The Art of Recovery Symposium, Leeds
Continued Professional Development, Sector Leadership
A man and woman in white shirts perform a contemporary dance against a plain backdrop, their movements dynamic and fluid, expressing grace and intensity.
The Art of Recovery: A Dance, Movement and Creative Health Symposium
8 January 2026
A Symposium at Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Leeds exploring the interface between creative health, movement and dance practice and production. Introduced and facilitated by Darren Carr (Vice Principal at NSCD), Dr Helen Kindred (Director of Studies at NSCD), Georgia Cooper (Specialist Trauma and Attachment Psychotherapist and Well-being coordinator at NSCD), Ali Coleman (Head of Student Support and Wellbeing at NSCD), Professor Angela Pickard (Director Sidney De Haan Centre for Arts and Health) and Dr Charlotte Vincent (Artistic Director, Vincent Dance Theatre)
The symposium is an opportunity for dance and movement practitioners, arts therapists, academics and students to deepen knowledge, discuss practice, share ideas and network together. To investigate the unique offer dance/movement brings to Creative Health practice and production.
The symposium aims to:
- Unpack definitions of creative health practice and production
- Discuss the challenges of working with lived experience to create public facing, artist driven production work
- Investigate what unique offer dance /movement brings to creative health practice
- Explore what trauma informed dance practice looks like
- Ask what conditions and approaches movement-based practitioners need to practice safely and purposefully to determine best practice in movement based creative health
- Ask: what do practitioners need and want to see happen next in the field of movement based creative health practice?
VDT’s acclaimed Art of Attachment Film Installation will be screened and discussed as part of the Symposium as an example of creative health based production currently used to train students in both social work and dance Higher Education contexts.
What gives Vincent’s work its power is that it is born not of hot-housed theory but of lived experience. It comes from the heart and that’s not always a pretty place.
The Observer
An open, accessible breakout space and wellbeing support will be available throughout the day.
5 free places are available for delegates from global majority backgrounds and/or those who are d/Deaf or disabled.
Eligible applicants can apply via a simple application form here by Friday 28th November 2025. Successful applicants will be emailed a discount voucher code by NSCD to register on Tuesday 2 December 2025.
Tickets to attend The Art of Recovery Symposium on 8 January 2025 can be purchased via the NSCD website: £35 full / £20 unwaged / £10 NSCD students.
‘Better Together’
Rethinking Practice through Partnership
Our dance colleagues at Northern School of Contemporary Dance are leading a Knowledge Exchange Conference at NSCD the day before our collaborative Art of Recovery Symposium on 8 January 2026.
‘Better Together’ invites educators, artists, practitioners, and researchers from across schools, higher education and the performing arts to come together in a shared exploration of collaboration as a catalyst for change in teaching, learning, artistic practice and well-being. Whether it’s a seminar, a workshop, or a round table discussion NSCD would love for you to get involved!
You can buy combined tickets for both The Art of Recovery Symposium on 8 January 2026 and NSCD Conference 2026 Better Together: Rethinking Practice Through Partnership on 7 January 2026, from 27 November 2025 via NSCD website.
