Dr Marina Rova
Staff details
Position
Lecturer, MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy
Department
Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies
m.rova (@gold.ac.uk)
Goldsmiths Research Centres/Groups
An interdisciplinary practitioner with over 20 years experience in educational, clinical and community contexts.
Dr Marina Rova is Programme Convenor, Senior Lecturer, PhD Supervisor and interdisciplinary researcher in the department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies. Her practice-based PhD (2017) explored kinaesthetic empathy through the intersections of dance movement psychotherapy, phenomenology and cognitive neuroscience.
Marina leads the MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy programme and is a research active academic lecturing on a range of subjects (DMP theory and practice, research methods, experiential groupwork and supervision), offering PhD supervision and contributing to research and writing in creative therapies and related areas. She is peer reviewer and member of the International Advisory Panel for the International Journal of Body Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy and External Examiner for Derby University.
Academic qualifications
- Doctorate of Philosophy 2017
- MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy 2009
- Post Graduate Diploma Dance Movement Psychotherapy 2007
- BA Hons Dance 2005
- Society of Analytical Psychology Supervision Diploma 2024
Teaching and supervision
As a PhD supervisor I offer guidance in practice inquiry and my expertise is in embodied relational process, phenomenology and the use of arts and creativity as catalysts for change in health, education, community and policy. I am particularly interested in existential, phenomenological and posthumanist ways of knowing and languaging lived experience. I am available to supervise related PhD projects.
Research interests
I am interested in developing collaborative research projects exploring creative research methodologies that widen our understanding of what constitutes evidence and knowledge in theory and practice. My recent co-edited anthology Creative Bodies in Therapy Performance and Community (Frizell & Rova 2023) illustrates the different ways in which practice can become research and research can become practice.
My ongoing autoethnographic research 'On Being a Cultural Nomad' brings together creative process and autoethnography towards a practice inquiry into nomadic experience as a personal, cultural and political phenomenon. The research reveals that place, time, conflict and hope are inextricably entangled in the experience of migration. The practice methodology is built around a 5-part ceremonial that includes arriving, creating, gathering, witnessing and departing.
Featured publications
Grants and awards
2012:
PhD scholarship
Psychology Department - University of Roehampton
Publications and research outputs
Book
- Community Work with Migrant and Refugee Women: 'Insiders' and 'outsiders' in research and practice Thompson, Naomi; Nasimi, Rabia; Rova, Marina and Turner, Andy. 2022. Community Work with Migrant and Refugee Women: 'Insiders' and 'outsiders' in research and practice. Bingley: Emerald. ISBN 9781801174794
Edited Book
- Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community: Research and Practice that Brings us Home Frizell, Caroline and Rova, Marina, eds. 2022. Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community: Research and Practice that Brings us Home. Abingdon: Routledge. ISBN 9781032119809
Book Section
- Arriving, becoming and arriving again Frizell, Caroline and Rova, Marina. 2023. Arriving, becoming and arriving again. In: Caroline Frizell and Marina Rova, eds. Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community: Research and Practice that Brings us Home. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 1-11. ISBN 9781032119809
- Kinaesthetic entanglements and creative immersion in embodied performance Rova, Marina. 2022. Kinaesthetic entanglements and creative immersion in embodied performance. In: Caroline Frizell and Marina Rova, eds. Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community: Research and Practice that Brings us Home. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 36-49. ISBN 9781032119809
- Borderlands: Exploring creativity as a practice of liminality in the arts therapies Rova, Marina and Behm, Marrianne. 2022. Borderlands: Exploring creativity as a practice of liminality in the arts therapies. In: Caroline Frizell and Marina Rova, eds. Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community: Research and Practice that Brings us Home. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 152-161. ISBN 9781032119809
Article
- Existing in-between two worlds: supporting asylum seeking women living in temporary accommodation through a creative movement and art intervention Rova, Marina; Burrell, Claire and Cohen, Marika. 2020. Existing in-between two worlds: supporting asylum seeking women living in temporary accommodation through a creative movement and art intervention. Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy: An International Journal for Theory, Research and Practice, 15(3), pp. 204-218. ISSN 1743-2979
- Embodying kinaesthetic empathy through interdisciplinary practice-based research Rova, Marina. 2017. Embodying kinaesthetic empathy through interdisciplinary practice-based research. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 55, pp. 164-173. ISSN 0197-4556
Conference or Workshop Item
- Can we walk a little slower? Ethics as a portal to hope, humility and playfulness in a precarious world. Frizell, Caroline and Rova, Marina. 2025. 'Can we walk a little slower? Ethics as a portal to hope, humility and playfulness in a precarious world.'. In: 8th European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry: Hope, Humility and Playfulness in a Precarious World. University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom 7 - 10 January 2025.
