Transforming Dance History: The Lost History of Rehearsals.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodes, Stuart

1989-01-01

Explains that an important aspect of dance history is lost by not recording dance rehearsals. Argues that recording rehearsals can reveal the creative process and illuminate the environment that engendered this art form. Concludes that a transformed dance history will influence curriculum development. (GG)

Paradigms of Communication in Performance and Dance Studies

OpenAIRE

Popa Blanariu, Nicoleta

2015-01-01

In her article "Paradigms of Communication in Performance and Dance Studies" Nicoleta Popa Blanariu approaches from an interdisciplinary perspective the measure in which performing arts (theater, music, ballet, Indian classical dance, folk dance, etc.), as well as ritual performance constitute a corpus that may be analysed by means of theoretical and conceptual tools in communication studies and semiotics. Popa Blanariu analyses the relation between signification and communication in performi...

Importance of Students' Views and the Role of Self-Esteem in Lessons of Creative Dance in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Steinberg, Claudia; Steinberg, Fabian

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to capture the student's views in lessons of creative dance. A qualitative empirical research design was carried out using video-stimulated recall interviews. The participants in this study were 88 children (63 female and 25 male) between the ages of 9 and 11 years (M = 10.5, SD = 1.2) in physical education lessons. A…

Legal Protection Against The Dance Creator In Indonesia

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Juwita

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This research aimed to find out and to analyze the ideal legal protection so it can encourage the creator of dance in developing a creation in the field of dance and to find out and to analyze and to get the concept of legal protection of copyright in the field of dance after the enactment of Act No. 28 of 2014 concerns Copyright. This research is empirical juridical. The technique of collecting legal material is conducted through interviews questionnaires to respondents and literature study i.e by collecting various documents in the form of primary secondary and tertiary legal materials. The results of research showed that 1. Dance is a part of copyright associated with diverse art and culture owned by the Indonesian certainly dance produced by consume energy thoughts time and cost by Dance Creator with regard to the creation the state has given protection of dance creator for art as stipulated in Article 40 letter e of Act No. 28 of 2014 as an expression of respect and appreciation to the Dance Creator 2 In association with the regulation on the protection of creative works of art dance regulated in Act No. 28 of 2014 the creator of dance argues is very important to give the protection of dance creator for their copyrighted works particularly their rights as a creator of dance i.e moral and economic rights. Giving moral and economic rights cannot be felt fully by the creator of dance this is due to the creator of dance does not have an institutions that will accommodate the creativity of creators that useful for their welfare.

Pages of history of dance culture in Tuva

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Vladimir K. Biche-ool

2016-08-01

Full Text Available History of formation, development and a current state of the Tuva dance is considered in the article. The creative characteristic is given to the ballet masters, teachers, those actors who have devoted their lives to the Tuvan dance.

A theory of alpha/theta neurofeedback, creative performance enhancement, long distance functional connectivity and psychological integration.

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Gruzelier, John

2009-02-01

Professionally significant enhancement of music and dance performance and mood has followed training with an EEG-neurofeedback protocol which increases the ratio of theta to alpha waves using auditory feedback with eyes closed. While originally the protocol was designed to induce hypnogogia, a state historically associated with creativity, the outcome was psychological integration, while subsequent applications focusing on raising the theta-alpha ratio, reduced depression and anxiety in alcoholism and resolved post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). In optimal performance studies we confirmed associations with creativity in musical performance, but effects also included technique and communication. We extended efficacy to dance and social anxiety. Diversity of outcome has a counterpart in wide ranging associations between theta oscillations and behaviour in cognitive and affective neuroscience: in animals with sensory-motor activity in exploration, effort, working memory, learning, retention and REM sleep; in man with meditative concentration, reduced anxiety and sympathetic autonomic activation, as well as task demands in virtual spatial navigation, focussed and sustained attention, working and recognition memory, and having implications for synaptic plasticity and long term potentiation. Neuroanatomical circuitry involves the ascending mescencephalic-cortical arousal system, and limbic circuits subserving cognitive as well as affective/motivational functions. Working memory and meditative bliss, representing cognitive and affective domains, respectively, involve coupling between frontal and posterior cortices, exemplify a role for theta and alpha waves in mediating the interaction between distal and widely distributed connections. It is posited that this mediation in part underpins the integrational attributes of alpha-theta training in optimal performance and psychotherapy, creative associations in hypnogogia, and enhancement of technical, communication and

Enlivening Dance History Pedagogy through Archival Projects

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Randall, Tresa

2012-01-01

Dance archives can bring students into contact with historical subjects through artifacts of the past. This article advocates the use of archival projects in undergraduate dance history courses, arguing that such hands-on learning activities give students dynamic and interactive experiences of history. The author describes a creative project she…

Pleasantness of Creative Tasks and Creative Performance

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Zenasni, Franck; Lubart, Todd

