Stephanie Mattiussi was appointed Head of Dance Science and Health at London Contemporary Dance School at The Place in 2022. She was previously Manager of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science and Head of Student Welfare at London Studio Centre, where her team won the One Dance UK Healthcare Team Award in 2021. Since 2021, she has been shortlisted for this national award on three occasions.
Stephanie has been an active volunteer for the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) since 2018, serving on several operational committees. She is a former Chair of the Development Committee, a past member of the Dance Educators Committee, and currently sits on the Meetings and Events Committee.
She is also a Steering Group member for the Healthy Conservatoires Network and for Hungry2Dance, an Arts Council England-funded creative action research project exploring the relationship between dance training and body image from the perspective of young dancers.
In addition to her leadership and advocacy roles, Stephanie contributes to the field as a reviewer for the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, a position she has held since 2023.
Currently working on:
Stephanie is currently working with the LCDS dance science research team on a longitudinal health and wellbeing project monitoring LCDS undergraduate students; a project that LCDS has been undertaking since 2019. This project often identifies areas for deep dives, and recently the team have investigated students understanding of class intensity and the relationship between planned and actual intensity using internal and external measures of exertion.
Stephanie has recently collaborated with LCDS research colleague Dr Elsa Urmston to evaluate and redesign the dance science curriculum for the LCDS undergraduate programme. The pair plan to publish their process and methodology in the next academic year.
In addition, Stephanie is working with professional dance companies to explore applied health and wellbeing within a touring context. Stephanie is currently preparing to work with Hofesh Shechter Company (HSC) in 2026, supporting their Shechter II dancers during their one-year artist development programme, and building on the relationship she has held with HSC since 2022.
I am interested in research collaborations in the following areas:
- Pre-professional/professional dancer physical health, injury and wellbeing
- Pre-professional/professional dancer help seeking behaviours
- Periodisation in dance education
Publications or practice outputs:
- Needham-Beck, S., Urmston, E. & Mattiussi, S. (2025) ‘Understanding undergraduate contemporary dance student perceptions of class intensity’, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, Las Vegas, NV: International Association for Dance Medicine & Science
- Farmer, C., De’Ath, S. & Brouner, J. (2024) ‘Strength Training Perceptions Amongst Vocational Circus and Dance Students’, Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 28(1), pp. 37–42. doi: 10.1177/1089313X231204164
- De'Ath, S. and Erwin, L. (2021) ‘Taking Care of your Body and Mind: Applying Dance Science to Practice’. In: J. Jackson, ed., Ballet: The Essential Guide to Technique and Creative Practice. London: Crowood, pp.117-140.