SiDI Steering Group

Emma Redding is Head of Dance Science and Acting Head of Taught Postgraduate Studies at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Emma originally trained as a dancer and performed with the company Tranz Danz, Hungary and for Rosalind Newman, Hong Kong. She teaches contemporary dance technique at Trinity Laban and lectures in physiology alongside her management and research work.

She was Principal Investigator for the Centres for Advanced Training project, the development of dance talent in young people working with Sanna Nordin-Bates and Imogen Walker. She was also Principal Investigator of the research project, Music & Dance Science: Optimising Performing Potential which involves undergraduate vocational music and dance students at Trinity Laban and has managed several investigations into the impact of dance on health and well-being.

She has published her work in academic journals and is a member of the Board of Directors and a Past President of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS).

Rachel Rist is Director of Dance at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, in Hertfordshire. UK. She was IADMS President from 2003-2005 and a past Chair of the Education Committee. She regularly lectures nationally and internationally on dance medicine and has written 2 books and numerous articles on dance training within the context of Dance Medicine & Science and is on the Editorial Board of the Dancing Times. She has a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts, was on the Executive Committee of the Royal Academy of Dance and Chair of the Faculty of Education.

Helen Laws has worked for Dance UK and its Healthier Dancer Programme since 1998, managing it since 2001 and shaping the programme’s work in response to the needs of the dance sector. She led on bringing together the UK’s leaders in dance medicine and science to form the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, and was appointed its manager in 2012. She is the author of Fit to Dance 2 – The report of the second national inquiry into dancers’ health and injury in the UK. Helen has served on various committees for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science since 2001 and was a member of the IADMS board 2006-2013. Helen studied ballet, tap, modern and contemporary dance from an early age and completed a BA(Hons) Degree in Dance at Roehampton University, London, in 1996. She also has a Diploma in Arts Management.

Matthew Wyon, PhD, is a Professor in Dance Science at the University of Wolverhampton, UK where he works in both the Sport and Dance Departments, and a Visiting Professor in Health at ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts, The Netherlands. At Wolverhampton he is the course leader for the MSc in Dance Science and Director of Studies for dance science and medicine doctoral candidates who have all presented at IADMS in recent years. He sits on the Medical Advisory Committee of Dance UK and is a founding partner of the National Institute of Dance Medicine & Science, UK. Dr. Wyon is a past chair of the IADMS Research Committee and also serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (NSCA) and is the exercise physiologist for the Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet. He has worked with numerous dancers and companies within the UK and Europe as an applied physiologist and fitness trainer. He has published over 80 peer−reviewed articles in dance medicine and science, as well as presenting at the last eleven IADMS annual meetings.