An Introduction to Dance Psychology
Discover the psychology of dance, movement and human behaviour in this live 8-week online course.
£499 | Limited places available
Learn how movement influences thinking, emotion, and social connection, while exploring how Dance Psychology is applied in healthcare, education and business, with psychologist, researcher and author Dr Peter Lovatt.
What you'll learn
- You will learn the definition of Dance Psychology and be able to place it within the context of Social, Developmental, Biological and Cognitive Psychology.
- You will learn about Dance Psychology Research Methods.
- We will explore Dance Psychology from a Social Perspective, asking questions such as: What happens to people when they move together?
- We will explore Dance Psychology from a Cognitive Perspective, asking questions such as: What happens to our thinking processes when we move?
- You will look at Dance Psychology from a "Mood & The Self" perspective, asking questions such as "How dance dancing make you feel?"
- You will learn about Dance Psychology as it is applied in healthcare settings, addressing questions such as: Can dancing improve people's health and wellbeing?
- You will learn about Dance Psychology as it is applied in educational settings, addressing questions such as: Can dance psychology enhance people's learning experiences?
- You will learn about Dance Psychology as it is applied in business settings, asking questions such as: Can dance enhance people's work environments?
- During you two 1-2-1 supervision sessions you can explore any aspect of dance psychology that is relevant to your practice.
This course includes:
- 8 x 2-hour live zoom sessions
- MCQ Quizzes to check your knowledge
- Dance Psychology Reflection Exercises
- Additional Learning resources following each session
- Two 1-2-1 Individual supervision sessions with Dr Peter Lovatt
- Dance Psychology Discussion starters
- CPD Certificate
Course content
Session 1: Introduction
Discover the foundations of Dance Psychology by exploring how movement shapes thinking, emotion, social connection, health and human behaviour. You’ll be introduced to the scientific study of dance, examine evidence for whether humans are born to dance, and learn how psychologists investigate movement through research.Â
Session 2: The Dance Psychology Method
Discover how Dance Psychology moves from ideas to evidence and real-world impact. You’ll explore the Dance Psychology Method, learning how psychological theories are transformed into scientific research and then applied in healthcare, education, business and everyday life. Through case studies from Dr Peter Lovatt’s 15-year Dance Psychology research programme, including work with people living with Parkinson’s disease, elite dancers, couples and global organisations, you’ll see how rigorous research can be translated into practical interventions that improve lives while maintaining a critical, evidence-based perspective.
Session 3: A Social Perspective
Explore how dance brings people together and shapes relationships, identity and community. This session examines why humans dance together, drawing on the Why Do You Dance? project alongside research into synchrony, social bonding and group behaviour. You’ll discover how shared movement influences connection, belonging and loneliness, explore theories of social connectedness and self-expansion, and examine evidence from online dance, silent discos and cultural festivals. By the end of the session, you’ll understand why dance is one of humanity’s most powerful tools for building relationships, strengthening communities and fostering social wellbeing.
Session 4: A Cognitive Perspective
Discover what happens in the mind when we dance. This session explores Dance Psychology through the lens of cognitive psychology, examining attention, memory, perception, creativity, decision-making and problem solving. You’ll learn how movement influences thinking, how dancers mentally represent and remember choreography, and why changing habitual movement patterns can stimulate creativity. Drawing on research from Wayne McGregor’s Choreography & Cognition project and classic studies of movement, memory and biological motion, the session reveals how dance is not simply a physical activity, but a sophisticated cognitive process that shapes the way we think, learn and create.
Session 5: Mood and The Self
Discover how dance influences mood, emotion and self-esteem through both personal experience and scientific research. You’ll explore why dancing makes people feel joy, freedom and emotional release, while also examining the psychological barriers that prevent many people from dancing. The session investigates research showing how dance can improve mood and considers how different dance styles affect emotional wellbeing. You’ll also examine the complex relationship between dance and self-esteem, exploring why confidence varies across different stages of dance training and what this reveals about identity, wellbeing and the psychology of dancers.
Session 6: Dance and Health
Explore the growing scientific evidence showing how dance can support health and wellbeing across a range of clinical and non-clinical settings. You’ll examine research investigating dance interventions for Parkinson’s disease, cancer, heart disease and depression, while learning how psychologists evaluate evidence using different types of research designs and levels of evidence. The session considers not only whether dance works, but how it may influence physical health, mental wellbeing and quality of life, providing an evidence-based understanding of dance as a healthcare intervention.
Session 7: Dance, Education and Performance
Discover how Dance Psychology can enhance learning, teaching and performance across educational and training environments. You’ll explore research showing how movement supports thinking, memory and learning, before examining how psychological principles are applied within dance training itself. The session investigates topics including performance anxiety, motivation, confidence, mental skills and psychological resilience, demonstrating how Dance Psychology can help dancers, teachers and students achieve their full potential both inside and outside the studio.
Session 8: Dance Psychology in Business
Discover how Dance Psychology is being applied beyond the dance studio to transform workplaces and organisations. You’ll explore real-world case studies, including the Move-Assure programme developed for McDonald’s to improve staff wellbeing, mood, presenteeism and retention, alongside examples of movement-based interventions in conferences, offices and corporate settings. The session examines the evidence for using dance and movement to enhance communication, teamwork, creativity and wellbeing, while critically evaluating where these approaches are most effective and where further research is needed.
Requirements
No prerequisites required
Description
In this course you will be introduced to the theory and practice of Dance Psychology. Dance Psychology is the study of dance, and the people who dance, from a psychological perspective, and its application in the real world.
The theory of dance psychology is grounded in the academic literature which underpins it. For example, we will take a critical look at the research evidence which suggests a link between dance and movement and how it influences our social relationships, our thinking and problem solving, our ability to express and communicate emotions, and our physical body.
The practice of dance psychology is about how we can use dance in the real world to enhance the human experience. This might be by looking at the impact of dance interventions in health conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, or depression and anxiety. It might also be about how we use dance as part of the educational process, or in the workplace. We might also think about ways in which we could use dance to strengthen communities.
The course consists of eight 2-hour live Zoom sessions. Each session will be led by me, Dr Peter Lovatt, and will consist of a series of short mini lectures and seminar activities/discussions, as we learn about and discuss the theory and practice of dance psychology. Each session will be supplemented with additional learning resources and/or activities, and there will be the opportunity for you to test your knowledge on an on-going basis. In addition, the course includes two one-to-one supervision sessions with me, where I am happy to discuss the course content, dance psychology in general, or your own dance psychology application or project.
Who is the course for?
Curious thinkers
About Instructor
Course Includes
- 11 Lessons
- 14 Topics
- 7 Quizzes
- Course Certificate
