Research and Resources

Foundations for Excellence www.foundations-for-excellence.org

Foundations for Excellence began as a Department for Children, Schools and Families Music and Dance Scheme conference in February 2009. The energy that was evident at this event made it clear that this work needed to be developed and distributed further. FFE is a unique first stop shop providing a resource to as many practitioners and young musicians and dancers to have access to the latest research, ideas, examples and good practice as possible.

Laban Dance Science Research www.laban.org

The Development of Dance Talent in Young People: is a three-year Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Research Project in collaboration with the national dance Centres for Advanced Training (CATs), seeking to better understand the physical and psychological aspects of talent development in order to inform training and pedagogy. The study uses scientific methods to examine the processes of developing talent in dancers aged 10-18 years. Over 400 young people training at the dance CATs around the country have so far taken part. The research is interdisciplinary, measuring the physiological, biomechanical and psychological characteristics of talent in dance and exploring the factors that may contribute to its optimal development. Qualitative interview-based research is also exploring how these factors relate to both creativity and commitment. The project’s findings will contribute to the development of the CAT programme, ensuring that the dance training scheme is developed in a rigorous and consistent way. The findings will also inform pedagogic practice with young people across the wider sphere of dance education.