This course aims to equip dance practitioners with the foundational knowledge and practical skills needed to deliver trauma-informed dance sessions. It will deepen participants' understanding of trauma and its effects on the body, behaviour, and relationships, while exploring the powerful role dance can play in healing, regulation, and empowerment. Through reflective learning and real-world application, the course supports practitioners to foster safer, more inclusive and responsive environments for all dancers, particularly those who may have experienced trauma.

This CPD course is designed exclusively for dance practitioners who work with people who may have experienced trauma or for those looking to expand their knowledge and skill to work with different groups of learners. It provides essential knowledge of trauma and trauma-informed practice, alongside practical, dance-specific strategies for creating safe, responsive and empowering environments. 

Tuesday 3 February 2026, 10:30 - 12:00 (1.5 CPD hours)
Trauma Informed Training for Dance Practitioners - part 1
Lecturers: Elizabeth Vecchione and Amelia Channon 

Part 1 will focus on:

Defining Trauma and Trauma-Informed Dance Practice

• What is trauma? Understanding relational and developmental trauma.
• Why trauma-awareness matters in the dance space.

Understanding the Impact of Trauma

• The nervous system and survival behaviours in the studio.
• Trauma’s impact on the ability to feel safe, build trust and form relationships.
• Emotional regulation and what it looks like in a dance context.

Tuesday 10 February 2026, 10:30 - 12:00 (1.5 CPD hours)
Trauma Informed Training for Dance Practitioners - part 2
Lecturers: Elizabeth Vecchione and Amelia Channon 
 

Part 2 will focus on:

Spotting Signs of Trauma in Dance Settings

• How trauma may present relationally, emotionally, physically and behaviourally.
• Why dance is powerful.
• How trauma impacts self-worth and how dance can support it, or harm it if not delivered with care

Practical Strategies for the Studio

• Trauma-responsive tools: Regulate, Relate, Reason
• Practical strategies for dance studios
• The risks of authoritative practice and the importance of praise, consent and strengths-based facilitation
• Real-world examples and group discussion
• Action Planning: apply the learning to your practice

Recording option available 

This course will be recorded for delegates who are unable to attend on the day. So even if you can’t attend, you can catch up. Delegates will still be required to purchase the course via Eventbrite (link below), and a link to the recording will be sent once the course has been completed. The recording will be available to view for 3 weeks following the course. 

Beth Vecchione - Founder and CEO of Care to Dance

As a qualified social worker, Beth was motivated to address the lack of creative, community-focused support available for young people. This led her to combine her passion for dance with her professional experience supporting children in care, founding Care to Dance. Beth is currently undertaking a PhD exploring how combining dance with trauma-informed approaches can positively impact care-experienced young people. Through this work, she is dedicated to creating inclusive spaces where young people can find belonging, freedom, and a safe means of expression.

Amelia Channon - Artistic Director of Care to Dance

Amelia has worked with children and families as a qualified social worker for many years, alongside a lifelong involvement in dance. She trained at Highgate Ballet School and went on to join the English National Ballet Youth Associate Company from ages 14-18. At 18, she danced with EBC, before moving into teaching, where she led children’s ballet classes at Julie London Dance between 2014 and 2018. In 2023, she expanded her practice by gaining a barre instructor qualification, furthering her belief in the importance of movement for health and expression. At Care to Dance, she combines her professional social work experience with her rich dance background to support care-experienced young people.

Care to Dance

Care to Dance is a charity, led by qualified social workers and dancers, that supports care-experienced young people through dance and helps them feel a sense of belonging, freedom and connection. We find creative ways to help them process their experiences and learn how to express themselves in a positive way, in a safe environment free from fear of judgement and among others who understand their experiences. Our programmes are designed to build their confidence and self-esteem, show them what they can achieve and build their drive and motivation.

Times and dates

Please note that all course dates and times are stated in UK Time - (GMT - Greenwich Mean Time)

Closing dates

Bookings for this course will close 3 days before it is due to take place. Therefore tickets may not always be available to purchase via the website However, if you contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org we may be able to manually book you onto a course. 