- Creative moving bodies as a resource for embodied knowledge Frizell, Caroline and Rova, Marina. 2023. 'Creative moving bodies as a resource for embodied knowledge'. In: European Association for Dance Movement Therapy: 4th Dance Movement Therapy Online Science Café. Online, United Kingdom 9 November 2023.
- Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community Frizell, Caroline and Rova, Marina. 2023. 'Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community'. In: Book Launch: Creative Bodies in Therapy, Performance and Community. Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom 7 March 2023.
Performance
- |mu| a live dance theatre research performance accompanied by a photography and art exhibition Rova, Marina. 2014. |mu| a live dance theatre research performance accompanied by a photography and art exhibition. In: "|mu| - a live dance theatre performance accompanied by a performance and art exhibition", Univesrity of Roehampton, United Kingdom, 2014.
- De Mentis Silent Stories Rova, Marina. 2011. De Mentis Silent Stories. In: "De Mentis: Silent Stories I,II & III", Chisenhale Dance Space, United Kingdom, 25-27 February 2011.
Professional Activity
- PhD Supervisor, Goldsmiths, University of London Rova, Marina. 2022. PhD Supervisor, Goldsmiths, University of London.
- PhD Upgrade Examiner, Goldsmiths, University of London Rova, Marina. 2020. PhD Upgrade Examiner, Goldsmiths, University of London.
Thesis
- Embodying Kinaesthetic Empathy a: practice based and interdisciplinary research Rova, Marina. 2017. Embodying Kinaesthetic Empathy a: practice based and interdisciplinary research. Doctoral thesis, University of Roehampton
Professional projects
As a registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist with the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK my clinical practice in the NHS included individual and group therapy in adult inpatient mental health services, mother and baby units in perinatal psychiatry and continuing care units for dementia. Community practice included outpatient adult NHS services and a local authority early intervention family service. I am co-founder of ArtsMinded Community Interest Company (2018) and I acted as a co-director until 2022. I have also consulted various health and charity organisations on wellbeing in the workplace, embodied empathy and arts in health projects. I am peer reviewer and member of the International Advisory Panel for the International Journal of Body Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy and External Examiner for Derby University. My independent supervision /facilitation of reflective practice for arts therapists and community practitioners is overseen by a senior SAP analyst.
Research projects
On Being a Cultural Nomad
Autoethnographic practice inquiry into the lived experience of migration
2023-2023:
Exploring the impact of creative movement in adult mental health through a community engagement project
A collaborative research project in partnership with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Sydenham Garden
2024-2025:
Investigating Radical Self-Care and Community Empowerment through The Body Room
The Body Room invites guests to enter into a dialogue with their own body on terms that are radically different to those that we conventionally meet in society.
Conferences and talks
2018:
‘Moving Toward New Lands: Transforming Embodied Knowledge in the 21st Century'
Keynote Speaker as part of the 3rd European Association for Dance Movement Therapy Conference 'Crossing Borders and the In-Between' - Athens/Greece
2014:
‘Embodying Kinaesthetic Empathy as an Intersubjective Phenomenon and Clinical Intervention’
Presenter as part of the 1st European Association for Dance Movement Therapy Conference 'Resilience within a Changing World' - Riga/Latvia
Performances
Rova, M. (2014). ‘|mu|’ a live dance theatre performance accompanied by a photography and art exhibition. London: Centre for Arts Therapies Research: University of Roehampton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlR__g8UOf0
Rova, M. (2012).’Silent Story’ solo performance. Embodying Loss Symposium, Centre for Arts Therapies Research: University of Roehampton.
Rova, M. (2011). ‘De Mentis Silent Stories’ a live dance theatre performance accompanied by a photography and short film exhibition. Chisenhale Dance Space: London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl7_t9Qph8k
Rova, M. (2010). ‘De Mentis’ a preview performance and Q&A session. 1st National Dance and Dementia Conference. Bluecoat: Liverpool. http://www.chezfred.org.uk/chat/20101210MemoryConference/