How can I Study for a Dance PhD in Cuba?

Question: I have just completed my Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Studies at the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon in Ghana and want to continue to pursue my PhD in your University. What process must I follow?

Answer: One of the finest institutions in Cuba for doing serious studies, including at the PhD level, in the arts – Music, Theatre, Dance, the Plastic Arts and Audiovisual Communication – is the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA or Higher Art Institute), located in Havana. Over the past years, ISA’s academic structure has expanded and one can now find affiliated branches in the provinces of Holguín, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba.

At present, ISA has some 360 professors, a large number of whom are practicing artists in their respective fields, a fact that provides great vitality and renewal to their teaching. Dance, which like all programs at ISA is open to foreign students, is found in their Facultad de Artes Escénicas  (Faculty of Performing Arts).

ISA’s PhD program is available for both national and international students who are graduates in fields relating to culture and art, and who satisfy the necessary requirements and evaluations. Among the specialties offered for doctorate studies are History, theory and critique of dance.

To explore the possibility of studying at ISA, contact their Department of International Relations. The email address is   [email protected]   and in the subject line, your communication should be addressed to Dra. María Dolores Córdova Llorca, who deals with PhD students. The phone number is (537) 208-8075.

You can also consult the ISA webpage at www.isa.cult.cu for information on their pedagogical and artistic work. In addition to providing basic information on the different careers and specialties that are taught here as well as on the structure, characteristics and function of ISA, the site also covers master conferences, events, post-graduate education and other topics related to the field of artistic teaching and cultural work. The website also aims to publish works that cover the widest spectrum of topics on artistic creation and cultural processes and to open a new space for debate and exchange on these themes and their effects on current Cuban society.

The address and general telephone number for ISA are:

Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA)

Calle 120 No. 1110

entre 9na y 13

Cubanacán – Municipio Playa

Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Telephone (537) 208-0288 or 208-0705 (main switchboard)