Welcome to The Adolescent Dancer
Providing education, consultancy and research services to support adolescents in dance.
What We Do
Providing education, consultancy and research services to support adolescents in dance
Evidence-based educational workshops for dancers, dance teachers and those who support young dancers
Delivered with expert knowledge and informed by current research
Find out more about current research in this area…
The GuiDANCE project (Growing up in dance: Enhancing education and creating sustainable practices in growth and maturation in the dance sector) is a collaboration between the University of Exeter and three key UK dance organisations led by Dr Siobhan Mitchell. The project aims to address the challenges associated with the pubertal transition in dance for young people. Find out more here.
Behind the adolescent dancer
I trained as a dancer before going on to complete a BA Hons in Dance Studies at the University of Roehampton, an MSc in Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and an MRes in Health and Wellbeing at the University of Bath. Awarded a full ESRC studentship in 2014, I completed my PhD at the University of Bath exploring growth and maturation in the context of dance, specifically psychosocial and physical implications of differing maturity timing in adolescent dancers.
Alongisde my work as part of the Adolescent Dancer, I work as a research fellow in child and adolescent health. I am passionate about providing education about adolescence and how we can support young people in dance.
“The session was really helpful in supporting the audience of dance practitioners to apply dance science research to their practice.”
“Siobhan delivered a lecture at the IADMS Regional Meeting, held in conjunction with One Dance UK and DanceEast in May 2017. The focus of the whole event was on the developing adolescent dancer and Siobhan provided a comprehensive overview of the physiological and psychological principles which underpin adolescent development. The session was really helpful in supporting the audience of dance practitioners to apply dance science research to their practice. The lecture was informative, current and useful in its application and allowed teachers to understand and allow for the natural biological and psychological changes which occur in adolescence in dance training, with much of the content of the session resonating in their practice still today.”
Elsa Urmston, IADMS Dance Educators’ Committee Chair
“Everyone involved was able to take something away and apply into their daily lives.”
“After attending Siobhan’s lecture at the IADMS Regional Meeting, in May 2017, on the physiological and psychological principles which underpin adolescent development – I was inspired to invite her to deliver 4 bespoke workshops for the DanceEast Centre for Advanced Training in October 2017. Siobhan offered our students and families a brilliant insight into ‘Growing up in dance: negotiating the challenges and changes of puberty’. The workshop sessions developed were appropriate and applicable to the young dancer in training and families supporting those in training. Everyone involved was able to take something away and apply into their daily lives.”
Daniel Cooley, DanceEast Centre for Advanced Training 2016-2018
the adolescent dancer 