Course Prices

Additional discounts are available for student teachers with provisional membership status. Please contact coursebookings@istd.org with your membership number for a discount code.

Course cancellations

Courses are subject to cancellation (up to 3 weeks in advance) if the minimum attendee numbers have not been reached. Therefore we strongly advise that all attendees book well in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Lecturers

In the instance of a change to availability, we may need to find an alternative lecturer (than the one originally scheduled) to lead a course. This will not affect the content covered in the course.

Attendance

All online courses must be attended live. We do not record our sessions for future viewing or purchasing, unless otherwise stated. 

CPD hours

All hours stated next to each course refer to the earned CPD hours. This will be reflected on each certificate of attendance that you will receive.

Waiting list 

If a course you wish to attend has sold out, please contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org to be added to the waiting list.

Terms and conditions 

Please refer to our website for the full terms and conditions of your booking, including details about refunds.

Further questions

If you have any further questions, please contact coursebookings@istd.org and a member of the CPD team will get back to you.

Booking conditions

All fees must be paid in full, with cleared funds, before bookings close for the course. Delegates will only be provided with zoom details and have access to online courses once payment has been made.

Each participant (irrespective of whether they are sharing a studio or device) is required to pay for their place on the course. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not pass on the zoom login details or allow anybody that has not booked, to join the course on any device.

Cancellations must be made via email to coursebookings@istd.org 

• For any cancellations made less than 10 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 50% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 7 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 75% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 4 days before the event, the ISTD will retain the total booking fee.

Under exceptional circumstances or where a doctor’s certificate is provided a full or partial refund may be given at the discretion of the Education and Training department.

In the event that delivery is affected by a local lockdown or any other force majeure, we will do our best to make alternative arrangements in order to ensure the course can go ahead. However, if this is not possible, delegates will be contacted and offered a refund or a credit note.

We cannot account for the strength of delegate internet connection and ask that each attendee check the connection before each course. In the case of loss of connection part-way through a course, refunds will not be given. Where possible, we may offer you an alternative course to attend. This will be at the discretion of the Director of Education.

Certificates of attendance will be sent to each delegate via email as a PDF document after the CPD event has taken place. The CPD hours on the certificate will reflect the time attended by the participant with time deducted for late arrival or early departure from the session.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing has the right to refuse bookings on the grounds of health and safety or if acceptance would contravene its Regulatory Authority Approval.

Course delegates are responsible for their own personal property and safety. Delegates must ensure that they follow the appropriate health and safety warnings, including:

• Ensuring the space is environmentally equipped and safe (i.e. proper lighting and adequate temperature).
• Having enough room to participate in the activity without there being any obvious risk of injury to the participant, to others, or risk of any damage to the surrounding property.
• Ensuring that the flooring in the room is appropriate for the activity to be undertaken.
• That no other adult is observing during the course without the prior knowledge and permission of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.
• The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing reserves the right to record any online CPD for the purpose of further training.

Filming/photography/recording of any content displayed or discussed during the online class is not permitted by any delegate.

All work displayed is the intellectual property of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and appointed lecturers. Recording the lectures would be a breach of copyright and anyone found doing so may be removed from the session and future bookings.

Consent and release

ISTD is committed to the principle that the interests and welfare of participants taking part in dance activities is paramount. To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, ISTD needs your permission before we take any photography or video of you.

By acknowledging and agreeing to these terms, I consent to ISTD photographing or videoing me at this event. I can confirm that I have been made aware that these images or videos could be used in dance-related publications, the ISTD website, at future events, and broadcast on social media or video streaming services. I give the ISTD permission without a time limit to use this photography or video (including facial images) worldwide on any medium.

How we use your information

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will process your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy. Please refer to our privacy policy which can be found in full on our website.

Any concerns should be emailed to coursebookings@istd.org