Research & Consultancy

‘Rosaria is a living embodiment of the integration that so many are striving to achieve. She balances the physicality of dance, with the intellectual understanding that comes from her research work. The result is a passionate and committed person who will get things done, beautifully‘ (Sarah Andersen, GP)

‘ You have been a really wonderful tutor who truly cares about both your students and your subject. Wherever my studying takes me I will remember my year with you fondly.  Best wishes and thank you’ (Emily, Year 2 PPE University student)

‘ I would like to thank you now for your support and enthusiasm over two very interesting years. Politics started off as simply something I had not looked at seriously before, so I thought I would give it a go. I’m hooked now and find it all both terrifying and enormously stimulating. Thank you very much and my best wishes for the future‘ (Christopher, Year 2 PPE University student)

‘ I would like to say thank you very very much for this year!! I REALLY enjoyed you as a tutor!! Thank you for your time, suggestions, constructive criticism and praise as well! and for being so engaging throughout the course!! I feel i have learn`t so much and my view and understanding of what makes our world tick has been immensely broadened! I`ve learn`t a lot of what my own views are and what theories and concepts i can use to express my views and put my case across!‘ (Amanda, Year 2 International Development University student)

‘I found this evenings tutorial very interesting and you have described the information and guidance in a way that made it easier to understand‘ (Jill, Mental Health in the Community Module. Year 2 Health and Social Care University student)

Whether it is in the arts, in academia or in the industry, Rosaria specifically devises her work to respond to the needs, abilities and aspirations of the participants. Whether you are an individual, a member of a community group, an organisation that wishes to support their employees or an arts event and venue, she will deliver a project which will specifically respond to your brief.

In addition to her PhD, Rosaria holds a PGCE, specialising in training and e-learning. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy,  a Visiting Researcher for the Open University (Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies), an Associate Lecturer for the Open University (Faculty of Social Sciences; Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics,  and Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies), a Consultant for eSTEeM (the OU’s centre for STEM pedagogy) and WELS, and has extensive experience as Dance lecturer at BTEC and UAL levels. She was an Artistic Quality Assessor for the Arts Council for a number of years, is currently a journal, book and modules reviewer, and acts as consultant researcher and evaluator for artists, art events, public and private sectors.

Her current areas of research are the study of digital poverty in students and tutors post pandemic; experiences of women returners to STEM careers; the impact of dance and movement in older adults with and without a diagnoses of neurological conditions both living in the community and in institutional settings; the role of dance and traditions in rediscovering connections with the land (and how to nurture it); the development of dances from the African Diaspora (particularly in Brazil, Cuba and Spain); the role of organisational development of small arts and dance organisations where professional and community dance meet, and the relationship between dance and movement and its impact on Public health.

Specific projects include:

• Horne J, Donald L, Gracia R, Kentzer N, Pappas Y, Trott M, Penson M & Vseteckova J (2023) Supporting adult unpaid carers via an online dancing intervention:  A feasibility/acceptability study. Under review with PLOS Global Public Health
• Álvarez Puente, Inma ; Botana Martín-Abril, Marta and Gracia, Rosaria (2022). La danza como intervención educativa en la tercera edad. In: La investigación en danza (Giménez-Morte, Carmen; Martínez Costa, Miriam and Soprano Manzo, Virginia eds.), Mahali, Valencia, pp. 447–452
• Donald L, Gracia R, Kentzer N, Horne J, Pappas Y, Trott M, Penson M, Smith L & Vseteckova J (2021) Supporting adult carers via an online dancing intervention: A feasibility/acceptability study. Funded by The Open University
• Jitka Vseteckova, Rosaria Gracia, Joseph De Lappe, Inma Alvarez, Marta Botana, Nichola Kentzer, Jo Horne, Melinda Spencer (2021). The impact of dance and movement on learning, health, well-being and quality of life older adults living in a residential care setting with or without dementia: a systematic review of UK based literature – protocol. PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019127954 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019127954
• Rosaria M. Gracia, Jitka Vseteckova, Joseph de Lappe, Inma Alvarez, Marta Botana, Nichola Kentzer, Jo Horne, Melinda Spencer (2021). The impact of dance and movement on learning, health, well-being and quality of life in older adults living in a residential care setting with or without dementia: a systematic review of International based literature – protocol. PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021268085 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021268085
• Vseteckova J, Dadova K, Gracia R, Ryan G, Borgstrom E, Abington J, Deepak – Gopinath M, Pappas Y (2020) Barriers and facilitators to adherence to walking group exercise in older people living with dementia in the community: a systematic review. Eur Rev Aging Phys Act 17, 15 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s11556-020-00246-6
• Vseteckova J, Gracia R (2019) The impact of dance and movement on learning, health, wellbeing and quality of life of institutionalised older adults living with or without dementia: a systematic review protocol. PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019127954 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO
• Herman, Clem; Gracia, Rosaria; MacNiven, Lesley; Clark, Bernie and Doyle, Geraldine (2019). Using a Blended Learning Approach to support Women returning to STEM. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 34(1) pp. 40–60
• Rosaria M. Gracia, Jitka Vseteckova, Nichola Kentzer, Joseph De Lappe, Melinda Spencer, Rebecca Jones (2019). The impact of dance and movement on learning, health, wellbeing and quality of life of older adults living with or without dementia and/or Parkinson’s in the community: a systematic review protocol. PROSPERO 2019 CRD42019127953 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42019127953

