Louisa Petts is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University. She is the recipient of the Arts and Humanities Research Council studentship award offered by Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. Her interests lie in community dance and psychosocial wellbeing for older adult populations. Currently, her research questions whether community dance classes in different dance genres all offer entirely unique experiences of wellbeing, belonging and meaning for older adults.

Louisa graduated with an MSc in Dance Science (Distinction) from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2019 and was the recipient of the Trinity Laban Dance Award Scholarship. She also holds a first-class BA (Hons) degree in Dance Studies from the University of Roehampton, receiving the Best Dissertation Prize for BA in Dance Studies in 2018. Her MSc dissertation focused on exploring the psychosocial experience of family caregivers for persons living with dementia in community dance classes. Prior to her PhD, Louisa worked as a community dance artist for people living with dementia in assisted living care homes with South East Dance Company. Louisa is also an editorial assistant for the Journal of Dance and Somatic Practices and a dance science lecturer for bbodance.