Our dance science faculty are world-leading researchers and outstanding lecturers with subject specialist expertise. Colleagues regularly collaborate with each other in research projects and have strong links with professional organisations in the industry. If you have any questions about the work we do, please feel free to get in touch with our team.
Professor Emma Redding
Head of Dance Science
Professor Emma Redding originally trained as a dancer and is now Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She wrote the first Master’s degree in Dance Science and has since played a key role in developing dance science as a recognised field of study through her research and teaching internationally, as a founding partner of the National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science and as member of the Board of Directors and Past President of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science.
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Dr Liliana Araújo
Programme Leader MSc / MFA Dance Science and Lecturer in Performance Psychology
Dr Liliana S. Araújo leads the MSc and MFA programmes in Dance Science and teaches performance psychology across the faculties of Music and Dance at Trinity Laban. With a multifaceted and interdisciplinary background across Psychology, Education and Performance contexts and expertise in Performance Science and Health and Wellbeing, Liliana aims to support individuals and organisations in developing healthier and more sustainable careers in domains that demand high standards in a globally competitive and changing world.
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Sonia Rafferty
Programme Leader BSc Dance Science
Sonia has been a member of the Dance Faculty at Trinity Laban since 1991, contributing to many of the different programmes in a diverse range of roles. She trained at the Laban Centre, gaining a BA (Hons) in Dance Theatre, before becoming a member of the first cohort of the Advanced Performance Course, Transitions Dance Company. In 2004, she was also one of the first cohort of the MSc Dance Science at Trinity Laban, graduating with Distinction.
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Beth Ackroyd
Dance Science and Health Graduate Intern
Beth graduated with an MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban in 2020. Beth’s research investigated the awareness and perceptions of hypermobility amongst adolescent dancers through a resource based educational intervention.
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Dr James Brouner
Lecturer in Biomechanics
James is an experienced Senior Lecturer with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. James works for Kingston University as the course director for the Sport Science BSc (Hons) programme. He has been at Laban since 2014 teaching biomechanical and movement analysis. James delivers lectures on the MSc Dance Science programme and has supervised a number of MSc projects across biomechanics for performance enhancement and injury prevention. He has presented work at both IADMS and PAMA.
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Jasmine Challis
Lecturer in Nutrition
Jasmine has an Honours Degree in Nutrition and a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics from the University of London. She has qualifications in teaching young people and adults and has undertaken training in group work and increasing motivation. She is registered as a dietitian with the Health Care Professions Council. Jasmine is an Accredited Nutritionist (Association for Nutrition) and is a High Performance registrant on the Sport and Exercise Nutrition register (SENr). She has a particular interest in dance but has worked with athletes from a variety of backgrounds. She has worked with dance students, teachers and professionals for more than 25 years.
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Katy Chambers
Lecturer in Dance Science / Physiotherapist
As well as lecturing in Dance Science, Katy been working as a Dance Specialist Physiotherapist for Trinity Laban Health since 2014. She completed her MSc Dance Science at Trinity Laban and is also a member of the Faculty of Education at the Royal Academy of Dance. Prior to this, she worked as a Dance Specialist Physiotherapist, Ballet Teacher and Pilates Instructor in the private and vocational dance training sectors. This wealth of experience gives Katy an in depth understanding of what is required of performing artists and subsequently their unique needs when it comes to education, injury prevention and tailored rehabilitation.
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Dr Lucie Clements
Guest Lecturer in Dance Science / Project Supervisor
Lucie was awarded a PhD in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in 2017, having completed a thesis titled ‘The Psychology of Creativity in Contemporary Dance’. Lucie’s PhD was supported by the Leverhulme Trust as part of a collaboration between Trinity Laban, Coventry University and Plymouth University. She also worked alongside Dr Sanna Nordin-Bates (Swedish School of Sports & Health Sciences) to develop a dance-specific creativity questionnaire. Lucie has an MSc in Dance Science (Trinity Laban) and a BSc in Psychology (University of Surrey). Lucie’s specialisms within dance science are psychology and research methods and she supervises student research projects across the BA Contemporary Dance, MSc Dance Science and MFA Dance Science.
