Radio Interview: MacAulay & Co, BBC Radio Scotland
The Psychology of Dance
Interviewed by Susan Calman
Broadcast live Friday 12th February 2010
Peter was interviewed live in the BBC studio by Susan Calman about the Psychology of Dance. Peter was in the studio with Colin & Justine, who showed what a wonderful pair of dancers they were. You can listen to the interiew by clicking on the BBC Radio Scotland logo on the left and following the link to Chapter 2: The Psychology of Dance.
Magazine Article: Humo, Belgium
Dansprofessor, Dans! (Dance Professor, Dance!)
Interview with Dr Peter Lovatt
Interviewed by Noud Jansen
Published 2nd February 2010
Peter Lovatt was featured in a full page article in the Belgium magazine Humo. Peter was interviewed about his research on dance and hormones and in a light hearted interview he was asked what makes men attractive to women in the way they dance. The article is published in Dutch.
Television Interview: DR2 Udland, Denmark
Interview with Dr Peter Lovatt
Interviewed by Helen Hajjaj
Broadcast Friday 29th January 2010
Peter Lovatt was interviewed by Helen Hajjaj via Skype from the Dance Psychology Lab at the University of Hertfordshire. Based on his research findings Peter was asked: What is good dancing? What do men and women look for in the opposite sex when they are dancing? And, Can someone learn to dance in a way that attracts the opposite sex? Peter answered "Yes" to the final question! When a link is available to the interview you'll be able to hear the rest of Peter's answers.
Radio Interview: 1Live Radio, Germany
Dance is like Sex, or as the Germans say "Tanzen ist wie Sex"
Interviewed by Christoph Boekamp
Broadcast Saturday 23rd January 2010
Peter Lovatt was interviewed by Christoph Boekamp at the Dance Psychology Lab at the University of Hertfordshire on Thursday 21st January. In a fun interview Christoph interviewed Peter about the work he carries out in the Dance Psychology Lab. The interview was broadcast on Saturday 23rd January, in German. The transcript of the interview, which you can read by clicking on the icon to the left is also in German.
Interview: Spiegel, Germany
Sexual Politics of Dancing: The Secrets of Looking Good on the Dance Floor
By Birger Menke
21st January 2010
Dr Peter Lovatt and his work on the Psychology of Dance were profiled by leading German news organisation Spiegel Online. In a lengthy article, which has now been published in both German and English, the science and practical application of Peter's work are discussed. The online article also has a set of videos and pictures which enable you to see Peter in dancing in his lab. People are also given the opportunity to film themselves dancing and to submit them to Peter's team of researchers for scientific analysis.
Magazine Article: Stylist Magazine
Why we are all born to Dance.
By Kate Johnson
20th January 2010
Kate Johnson writes a very nice article on why we are all born to dance. She covers a wide range of topics and includes several references to Dr Peter Lovatt's research and theory.
Choreography: Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, London.
On The Move: Curated by Dr Jonathan Miller
13th January to 18th April 2010
As part of a scientific study into the recognition of emotions expressed through dance, Peter choreographed a series of dance pieces for dancer Caroline Duker. The dance pieces were filmed in two ways. First they were danced and filmed with the lights on, then they were danced and filmed again, but this time Caroline danced them in total darkness and she wore small lights on different parts of her body. Dr Peter Lovatt and Prof. Richard Wiseman wanted to know whether people could recognise different emotions just by seeing six apparently unconnected lights dancing around in space. The videos they made form part of the On The Move exhibition which is on display at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art until 18th April 2010.
Choreography: Harpenden & Wheathampstead District Scouts Gang Show
5th to 9th January 2010
Peter was very proud to choreograph the 61st Harpenden and Wheathampstead District Scouts Gang Show. The Gang Show is a very modern version of a traditional variety show. The show is performed by 152 young people between 10 and 18, and they sing, dance and perform sketches. At the beginning and the end of the show the whole cast sing and move, at times, like a funky choir, at other times they stand still and produce an amazing wall of sound. In between these choral book ends the cast sing and dance, and dance, and dance. They perform jive, ballet, 70's disco, 80's disco, tap, partner work and lots of theatre dance. What's amazing is that most of the cast have never attended a dance class and even though we don't hold auditions, boys and girls alike achieve an excellent level of performance competence in just four months. This show is proof that everyone can enjoy dance.