2011-01-01

To examine the impact of emotion on creative potential, experimental studies have typically focused on the impact of induced or spontaneous mood states on creative performance. In this report the relationship between the perceived pleasantness of tasks (using divergent thinking and story writing tasks) and creative performance was examined.…

Dance and History in Inner-City Oakland

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Goodwin, Avilee

2010-01-01

In this article, the author shares how she was able to help young choreographers in East Oakland, California, to find their own creative voices, choose new movement styles and discover dance as a way to express something important and meaningful about their lives through their two-year dance history project. East Oakland School of the Arts (EOSA)…

Washington Alexandria Architecture Center students merge creative concepts of dance and space to design dance studio in Arlington

OpenAIRE

Micale, Barbara L.

2009-01-01

Elements of dance and dance-theatre -- including movement and exercise, flowing costumes, and expressive lighting --inspired students in the Architecture Master's design studio at the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center to imagine innovative ways of merging public and private space for a dance studio in nearby Arlington.

AVPR1a and SLC6A4 Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Creative Dance Performance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Dancing, which is integrally related to music, likely has its origins close to the birth of Homo sapiens, and throughout our history, dancing has been universally practiced in all societies. We hypothesized that there are differences among individuals in aptitude, propensity, and need for dancing that may partially be based on differences in common genetic polymorphisms. Identifying such differences may lead to an understanding of the neurobiological basis of one of mankind's most universal and appealing behavioral traits-dancing. In the current study, 85 current performing dancers and their parents were genotyped for the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4: promoter region HTTLPR and intron 2 VNTR and the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a: promoter microsatellites RS1 and RS3. We also genotyped 91 competitive athletes and a group of nondancers/nonathletes (n = 872 subjects from 414 families. Dancers scored higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale, a questionnaire that correlates positively with spirituality and altered states of consciousness, as well as the Reward Dependence factor in Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, a measure of need for social contact and openness to communication. Highly significant differences in AVPR1a haplotype frequencies (RS1 and RS3, especially when conditional on both SLC6A4 polymorphisms (HTTLPR and VNTR, were observed between dancers and athletes using the UNPHASED program package (Cocaphase: likelihood ratio test [LRS] = 89.23, p = 0.000044. Similar results were obtained when dancers were compared to nondancers/nonathletes (Cocaphase: LRS = 92.76, p = 0.000024. These results were confirmed using a robust family-based test (Tdtphase: LRS = 46.64, p = 0.010. Association was also observed between Tellegen Absorption Scale scores and AVPR1a (Qtdtphase: global chi-square = 26.53, p = 0.047, SLC6A4 haplotypes (Qtdtphase: chi-square = 2.363, p = 0.018, and AVPR1a conditional on SCL6A4 (Tdtphase: LRS

AVPR1a and SLC6A4 gene polymorphisms are associated with creative dance performance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel Bachner-Melman

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Dancing, which is integrally related to music, likely has its origins close to the birth of Homo sapiens, and throughout our history, dancing has been universally practiced in all societies. We hypothesized that there are differences among individuals in aptitude, propensity, and need for dancing that may partially be based on differences in common genetic polymorphisms. Identifying such differences may lead to an understanding of the neurobiological basis of one of mankind's most universal and appealing behavioral traits--dancing. In the current study, 85 current performing dancers and their parents were genotyped for the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4: promoter region HTTLPR and intron 2 VNTR and the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a: promoter microsatellites RS1 and RS3. We also genotyped 91 competitive athletes and a group of nondancers/nonathletes (n = 872 subjects from 414 families. Dancers scored higher on the Tellegen Absorption Scale, a questionnaire that correlates positively with spirituality and altered states of consciousness, as well as the Reward Dependence factor in Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, a measure of need for social contact and openness to communication. Highly significant differences in AVPR1a haplotype frequencies (RS1 and RS3, especially when conditional on both SLC6A4 polymorphisms (HTTLPR and VNTR, were observed between dancers and athletes using the UNPHASED program package (Cocaphase: likelihood ratio test [LRS] = 89.23, p = 0.000044. Similar results were obtained when dancers were compared to nondancers/nonathletes (Cocaphase: LRS = 92.76, p = 0.000024. These results were confirmed using a robust family-based test (Tdtphase: LRS = 46.64, p = 0.010. Association was also observed between Tellegen Absorption Scale scores and AVPR1a (Qtdtphase: global chi-square = 26.53, p = 0.047, SLC6A4 haplotypes (Qtdtphase: chi-square = 2.363, p = 0.018, and AVPR1a conditional on SCL6A4 (Tdtphase: LRS

Art, Science, and the Choreography of Creative Process

Science.gov (United States)

