final results will be communicated end of May 2026.