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Megan Drabant
Graduate Intern in Dance Science and Health
Megan is a current MFA Dance Science student at Trinity Laban. Her thesis research is focusing on the effects of fatigue on tap dancers. Previously, Megan graduated with a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University (USA), which is where her love for dance science was sparked via dance kinesiology, movement analysis, and Pilates modules.
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Khyle Eccles
Lecturer in Dance Science
Khyle Eccles is a movement, dance and performance specialist with a varied portfolio career – and is one of very few dance specific strength and conditioning specialists in the UK. Khyle received his BA(Hons) at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, and his MSc Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
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Catherine Haber
Lecturer in Dance Science
Catherine Haber is a dancer and dance science researcher from Los Angeles, California. She is a Lecturer in Dance Science and the Module Leader of Research Lab in the MSc/MFS Dance Science programme. Catherine graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City, with Bachelors in both Dance and Physics. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad at the dance conservatory in the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. After finishing her Bachelors, Catherine moved to Switzerland to pursue a combination of her passions of dance and science. At the Institute of Sport Science, University of Bern, Catherine completed both a Master of Science in Sport Science Research and a Master of Advanced Studies in Dance Science summa cum laude.
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Zerlina Mastin
Lecturer in Nutrition
Zerlina has a BSc in Nutrition & Dietetics (KCL), an MSc in Public Health Nutrition (LSHTM) and an honours degree from the Royal Academy of Dance. Based in London, Zerlina works as a Registered Dietitian, specialising in Dance. In 2009, she wrote Nutrition for the Dancer, published by Dance Books Ltd, and went on to coach student and professional dancers on healthy eating for optimal performance. Working alongside One Dance UK, Zerlina is also actively involved in the Healthier Dancer Program working under the education program of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS).
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Scott Sinclair
Dance Science Laboratory Technician / Dance Science Lecturer
Scott graduated from University College Cork in 2014 with a BSc (Hons) in Physiology and then continued on to study his MSc in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Middlesex University, where he graduated with first class honours. Scott was first introduced to Dance Science whilst working closely with Scott Hannah, who is now a senior lecturer at British College of Osteopathic Medicine. Scott’s research during undergraduate studies focused primarily on the vasculature system using in vivo models. The aim of the research was to identify which component(s) of the glycocalyx were responsible for sheer stress-mediated dilatation within the iliac artery. Scott explored further areas of research during his time on the Master’s course. His focus was on immunological studies looking at exercise-induced pulmonary inflammation on endurance runners.
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Leanne Steel
Lecturer in Dance Science
Leanne graduated from the MSc Dance Science programme at Trinity Laban in 2018. During her studies she investigated relationships between hypermobility and proprioception among adolescent dancers’ as part of her thesis project. Before studying her master’s degree, Leanne completed a BA in Dance Performance at Middlesex University where her passion for dance science began through learning dance science modules and writing a dance science dissertation exploring the wellbeing of dancers with scoliosis.
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Anna Williams
Health Clinic Administrator
Anna originally trained as a dancer and graduated in 2013 from Middlesex University, with a BA (Hons) in Dance Performance. Anna then completed the MSc Dance Science at Trinity Laban graduating in 2016. Her research focused on hypermobility and injury relationships in contemporary dance students. Upon graduating from the MSc, Anna was then employed at Trinity Laban as Graduate Intern for Dance Science; responsibilities included co-delivering MSc Lab Skills, administering the Musculoskeletal and Fitness screenings, providing administrative support to the programme, organising events and delivering external workshops at several universities in the UK. In 2018, Anna began her role in the Health department at Trinity Laban; managing the on-site treatment clinic and coordinating supplementary conditioning activities for students.
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