Radio Interview: 774 ABC Melbourne
4th January 2010
Peter
was interviewed live by Tracy Bartram on the Breakfast Show on 774 ABC Radio Melbourne, Australia. Tracy asked Dr Lovatt why people dance and what makes a good dancer. Peter spoke about dance confidence and how it changes for both men and women and how it changes with age. Peter also spoke about the link between a person's hormonal and genetic make up and how this influences how people dance. Asked what men could do to make their dancing less startling Peter suggested that men could make their movements a little bit smaller and try to to use less random movements. Peter was invited onto the show because his research was featured in the Melbourne newspaper, The Age.
Radio Interview: 4FM Dublin
23rd December 2009
Peter was interviewed live by Gareth O'Callaghan on "Breakfast on 4" on 4FM Radio (Ireland) on
Dance Confidence. Gareth asked Peter questions about why he danced, what makes someone a good dancer, the link between dance and hormones and changes in dance confidence and age.
Radio Interview: ABC Radio National Australia
20th December 2009
Peter was interviewed live on the "Sundays with James O'Loghiln" show on ABC Radio (Australia) on
the articles which appeared in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph
(see below)
Radio Interviews: Talk Radio Europe, BBC Radio Suffolk, 3AW, 4BC
17th December 2009
Peter was interviewed by Talk Radio Europe (Spain), BBC Radio Suffolk, 3AW in Brisbane (Australia) and 4BC in Melbourn (Australia) on
the articles which appeared in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph
(see below)
Radio Interviews: Spin, Newstalk, Canadian Broadcasting Company
16th December 2009
Peter was interviewed by Spin Radio (Dublin), Newstalk Radio (Dublin), on drive time on BBC Radio Wales and by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (Toronto) on the articles which appeared in the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph (see below)
Newspaper Article: Why "dad dancing" is down to evolution
16th December 2009
Peter was interviewed by Mathew Moore, who focused his article on the suggestion that dad dancing could be due, in part, to evolutionary factors. Peter made this extremely tentative suggestion based on previously published research which suggests a link between a man's prenatal hormone levels and the way he dances. If prenatal hormones have an organising effect on body movement, and if women use body movement as an indicator of genetic or hormonal make up, then it is possible that women also "read" the body movements of middle aged men, and draw conclusions from them. It is clear from Peter's survey of almost 14,000 people that men in their late 30's and 40's report dancing differently to younger men. Middle aged men are more likely to report using larger, less coordinated movements than younger men, and women report such movement profiles to be less attractive. Peter apologises to all those middle aged men who are offended by this finding. His survey was completed by over 8,000 men and it is a fact of the data that middle aged men report dancing differently to younger men. The evolutionary explanation is just one of many possible explanations of these data. Peter intends to publish the raw data and the data analysis so that people can offer their own interpretation.
This article has been syndicated world wide and has been reproduced and reported extensively on the web.
Newspaper Article: Do the fertility-based courtship display with me15th December 2009
Peter was interviewed by Lucy Tobin on his research into the link between dance confidence, age and gender. The article addressed the questions: Why do people dance? And what makes some more confident than others?
This article has been syndicated world wide and has been reproduced and reported extensively on the web.
Radio Interviews: BBC Radio 4: The Today Programmer & The BBC World Service
15th December 2009
Peter was interviewed by Sarah Montague on the Today programme about his survey data from almost 14,000 people on Dance Confidence, Age and Gender. Peter's findings show that dance confidence changes with age and gender. This finding has implications for the strategies people can use to encourage more people to engage in recreational dance for improved health.
Peter was also interviewed on the same subject for a BBC World Service broadcast.
Best Use of Media Relations: Silver Award
Chartered Institute of Public Relations: PRide Award
Friday 27th November 2009
The University of Hertfordshire was awarded a Silver Award at the 2009 CIPR PRide awards for the Best Use of Media Relations, during the Health and Human Sciences Research Institute Showcase. Dr Peter Lovatt and Professor Richard Wiseman, both from the School of Psychology, made a significant contribution to this media campaign. Peter showcased his work on the way people communicate through dance.
