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Dr Frances Clarke

Dean of Dance

Dance

Laban Building
Creekside
London

SE8 3DZ

Email: F.Clarke@trinitylaban.ac.uk

Area of Work

PdD, MSc, BA (Hons), PGCE, SFHEA

I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Dean, Faculty of Dance, and very much look forward to working with the Faculty’s superbly gifted team. Trinity Laban’s programmes are recognised as world class and I look forward to working with the Faculty in continuing to develop and cultivate a creative environment of excellence for future artists.

Frances Clarke
Frances Clarke headshot

Biography

Dr Frances Clarke was appointed to the role of Dean of Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2019. Previously, she was Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader for the undergraduate dance programmes at the University of Wolverhampton, managing the dance provision and leading modules on the institution’s dance and dance science undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Frances trained at Arts Educational Schools before completing a degree in Dance Theatre at Trinity Laban and a PGCE in Dance at Bedford College of Higher Education. She has an MSc (Distinction) in Dance Science from the University of Wolverhampton and a PhD which examined balance and dance performance. Her varied and successful career in dance has encompassed three decades as a performance artist, including a tenure as Artistic Director of Springs Dance Company. As Artistic Director of Springs Dance Company– one of the UK’s longest running contemporary dance companies – she created multi-media works for film and international arts events, founded their summer school, commissioned new works, created and performed new roles, and developed learning and participation programmes. Frances is involved in strategic arts leadership at a national level, and in 2018, was appointed Chair of Rosie Kay Dance Company, voted Best Independent Dance Company in the 2015 National Dance Awards.

Frances has extensive experience of programme delivery and development in further and higher education. For a number of years Frances was a member of the Board of DanceHE, and has been an external examiner and advisor for a number of UK universities, including the University of Oxford, and currently has a long term role as advisor for a Visiting Scholarship in Dance at the University of Cambridge. She has had multiple advisory roles in creative projects, including the BBC, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the Centre for Advanced Training. In recognition of her leadership in Higher Education, she has been awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Prior to her work in Higher Education, Frances founded and led a number of secondary and further education dance departments in the UK.

Alongside her education and advisory work, Frances is also a researcher in the field of dance science. Her current research examines balance and performance within dance populations. Other research interests include performance enhancement, the use of performance profiling, imagery and self-talk in dance training and performance, and mentoring for professional teachers and artists. She regularly publishes academic papers and presents at international conferences, and has served as the Chair of the Publications Committee for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science.