Beijing Dance Academy and Monash University, Australia have signed a five-year research collaboration agreement.Focusing on dance therapy,they will jointly carry out the “AllPlay Dance” project,integrating dance and psychology to further explore the potential of dance in the field of special education.
To actively support its goal of building a world-class dance university with Chinese characteristics and to advance the strategic mission of promoting the internationalization of higher education, Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) is dedicated to cultivating experience in international academic research, expanding international perspectives, and establishing platforms to bring in high-quality educational resources from abroad.
On February 18, Wang Xin, Deputy Dean of the School of Humanities of BDA, together with Liu Yan, Professor at the School of Humanities and head of the AllPlay Dance (China) research project, and team member Sun Di, signed a five-year research collaboration agreement in Melbourne, Australia with representatives from Monash University’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, including Shanthakumar Wilson Rajaratnam, Head of the School of Psychological Sciences; Nicole Rinehart, founder of the AllPlay Dance (Australia) project; and research team member Zhang Nan. This collaboration represents an important step in BDA’s ongoing push for internationalization. It is expected to yield fruitful results in areas such as academic research and talent development, further advancing the Academy’s steady progress toward its strategic goals.
AllPlay Dance is an interdisciplinary research and practice project that integrates psychology and dance methodologies to benefit society through iterative models tailored to specific contexts. This project aims to assess the benefits of community-oriented dance programs for children with special needs, develop and design inclusive approaches and programs that enable their participation in dance, and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of these approaches.
As BDA’s first interdisciplinary international research collaboration, this partnership injects fresh vitality into the internationalization of its dance education. Professor Liu Yan will lead BDA’s dance science team in developing the dance therapy component of the project, while Nicole Rinehart’s team will provide psychological expertise and support. Both institutions will leverage their respective disciplinary strengths and research achievements to share academic resources, jointly committed to applying their research outcomes for the benefit of society.
As China’s leading institution of higher education in dance, BDA shoulders the dual responsibility of preserving tradition and driving innovation in dance, while steadfastly serving the nation, society, and the people. This collaboration between the Academy’s School of Humanities and Monash University’s Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences will further unlock the vast potential of dance in special education, paving the way for a brighter future for children with special needs.