Public Lecture: The Science Museum, London.
Sex and Science: Dance, Hormones and Sexual SelectionWednesday 28 October, 18.45-22.00 (free entry)
What does the way you dance say about you?
In this interactive session Dr Peter Lovatt from the University of
Hertfordshire will describe how the way you dance is influenced by your
hormones and he will explain why the relative size of your ears will determine
who you will find hot, or not, on the dance floor. Like many other animals,
humans use recreational dance as a way of communicating their underlying genetic
and hormonal make up and their current levels of fertility, as part of the
mating process. So come along and learn what your dancing style says about you.
"This October Lates will be embracing sex and science. Join us for a
spot of speed dating or a tour of some of our more x-rated collections,
as well as many other adult pleasures to tickle your fancy. Join us
there for a silent disco under a Spitfire, sizzling live music and
interactive heaven in our award-winning Launchpad gallery… all without
the kids! "
As part of the event Dr Peter Lovatt led three interactive dance based lectures on Dance, Hormones and Sexual Selection that were attended by almost a thousand people. See the photos in the Photographs link to the left.
TV Broadcast: The One Show. BBC1 7pm. Dance Booth – Women.
25th September 2009
Dance Booth – Women, a four-minute package
showing Peter’s research on the relationship between recreational dance and
hormones was broadcast on BBC1 as part of The One Show. The One Show is a prime
time magazine show. Dance Booth – women was directed by Hamish Summers, for Prospect Media, with a voice over by Karen Hardy, from Strictly Come Dancing.
You can see this video, and other recordings of Peter on TV and Radio, by clicking here.
TV Broadcast: The One Show. BBC1 7pm. Dance Booth – Men.
18th September 2009
Dance Booth – Men, a four-minute package
showing Peter’s research on the relationship between recreational dance and
hormones was broadcast on BBC1 as part of The One Show. The One Show is a prime
time magazine show. Dance Booth –
Men was directed by Hamish Summers, for Prospect Media, with a voice over by Phil Tufnell.
You can see this video, and other recordings of Peter on TV and Radio, by clicking here.
Forum’s Got Talent: The University of
Hertfordshire
12th and 13th
September 2009
Peter was the head judge at the Forum’s Got
Talent. On Saturday 12th September 50 acts auditioned for one of ten
places in the final on Sunday. The range of acts was fantastic (singers,
dancers, jugglers, comedians) and it was a tough job to choose between them for
the final. On Sunday 13th September Diversity, the winners of
Britain’s Got Talent, performed in front of a packed Forum and set the scene
for a great show.
Dance Booth – Women: The One Show BBC1.
11th September 2009
Dr Peter Lovatt spent the day filming with
Karen Hardy for the BBC (Prospect Media). Peter set up a dance both at the
Bentall’s Centre in Kingston and women were filmed as they danced. Peter’s team
(Tracy Ashwood, Ling Ling Tai and Amelia Hall) then measured pre-natal
testosterone levels in the women and asked men to rate the dancers for
attractiveness. In addition, men
watched videos of the women dancing while they were wearing an eye tracker. The
findings supported earlier laboratory findings that women move their hips more
while they dance if they are at the fertile stage of their cycle and men look
more at the hip region of fertile women. This piece will be shown on The One Show on BBC1 at 7pm on Friday 25th September 2009.
British Psychological Society: Cognitive
Psychology Conference
3rd September 2009
Peter presented a paper at the British
Psychological Society’s Cognitive Psychology section Conference on the
relationship between improvisation and cognition. The paper described two
experiments, carried out by Peter Lovatt and Carine Lewis (who is studying for
a PhD under Peter’s supervision), which found that following a period of verbal
or musical improvisation people performed better on cognitive and creativity
tests.
Dance, Health & Hormones: ESRC Grant
application
19th August 2009
After months of work Peter submitted a
grant application to the ESRC for a 1.1 million pound project to examine
changes to health and hormones of engaging in a recreational dance programme.
The three year project will examine recreational dance in people from across
the life span. This is a major project and the findings will inform a wide
range of people on how recreational dance can be used as part of health related
primary prevention programmes for people of different ages.
