ResDance Series 8: Episode 6: Dance: A Life Choice: A conversation with Dennie Wilson

In the episode, Dennie shares insight into her background and experiences as a Dance Artist, Educator and Researcher.  Through situating our conversation in how her lived experience continues to inform her dance teaching practice, Dennie shares insight into her research informed approaches to teaching, ways in which critical and embodied knowledge is passed on through teaching practice and pedagogical ideas around coaching, learning and teaching. Reflecting upon her current PhD research, Dennie reflects upon her own coachingapproach to her how she teaches; the role of the coach within vocational dance training and the skills she aims to equip her professional dancers with who look to transition fromperformer to teacher. Throughout the episode, Dennie advocates the wider value and power of dance and the need for a continued belief in what dance can offer.

Dennie is a Dance Artist, Educator and Researcher who was originally a professional dancer and then performance creator. With a driving interest in collaborative interdisciplinary practice, her career has taken her all over the world to workon projects with artists, composers, contemporary designers, jewellery makers, poets, and new media artists; using a range of mediums including film projection, stop motion animation and algorithmic choreography. She has collaborated on unique installation and theatre pieces in venues ranging fromthe Royal Albert Hall and the National Indoor Arena (Utilita) Birmingham to intimate studio spaces and art galleries.

This lived experience forms the cornerstone of her dance practice. Dennie taught contemporary dance for eight years, at Elmhurst Ballet School (6th form and graduate year), andwas a senior lecturer in Dance Practice and Performance at the University of Wolverhampton. She worked as a dance artist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s learning education and participation department (LEAP) for over two decades.Currently Dennie is a Programme Manager, and Lecturer in Dance Education or Professional Dancers in the Faculty of Education at the Royal Academy of Dance. She has responsibility for teacher training programmes for professional dancers looking to make the transition form professional performer to professional teacher. She also lectures on all RAD Faculty of Education programmes with a particular focus on dance technique and performance, choreography, leadinglearning and the holistic health and wellbeing of the dancer. Lastly, Dennie is also jugging the final year of a Professional Doctorate at University of Central Lancashire where her research interest is coaching practice and therole of the coach within vocational dance training and professional dance performance, to empower the dancer as independent decision-maker.

Contact Details:

 Email: dennie2@mac.com

Website: dna3d dance designdigital. https://www.dna3d.co.uk/

Website: The Blue Space Concept CoachingPractice https://bluespace.myfreesites.net/

Related publications and sources:

Building a case for coaching: informing an innovative, pedagogical approach to dancer development https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14647893.2022.2097656

Labours of Sports Coaching: When to coach, teach, or train, with Dennie Wilson

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3intt9nRsd2HqACv2Bvy0N?si=CuhZ-BtoTYW0ldpCurAYjg

On Time : Speed

https://ontimepodcastseries.podbean.com/

Please share this episode with students, educators, practitioners, performers, and interdisciplinary researchers curious to learn more about dance research inaction.