Meet Dr Joanna Nicholas

Dr Joanna Nicholas has been teaching dance and strength and conditioning for over 22 years. “From a very young age I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” she says. “A strong passion for movement and dance drew me to studying an exercise and sports science degree alongside dance training. It felt like a natural progression to apply knowledge from my studies in human movement and sports science into teaching both dance and strength and conditioning for dance.”

Her role as a lecturer in dance and performance science at WAAPA involves working mainly with adolescent and young adult dancers. “My background is in dance and exercise science, including a PhD on the science of pole dancing, being an Accredited Exercise Scientist and Strength and Conditioning Coach, and over 15 years as an educator. At WAAPA I teach units related to dance science and wellbeing including anatomy, strength & conditioning, and performance psychology.”

She also conducts research in dance and circus science which spans a range of age groups. “My research interests include investigating dancer and circus artist physical and psychological health and promoting wellbeing and career longevity through the development of tools and resources for artists, teachers, clinicians, and researchers.

“For 18 years I have also taught pole dancing at community-based studios to people from 16 to 67 years and from a broad range of backgrounds.”

What does she find most rewarding about dance teaching?

I am extremely fortunate to be conducting research in areas that directly relate to, and can be applied to, teaching at WAAPA. One example is research on promoting awareness of low energy availability and relative energy deficit in sport (REDs), and the importance of adequately fuelling for the demands of dance training along with the importance of strength and conditioning in dance training and for career longevity. Seeing students keen to dive deeper into these concepts and apply strategies to their own training (and seeing the benefits) is highly rewarding. There are also more students interested in pursuing research projects on dance and performance science topics which brings me SO MUCH JOY!

It also fills my heart seeing students have “ah-ha” moments and grasping topics, concepts, or movements we have been covering. Watching students become confident training with weights in the gym or seeing adult pole dancers with no previous dance training perform in front of an audience or choreograph their own sequences is very rewarding.

What has changed since she was a student?

There is far more research on dancer wellbeing and health, she replies. “Dancers are now being recognised as performing athletes (yet still acknowledging the artistry unique to dance) and the dance world is learning from sports and exercise science. Thanks to key pioneers of dance science such as Professor Emma Redding and Professor Matthew Wyon, the area of dance science is well-established and continues to grow.”

Advice to students if they decide on a teaching career?

“Be sure to learn about dancer health and wellbeing. Dance technique and choreography skills are vital to dance teaching, however understanding strategies to promote physical and psychological wellbeing will help promote dancer performance, minimise risk of injury, and promote career longevity.”