Nuffield Foundation Studentship: Katie
Muir-Porteous
13th July 2009
Studying under a Nuffield Foundation
studentship Katie Muir-Porteus, from The Broxborn School, came to work with Dr
Lovatt in the UH DanceLab for the summer. Katie worked on a project which
examined the link between the way women dance and their level of fertility.
Tutor of the Year: Vice Chancelor’s Awards:
University of Hertfordshire
3rd July 2009
Dr Peter Lovatt was Highly Commended in the
category of Tutor of the Year in the 2009 Vice Chancellor’s Awards. Peter was
nominated for Tutor of the Year by a number of his students and he was then
shortlisted for the award by the Vice Chancellor’s panel at the University of
Hertfordshire. Peter is very proud
that the quality of his teaching was recognized in this way.
Russell Maliphant Interview: Wellcome Trust
13th June 2009
Peter Interviewed the dancer and
choreographer Russell Maliphant for the Mind Your Moves project led by Marina Wallace for a proposal for a Wellcome Trust funded project. Peter spoke to
Russell about his choreographic process and about whether he would use
scientific findings about how audiences perceive and respond to dance as part
of his choreographic process. The interview was filmed in Russell’s London
studio.
Move Me On @ The Dana Centre, Science
Museum, London
9th June 2009
Peter led a evening with Marina Wallace and Nicky Ellis on his research into how people communicate through
dance. This event was geat fun. Peter proposed a scientific basis for the
relationship between dance and communication. Marina responded to Peter’s
proposals from an artists perspective and Nicky responded from a choreographers
perspective. Move Me On @ the Dana Centre worked at the interface of the art
and science of dance.
Psychology of Performing Arts Interview:
Futures Magazine
19th May 2009
Peter was interviewed on his teaching and
research on the Psychology of The Performing Arts (PoPA). Dr Lovatt developed
this course and research programme and it is the only course of its kind at
university level. Students at the University of Hertfordshire have a unique
opportunity to study PoPA in the second and third years of their psychology
degrees.
Stage Fright Interview: BBC Radio Wales
6th May 2009
Dr Lovatt was interviewed live on BBC Radio
Wales about stage fright. Peter
travelled down to BBC Television
Centre in White City London for the interview. He gave the interview from the
unmanned radio station, which is a small sound proofed room full of old radio
equipment. Peter thought it was a wonderful, yet a little strange, experience.
Bench Working Party: Kimpton Entertains
2nd May 2009
After 12 weeks of practice the men (and one
woman) of the Kimpton Bench Working Party performed a surprise tap routine to their
fellow Kimptonians. Peter started working with the group of dance virgins in early
February and he was amazingly proud of what they achieved. The audience loved
the performance too, and gave the tap dancing bench working party the loudest
and longest round of applause of the night.
The Psychology of Movement: The Royal
Institution of Great Britain
2nd May 2009
Dr Peter Lovatt ran three sessions at the
Royal Institution Family Fun day on the Psychology of Movement. Peter worked
with groups of about 30 people in each session to demonstrate how we
communicate a range of feelings and intentions through our body movement.
Everyone got involved and practiced new styles of movement.
Gang Show: First production meeting for
2010
29th April 2009
Peter (AKA Dr Dance) and the rest of the
production team had the first production meeting for the Harpenden and
Wheathampstead District Scouts Gang Show. 2010. The 2009 gang show will be a
hard act to follow!
Dance Booth – Men: The One Show BBC1.
28th April 2009
Dr Peter Lovatt spent the day filming with
Phil Tufnell for the BBC (Prospect Media). Peter set up a dance both at the
Bentall’s Centre in Kingston and men were filmed as they danced. Peter’s team
(Carine Lewis and Lindsey Lovatt) then measured pre-natal testosterone levels
in the men and asked women to rate the dancers for attractiveness. Confirming his laboratory data Peter
found that high testosterone men were rated as more attractive than low
testosterone men. Shopping centre science at its very best!
In The Mood for Dancing: Edinburgh
International Science Festival
16th April 2009
Professor Richard Wiseman and Dr Peter
Lovatt ran an interactive session at the Science Festival where they
demonstrated how people recognize emotion from the dancing body. By the end of
the session they had everyone up dancing, bringing science to life.
Scottish Television interviewed Peter
before the event and a video of the interview can be seen here.