Lomask, Jodi

2010-03-01

Through my performance company, Capacitor, I have designed a novel conceptual space - ``the Capacitor Lab'' - where artists and scientists exchange ideas and information about a concept that underlies my next performance piece. In 2000, I invited astronomers to advise my company on Earth's relationship to outer space. In 2003, we invited geophysicists into the dance studio to advise us about the layers of the Earth. In 2006, we invited an ecologist to the Monteverde Cloud forest to advise us on the on the quiet interactions among animals and plants in the forest. Currently we are working on a piece about ocean exploration, marine ecology, and the physics of sound underwater. Each of these Capacitor Labs results in a conceptually-rich dance piece which we perform in cities nationally and internationally. In my talk, I take a deeper look at the creative process that scientists and artists share. In the Capacitor labs, the process serves not only our creative team, but also our participating scientists by giving them an opportunity to view their own work in a new light. These collaborations are part of my ongoing research into creative problem solving and my belief that it is essentially the same process regardless of its application.

Dance is more than therapy: Qualitative analysis on therapeutic dancing classes for Parkinson's.

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Rocha, Priscila A; Slade, Susan C; McClelland, Jodie; Morris, Meg E

2017-10-01

To understand the benefits and limitations of therapeutic dancing classes for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and how best to design and implement classes. A stakeholder forum explored the opinions of 18 allied health clinicians, dance instructors, people with PD and caregivers. Data were thematically analysed and interpreted within a grounded theory framework. Four main themes were identified: (1) the need to consider the stage of disease progression when designing classes; (2) recognition that dance is more than just therapy; (3) the benefits of carefully selecting music to move by; (4) ways to design classes that are both feasible and engaging. These themes give rise to the theory that dancing classes can provide more than just therapeutic benefits. Dance affords creative expression and enables people to immerse themselves in the art-form, rather than focussing on the disease. The results highlight the benefits of enabling individuals with PD to be able to express themselves in a supportive environment that does not see them solely through the lens of Parkinson's. The feasibility of dance programs can be increased by educating dancing teachers about PD and the unique needs of people living with this condition. Well-structured dance classes can promote social-connectedness and joy, in addition to facilitating movement to music and physical activity. Consumers advised that careful planning of the classes and tailoring them to participant needs optimizes outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving English Language Ability of Children Aged 4-5 Years Old by Using Creative Dance

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Sabila Nur Masturah

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is to know about how to improve English language ability of children aged 4-5 years old by using creative dance. The subjects of this research were seven children in group A at Bilingual Kindergarten Rumah Pelangi Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta. This research was held during April-June, 2016. The method used is classroom action research proposed by Kemmis and Taggart in two cycles. Each cycle consists of planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The children’s English language ability was still low. The presentation of success dealt between the researcher and collaborator was 71%. The result of data analysis of pre-research was 42,1%. After being given the action, the percentage increased to 61,87%. The data got from the first cycle has not achieved its target, so the researcher conducted the second cycle. The result was 80,41%. Based on the result in the second cycle, the hypothesis is proved. Qualitatively, it is also admitted that the children’s English language ability could improve their creative movement.source language using the incorrect grammatical, the sentence is vague, the idea is not coherent and many pungtuations.

Dancing and Parkinson’s disease: updates on this creative approach to therapy

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Shanahan J

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Joanne Shanahan,1 Meg E Morris,2 Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain,3 Daniele Volpe,4 Amanda M Clifford1 1Department of Clinical Therapies, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, University of Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland; 2Department of Physiotherapy, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia; 3Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Department of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland; 4Department of Neurorehabilitation, Casa di Cura Villa Margherita, Vicenza, Italy Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD is associated with slowness of movement and balance disturbance. Anxiety and social isolation are common and quality of life (QoL can be compromised. Dancing enables people with PD to participate in an enjoyable form of exercise within a group. This review provides an updated synthesis of the literature comparing dance to other interventions in people with PD. Methods: Six databases were electronically searched. Relevant articles were identified using inclusion criteria. Data on participants, the dance intervention, and outcomes were extracted from suitable articles. Results: Methodological limitations were evident in 13 included articles. The evidence reviewed suggests that dancing is enjoyable and can improve balance, motor function, and QoL. Further research is needed to determine the effect of dancing on cognition and depression in this population. Longer term dance interventions may be needed to achieve more meaningful benefits in mobility. Conclusion: Dancing can be a feasible and beneficial physical activity and improve the wellness of individuals with PD. Keywords: Parkinson’s disease, dance, physical activity

Time motion and video analysis of classical ballet and contemporary dance performance.

