Lecture presentation

Dancing hot and cold: Thermoregulation in young dancers and implications for teaching practice

Dr Rachel E. Ward explores why children aren’t just ”small adults” when it comes to regulating body heat and what that means for safe, effective dance training.

Lecture presentation

Whose dancer is it? Psychological ownership and identity in early-career dance educators

Steffi Armor examines how the feeling of ”my dancer” shapes teaching identity and pedagogical practice in vocational dance training.

Lecture presentation

Peer mentoring as professional development for private sector dance teachers: an inclusive approach

Adeline Wai Yee Leong shares findings on how structured peer mentoring helps private-sector dance teachers broaden their perspectives and strengthen inclusive, automomous teaching practices.

Practical demonstration

Estimating growth and maturity to help manage injury risk and guide training load in growing dancers

Erin Bowerman will introduce dance teachers to evidence-based tools for estimating adolescent growth and maturity, helping identify periods of heightened injury risk during training.

Practical workshop (movement-based)

Health through lifelong dance: An exercise science-informed exploration of the Silver Swans program

Dr Rachel E. Ward leads a hands-on workshop showing how RAD’s Silver Swans program blends exercise physiology with accessible choreography to support bone health, balance and mobility in older dancers.

Lecture presentation

Beyond Policy: Embedding Child Safety, Wellbeing and Safeguarding into Everyday Dance Practice

Teagan Lowe unpacks Safedance for Kids, a sector-created safeguarding initiative addressing everything from physical corrections to burnout in young performers.

Practical workshop (movement-based)

Resistance training principles and biomechanics for the Artistic Athlete

Rosalind Schwartz guides participants through a hands-on resistance training session built specifically for dancers covering program design, injury prevention and functional movement patterns.

Lecture presentation

Teaching dance creatively

Jane Andrewartha presents a transformational framework for teaching dance that moves students beyond passive instruction into active, reflective and expressive learners,

Interactive workshop (non-movement-based)

Seeing through the child’s eyes: A reflective workshop for Early Years educators and studio owners

Jenny Trafford and Maya Callaghan guide early year dance educators through a structured self-reflection on class environment, individual responsiveness and belonging.