EVENTS
BAPAM and One Dance UK present Dance for Life: Healthy Lifelong Practice for Dancers
- Date: 12 Nov 25
- Location: Online - Zoom
Date: 12 Nov 25
Start Time: 10 AM
End Time: 11.30 AM
Join BAPAM and One Dance UK for an insightful CPD session focused on healthy lifelong practice. Led by accredited counsellor and psychotherapist Laura Duester and former professional dancer turned internationally recognised teacher, lecturer, and researcher Edel Quin, the session will explore strategies for sustainable practice to nurture your body and mind. Focusing on specific career transitions, as well as the importance of warm up, cool down and rest, you’ll leave the session with tools to help sustain your career, whether you’re at the start of your journey or a seasoned professional.
Laura Duester
Laura Duester is an accredited counsellor and psychotherapist, offering one-to-one and couple therapy in Bicester (Oxfordshire) and online. She runs a clinical practice, LD Therapy, specialising in working with anxiety, trauma, relationships and dancers/performers. Laura also regularly delivers mental health training for organisations.
Laura’s core approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy, complemented by additional expertise in positive psychology, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), outdoor (walk and talk) therapy, neurodivergence, couple relationships, Rewind trauma therapy, mindfulness, life coaching and mental health first aid. She is accredited with the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and a registered practitioner for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine.
Laura has extensive professional experience from roles within universities, schools, charities and helplines. She has created self-help resources including a guided Anxiety Journal and a free 10 Days of Happiness online course. Her work has also been featured in major media outlets including the BBC, ITV, The Guardian, The Independent, The Telegraph and HuffPost.
Edel Quin
Edel is a former professional dancer, turned internationally recognised dance teacher, lecturer, and researcher. She co-authored ‘Safe Dance Practice: An Applied Dance Science Perspective’ (Human Kinetics, 2015), a cornerstone resource in the field of dance teaching and training. In 2021, Edel was awarded the prestigious International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) Dance Educator Award, honouring her work in integrating dance science into teaching and prioritising dancer well-being through evidence-based practice across styles, ages, and settings.
Edel has worked at leading institutions across the globe including Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (UK), Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (Hong Kong), Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (University of Limerick, Ireland), University of Bern (Switzerland), Beijing Dance Academy (China) and University of Wyoming (USA). Now based in Chichester, UK, Edel contributes to the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Dance Science, Dance, and Sport Science at the University of Chichester. As a freelance educator her work continues to inform and support future generations of dancers and educators.