Towards a developing Construct in Dance Education-Exploring the Relation of Emotional Intelligence to Teacher's Sense of Efficacy and teaching Experience among British Dance Education Students. Theories of emotional intelligence (EI) have already been applied successfully in the field of education, and EI has been found to predict different aspects of teaching such as influencing one's self-beliefs. Positive associations among emotional intelligence (EI) and teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) and length of teaching experience have been reported. This study aims to investigate potential associations between EI, TSE, and length of teaching experience amongst British postgraduate students of dance education (PGDE) students. A sequential mixed-methods design was applied, including both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to capture examples of emotionally intelligent dance students. Measures of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire (TEIQue) and the teacher sense of efficacy scale (TSES) were administered to a sample of eight PGDE students. The results suggest a positive association between trait emotional intelligence, its subscales and teachers' self-efficacy and between the TEIQue total score and the length of teaching experience. Qualitative data was collected via a multiple case study, evaluating four cases among the participants. Three main themes merged from the qualitative data: dance background, teaching experience and self-efficacy beliefs, exploring further the findings from the preliminary analysis. Specific student dance teacher development programmes have been suggested to enhance dance teachers' emotional intelligence.

Extant attentional focus research has largely examined movement tasks that are outcome-focused (e.g., height of jumps, force production, and number of successful turns) with fewer studies of the movement quality or form of an aesthetic discipline (e.g., dance, gymnastics, and ice-skating). In this study, both movement form and outcomebased measures were used to assess the performance of a pirouette. Thirteen skilled dancers performed pirouettes on a force plate under three trial conditions: control (no focus instruction), external focus instruction, and internal focus instruction. Assessment of the dancers' performance was quantified by 1. variability of postural sway, 2. duration of balance sustained, and 3. quality of movement form as rated by four experienced dance teachers. To corroborate the quantitative findings, dancers' perspectives were included in the study. Statistical analysis showed that the quality of a pirouette under the influence of external or internal focus instructions did not differ in any of the measured dependent variables. However, when the results were interpreted in the context of participants' perspective, there was a perceived improvement with either the prescribed external or internal focus over the control condition.

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Freestyle-disco is a relatively new and complex competitive dance style that, to our knowledge, has yet to be researched. Thus, the purpose of this research was to explore two fundamental physiological characteristics of exercise in relation to freestyle-disco as a startingpoint for future research into the style. From this, the authors hope to better understand the processes and complexities involved in studying these particular dancers. This study investigated differences in heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) between class and competition in freestyle-disco and slow dance. Five female dancers aged 12 to 16 years, from one freestyle-disco school volunteered to participate in the study. HR data were recorded using heart rate monitors at two classes and two competitions. RPE scores were collected after each competitive performance and each section of the class. No significant differences in HR or RPE were found for freestyle-disco or slow dance performance between class and competition. The methodological limitations that arose in this work means that these findings are merely speculative however they do provide initial insight to an under-researched dance style. As such, we hope this research will be a catalyst for further investigation to learn more about this exciting dance style.

Generalised Joint Hypermobility (GJH) is a heritable disorder of the connective tissue that manifests as extreme range of motion in the joints; it is considered both an asset and health risk to the dancer. Recently, links between GJH, anxiety, emotional and mental wellbeing have been established. The experiences of GJH in professional dance artists (five male, four female; mean age = 32.3 yrs; range = 25-40 yrs) and Ballet masters (3 female & 1 male, mean experience 30.8 yrs.) were exploredthrough semi-structured interviews (45-60 min). A biopsychosocial filter and qualitative reflective thematic approach were appliedto the analysis. Emerging themes include; hypermobile aesthetic, professional values and preconceptions, choreographic trends, company strategies, intellectual curiosity, pedagogy and leadership. Participants agreed dancers with GJH characteristics met the direction and desired aesthetic for today's dance companies and choreographers. They showed a good understanding of the strengths and challenges of GJH but did not directly associate any psychosocial traits . The findings demonstrate that whilst commonly exploited for choreographic gains, the health risks and experience of GJH are not understood in the professional dance environment. Finally, we translate the practical implications of our findings for teaching dance in developmental environments.