Talks and presentations

• 2023 The impact of community-based dance on the lives of older adults. Brighton and Sussex Medical Schools Lunch Seminars. June 23
• 2022 The impact of community-based dance on the lives of older adults: highlights of a scoping review, Health and the Arts work in progress – October 22  
• 2021 Dancing for Health and Wellbeing: community cohesion from a dance/movement intervention perspective. Wellbeing @WELS (2nd December 2021)
• 2021 Dance and Movement workshop. SHL Carers event 25th November (17th November 2021)
• 2021 Dance and movement workshop. SHL (re)Freshers Orientation – Friday night social (17th September 2021)
• 2021 Building on our resilience – WELS Showcase (23rd June 2021) https://studenthublive.open.ac.uk/content/wels-showcase-building-our-resilience-23- june-2021
• 2021 Supporting informal carers via an online dancing intervention: A feasibility/acceptability study. Parish Nursing Ministries Conference. HAIC session, April 21
• 2020 More Culture Less Medicine (online conference) Culture Shift. Brighton, November 2020
• 2019 Dancing for health and wellbeing. 5th International Community Psychology Festival. University of Brighton, September 2019.
• 2019 Barriers and facilitators to adherence to exercise by people diagnosed with dementia and carers/family members. British Society of Gerontology. Annual Conference. Liverpool, July 2019
• 2018. Presentation of Evaluation’s findings : Equate Scotland and women returnship project. Scholarship Network Event. Open University, November 2018.
• 2015, ‘Finding your Compass: the 3 Rs’ Dangerous Currents. Risk and regulations at the interface of medicine and the arts. Association for Medical Humanities. Annual Conference 2015 (24th June). Dartington Hall. Falmouth University.
• 2014, ‘Finding your Compass’ Fresh approaches to wellbeing. St. Peter’s NHS surgery. Brighton, 1st October 2014
• 2014, ‘Finding your Compass’ Wellbeing Fair (Directory of Social Change) London, 26th September 2014
• 2014, ‘Advising young people on careers in the creative arts’. Creative Café. Culture Shift. Eastbourne, June 2014.
• 2014, ‘e-Ambassadors: Exploring innovative methods to embed employability in practice based STEM distance learning’ with Rachel Ferris. 3rd eSTEeM Annual Conference 2014. STEM Futures: Reflecting on Teaching and Learning. www.open.ac.uk/esteem
• 2013, Poster for the research ‘Can you Sing? A qualitative study’ with Dr. Andersen. Annual Conference 2013 Poster Competition. College of Medicine Annual Conference (11 June 2013) Awarded 2nd prize
• 2007, “Women in Media: Creative Inequality?” paper presented at the 5TH International Interdisciplinary Conference. Gender, Work and Organisation. Keele University (UK). June 27th – 29th 2007
• 2007 “Determining Information Needs: The Accessibility Information Matrix” with Carey, K., Power, C., Petrie, H. and Carmien, S. Paper presented at the 12th International Conference of Human Interaction Beijing International Convention Centre (China), June 2007
• 2005, “Neither here nor there: analysing access to new technologies and gender issues” Conference Proceedings. 6th International Conference of Women into Computing. University of Greenwich. London, UK
• 2005, Multistakeholder panel on ICT and social inclusion. Presentation made on behalf of the Gender Caucus on the World Summit for Information Society. Ministry of Economy. Belgrade, February 2005
• 2005, “Mainstreaming” as highlighting or neutralising? Ex/Inclusivity of Gender in ICTs from a European perspective” with Dr. J. Stein (Paper presented at the 3rd European Symposium on Gender and ICT: Working for Change. Manchester, February 2005
• 2001, ‘ICT and Development: Basic Feature and Questions’ with Kevin Carey Paper presented at the Oneworld Dotforce meeting in Nice. ww.oneworld.net/dotforce. Nice, France. January, 2001

She is currently reviewer of Academic Journals such as ‘Open Learning: The Journal of Open and Distance Learning’, ‘International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health’ and ‘Ageing and Society’.

Rosaria’s management experience has been based on her integrity, her ability to manage expectations, and to work with individuals and groups both developing their skills and reaching agreed outcomes. This often involves dealing with unexpected events, overcoming obstacles, and supporting individuals and groups to achieve what they set out to do.

Her evaluation experience comprises evaluation of artistic projects (mid and end life of the project), qualitative researcher and evaluator of interdisciplinary projects.

Some of her current project management work includes:

• Advisory Member of Board of Directors (Present – 2021) Reside Dance CIC
• Participation Consultant of  Three Score Dance: devising and delivering dance and movement sessions in community settings, care homes and senior housing;  producing and delivering a tailored made in-house training programme for volunteers as part of a peer support worker mentoring programme, and undertaking research to explore the impact of dance and movement in the quality of life, learning , cognitive function and wellbeing of older adults.
• Co-founder and co-lead practitioner of Finding your Compass  (2012 – 2018) exploring a creative road to recovery from mental health.
• Co-coordinator and lead choreographer of Maracatu Cruzeiro do Sul