‘Lockdown’, ‘coronavirus’ and ‘furlough’ – words which were used throughout most of 2020 – now seem to go hand in hand with ‘resilience’ and ‘wellbeing’. So much so, that Oxford Dictionaries has had to expand its word of the year to encompass several words for that unprecedented year. Now, over the brow of 2021, it is clear that resilience and wellbeing remain constants.
Presented by the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and sponsored by London Women’s Forum, ‘Health and Happiness’ was an online event tackling how to maintain our mental health and wellbeing in a high-performance environment. Board member Jane Karczewski welcomed attendees to the second event in the Passion to Perform series, where themes already discussed included resilience, adaptability, and self-belief, through the challenges of coaching top performers. Health and Happiness aimed to move beyond this, with dance already proven to produce all of the important “happy chemicals” required to give our bodies and minds the important balance required.
Salus et Felicitas – Health and Happiness – is the motto on the RAD’s coat of arms, so what better way to position the attributes of mental health and wellbeing than as a by-product of the world of dance.
The Panelists (clockwise from top left):
- Ida Levine (Chair of the discussion and RAD Trustee)
- Dame Darcey Bussell DBE (RAD President and former Principal of The Royal Ballet)
- Gerard Charles (Artistic Director, RAD)
- Brian Heyworth (Chair, City Mental Health Alliance)
- Dr Peter Lovatt (Dance Psychologist and Author of The Dance Cure)
Following the rolling chat function, it was clear that not all attendees could list dance as a pastime or passion. Either not having had the opportunity or inclination to dance as a child, or now feeling it was too late, as an adult. But as Dr Peter Lovatt would say, “Dance isn’t a passion, ‘Yet’!”: the distinction being ‘can’t dance?’, or ‘won’t dance?’ Whilst our panellists presented a broad spectrum through dance (or lack thereof), an opening remark struck a chord with everyone: a healthy body and healthy mind are ultimately so important for lifelong wellbeing.
Dr Peter Lovatt spent over 20 years working as a university academic. He set up the Dance Psychology Lab to understand dance and dancers from a psychological, scientific perspective. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and his teaching has been highly commended. Find out more about his academic life here
Peter Lovatt is an author and he has written two books: “The Dance Cure, the surprising secret to being smarter, stronger, happier” was first published by Short Books in the UK in 2020. “Dance Psychology, the science of dance and dancers” was first published in the UK in 2018. Peter has also writes commissioned articles. Find out more about his writing life here
Peter Lovatt is an international keynote speaker who delivers groovy keynotes which inspire, entertain and get minds and pulses racing. Peter has given keynote talks around the world and he has worked with organisations from different sectors, for example, in the banking, tech, creative, education, health and automotive industries. Find out more about his keynotes here
Peter Lovatt is a founding director of the Movement in Practice Academy. The Movement in Practice Academy is a specialist provider of education in the psychology of movement and dance. Movement in Practice Academy is an accredited provider of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Continuing Education (CE) and Continuing Professional Education (CPE), providing both anytime learning and scheduled face-to-face learning opportunities. Find out more about Movement in Practice Academy here
Peter Lovatt became known as Dr Dance through his TV and media work. He first appeared as Dr Dance on the Graham Norton Show (BBC) in 2008 and Dr Dance has since made over 1000 appearances across all major UK TV and radio networks, in magazines and newspapers and on stage. Dr Dance has made several stage shows, including “Dance Dr Dance” (2010), “INSPIRED Psychology Danced” (2011) and “Boogie on the Brain” (2018). Find out more about Dr Dance here
Peter Lovatt lives on the beautiful north Norfolk coast with his partner and their two sons.
Find out more about Peter’s latest news here
