Dr. Peter Lovatt is an experienced, fun and engaging speaker. He is a Reader in the Psychology of Dance and a Principal lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, where he runs the Dance Psychology Lab. Before starting on an academic career Peter was a professional dancer.

Peter Lovatt trained in dance and musical theatre at the Guildford School of Acting (1983-1986) and after graduating Peter worked in most of the UK’s number 1 theatres and on the international dance circuit.

Peter left full time theatre to study for a BSc in Psychology and English, after which he got a scholarship to read for an MSc in Neural Computation at the University of Stirling, and thereafter he went on to do doctoral research in the department of Psychology at the University of Essex. Peter spent his post-doctoral years at the University of Cambridge. After a brief spell in industry, he joined Kingston University and in 2004 Peter joined the School of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.

Peter Lovatt has retained an active passion for dance throughout his life. In addition to carrying out research into the Psychology of Dance, he teaches dance, choreographs and continues to attend class. Peter’s aim is to engage with as many different forms of dance as possible. While he recognizes that certain dance styles attract certain types and ages of people, he believes that no-one should be discouraged from enjoying any form of dance. This active participation and belief in dance, together with Peter’s professional training and experience as both a dancer and a Psychologist, puts him in a unique position to understand the relationship between dance and human psychology.

Peter leads a research team from his Dance Psychology Lab at the University of Hertfordshire where he addresses research questions like: “What are the health benefits of engaging with recreational dance?”, “Why does the act of dance change the way we think?” and “Why is the way we dance influenced by our hormonal and genetic make up?”

Peter’s research into the psychology of dance has a broad and international appeal. One of his recent studies examined the dancing styles of over 14,000 people, and another examined the link between hormones and dancing ability.

Peter has been interviewed about his research extensively and his findings have been reported around the World in and on media such as Scientific American Mind, Psychologies, The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian, The Sun, Radio 4’s Today Programme, The Naked Scientist, The Graham Norton Show, GMTV and Good Morning America. His appearance on the Graham Norton Show has been watched over 70,000 times in just a few months on YouTube.

Peter is an experienced science communicator. He has given public lectures at the major national science centres, including: The Royal Institution, The Dana Centre, The Wellcome Collection, The Science Museum (London), The Science Centre (Glasgow) and has given keynote addresses at international conferences. 

In August 2010, Peter is taking his one-man show “Dance Doctor, Dance! The Psychology of Dance Show” to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Peter Lovatt is an ideal after-dinner and business speaker who is engaging, articulate and extremely funny.
 
Peter’s speeches can culminate in getting the audience up and dancing. So, if you’re planning a dinner-dance then Peter can provide the perfect and seamless link between the dinner and the dance.

Speaking titles include:

Dance, Hormones and Sexual Selection

What does the way you dance say about you? In this entertaining talk Dr. Peter Lovatt 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 listen up and learn what your dancing style says about you.

Dance and Think Like Einstein

How can dance change the way you think? How can randomness help you solve problems? Cognitive scientists know that when we break away from set patterns of thinking and behaving we increase our cognitive potential. But thinking and behaving differently is difficult. In this talk Dr. Peter Lovatt explains how you can break away from set patterns of thinking by moving your feet to a funky disco beat.

Dad Dancing: Why do we dance to embarrass our kids?

Why do middle-aged men dance in a way that makes young women choke? Why does our dancing embarrass our kids? And why do old men think they’re such fantastic dancers? In this fun demonstration and talk self-confessed Dad Dancer extraordinaire, Dr. Peter Lovatt will guide you through the science and art of dad dancing.  You’ll understand why uncle Fred gets “Lost in Music” at the family wedding, and why it’s not always hip to hip hop, once you’ve had a hip op.

Science and Dance

This after dinner speech is sure to get your feet tapping. Dr. Peter Lovatt, Psychologist and former professional dancer, discusses the science behind why we love (or hate) to dance. This is a fun and highly engaging talk and Dr Lovatt will tell you why the length of your fingers will influence how you boogie on the dance floor. Following this he will get the room dancing with a wide range of dance styles. There’s something for everyone in this session, those who want to just sit and listen can do exactly that, and those who want to get up and get down can dance the night away. Dancing suitable for complete beginners.


Fee Group: £1k - £3k