Doctoral theses emerging from artistic practices have increased in the last two decades driving the expansion of new research models at universities. This approach consists of using artistic processes that reveal aspects that are invisible from other research perspectives. However, we are still far from a consensus about terms, practices and assessment criteria. This article presents the current landscape of doctoral research based on performative explorations in dance in order to reveal the extent of the official and institutional development of artistic doctorates in dance in Spain. We conducted an analysis of research-based publications on artistic practice and tracked emerging institutional regulations at national level. Doctoral work identified as pioneer in this type of research in Spain was also analysed