MOVER Centre
Interdisciplinary Centre for Movement and Embodied Research
About
Researching lived experience through embodied movement
The MOVER Centre specialises in diverse approaches to researching lived experience through embodied movement practice. Our research asks about the nature of physical engagements with the world around, what bodies do, and how knowledge is generated through corporeal practice. Situated in the culturally and environmentally rich area of West Sussex, the Centre draws on regional and national partnerships to develop knowledge exchange, both inside and outside of academia.
The Centre brings together scholars and practitioners working in a wide range of fields, including dance, somatics, performance science, fine art, sound, ecology, outdoor education, dance science and psychology, while also regularly hosting visiting academics, dance and movement practitioners, arts and health researchers and interdisciplinary artists working in other areas. We have a rich and diverse research culture and provide an inclusive and stimulating environment for PhD students engaged in research projects associated with our key research specialisms:
- Choreography and dance-making practices
- Wellbeing, mental health and embodied experience
- Site-dance and aite-based movement inquiry
- Somatic practices and eco-criticism
- Environment, ecology and experience
- Embodiment and creativity
- Dance and performance science (and performer training)
- Ageing, movement and embodiment
- Advancements in body and technology interfaces
- Body-based practice and critical discourse
- Interdisciplinary research methods
We welcome enquiries from industry professionals and researchers interested in developing potential projects with us and from prospective PhD candidates interested in studying and researching with us.
People
The Centre is also home to a lively cohort of postgraduate researchers, including:
- Thea Stanton
- Vidya Thirunarayan
- Alisa Morrison
Projects
The MOVER Centre is leading and collaborating on a wide range of research projects, working with partner universities across the UK, Europe, Canada, New Zealand and Lebanon, research groups and networks, and key industry bodies.
We are also developing strong links with the South Downs National Park Authority. Team members are actively engaged with national and international research organisations including the Arts and Humanities Research Council, International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, Society for Dance Research, Theatre and Performance Research Association and the International Federation for Theatre Research.
Many of our members also work in close collaboration with the Arts Council England-funded Dance Theatre Space (DTS), based at the University of Chichester. DTS operates as a regional hub for dance performance and research, hosting a variety of performances, workshops and talks throughout the year for the general public, community, students and professional participants.
Other ongoing research projects include
- Dance Matters
- Developing activities with dance and older adults (in partnership with Dance Theatre Space)
Publications
Research outputs from the Centre’s team include monographs, edited scholarly essays, performances, installations, fieldwork, podcast series, training handbooks, public engagement workshops, peer-reviewed journal articles, public symposia and choreographic commissions. See below to browse our recent work.
Impact
How we're helping create change
MOVER events regularly reach audiences at an international level.
Dr Gemma Harman’s ResDance podcast series is currently among the most downloaded dance podcasts in the world.
ResDance is dedicated to building a wider conversation around research methodologies and methods in dance practice. It is intended for educators, students, practitioners and performers and interdisciplinary researchers curious to learn more about dance research in action.
ResDance podcast
Listen to Dr Gemma Harman's podcast that explores research methodologies and methods in dance practice.
Events and News
Tuesday 11 March 2025
5.30-6.00pm
Choreographer, researcher and reader of dance, Dr Yael Flexer, will be presenting the next research dialogue in DST1.
Yael's presentation will focus on Flexer & Sandiland's recent immersive and interactive touring production Imagining Otherwise.
Imagining Otherwise reflects on our experiences of parallel time zones, places and lives; exploring the idea of multiple narratives and possibilities.
Digital floor projections, shaped and changed by the dancers’ movement evoke shifting organic landscapes interwoven with spoken text by writer Wendy Houstoun and music by Composer James Keane. Interactive imagery, akin to live charcoal drawing, highlight notions of migration, transience, mark-making and erasure.
The presentation will examine these notions in the context of the theoretical and practical journey of the research and creation process of the work drawing on writing by Geographer Doreen Massey (2013) and dance theorists and practitioners Vida Midgelow (2012), Nita Little (2014) and Rosalind Crisp (2022).
This is a unique opportunity to hear about the creative process followed in the making of the work.