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Wyon, M A; Twitchett, E; Angioi, M; Clarke, F; Metsios, G; Koutedakis, Y

2011-11-01

Video analysis has become a useful tool in the preparation for sport performance and its use has highlighted the different physiological demands of seemingly similar sports and playing positions. The aim of the current study was to examine the performance differences between classical ballet and contemporary dance. In total 93 dance performances (48 ballet and 45 contemporary) were analysed for exercise intensity, changes in direction and specific discrete skills (e. g., jumps, lifts). Results revealed significant differences between the 2 dance forms for exercise intensity (pBallet was characterised by longer periods at rest (38 s x min(-1)) and high to very high exercise intensities (9 s x min(-1)), whilst contemporary dance featured more continuous moderate exercise intensities (27 s x min(-1)). These differences have implications on the energy systems utilised during performance with ballet potentially stressing the anaerobic system more than contemporary dance. The observed high rates in the discrete skills in ballet (5 jumps x min(-1); 2 lifts x min(-1)) can cause local muscular damage, particularly in relatively weaker individuals. In conclusion, classical ballet and contemporary dance performances are as significantly different in the underlying physical demands placed on their performers as the artistic aspects of the choreography. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE DANCES: RECONSTRUCTION AND DANCE WORKSHOPS

OpenAIRE

Katarinčić, Ivana

2008-01-01

The numerous dance manual publications dating from the Renaissance and Baroque eras testify to the exceptional importance of the art of dance during those eras. From as early as the 15th century, they noted the history of dance, conduct while dancing and the style and technique of dancing. They contained information on the performance of individual steps, their combinations and the structure of the complete choreographies, as well as instructions on exemplary behaviour on the dance podium ...

Navigating a Precarious Balance: The Noel Garovillo Dance Center's Contemporary Dance as a Commitment to the Community

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Ruth Jordana Luna Pison

2011-12-01

Full Text Available If it is difficult to picture a ballet school located in Koronadal, South Cotabato, then perhaps it will even take more than a stretch of the imagination to conceive of how contemporary dance survives in Southern Philippines. The story behind the KAHAYAG Community Dance and Theater Company, later reorganized and renamed as the Noel Garrovillo Dance Center, is a narrative of how, notwithstanding the obstacles faced by dance in the regions, sheer conviction and commitment could keep the art form alive. It is also a story of how a dance director and his company had to resolve their contradictions as Christian artist settlers in Mindanao. This paper discusses how contemporary dance as a flexible and dynamic dance form has allowed them to create pieces that they could consider their “own.” From their initial works that borrowed movements from the T’bolis and B’laans, to their current choreographies based on their realities as settlers in Koronadal, Garrovillo’s company has continuously worked to make dance part of the local government’s agenda on cultural and the arts. As cultural brokers, they are faced with both choreographic and intellectual imperatives. Garrovillo believes that there is a need to strengthen the country’s creative industry so that choreographers will have opportunities to create works which are crucial to the life of the nation.

SYNTHESIS OF ARTS AS A FACTOR OF TEENAGE CREATIVE EDUCATION

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Liudmila Onofrichuk

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article presents the method of teenage creative education by means of musical and theatrical arts at secondary comprehensive school. Showing school musical puppet theater «Fantasy» (secondary school No.12, Vinnytsia the author highlights the ways of pupils’ artistic and creative education during the study of the synthesis of the arts (music, singing, dance and recitation. The conditions affecting successful solution of the problem have been determined. Аmong them the author defines educational activities of a competent teacher who is capable to find out creative innovative solutions. The necessity and importance of using effective methods and techniques in terms of musical and theatrical activities for the development of pupils’ emotional sensitivity and overall creative development have been grounded. During music lessons, pupils successfully master creative abilities and skills (artistic speech, drama, puppet games, dancing, find innovate solutions to practical problems, interpret the original artistic images. Creative combinations of various forms and methods of work, rehearsals, spectacles, concert performances – promote the development of creativity, intensify artistic and performing activities of pupils. The awareness of the character’s motives is the impetus for creating the right stage feeling about reality and naturalness of stage action. It is noted that the art of musical theater helps them not only to acquire art knowledge and skills, but also strive for self-realization and self-improvement, better understanding of themselves and other people, awareness of the beauty of the life. The educational value of the theatrical activity lies in the understanding by teenagers their own attitude to the behavior of characters, developing the abilities to judge them critically, empathize and find alternatives for acquiring creative experience in future life situations.

Interfering with the Lived Field of Dance Pedagogy from Organizational and Leadership Studies Perspectives--An Explorative Intervention with Performing and Teaching Dance Artists

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Østern, Tone Pernille; Irgens, Eirik J.

2018-01-01

One Saturday, in November in 2014, a researcher made an explorative intervention with 22 professional performing and teaching dance artists on the independent dance field in Norway. Through the three-hour-long intervention, the researcher and participants dived into questions about choreographic processes and dance pedagogy in contemporary times.…

Factors affecting dance exercise performance in students at a special needs school.

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Ito, Yukiko; Hiramoto, Izumi; Kodama, Hideya

2017-09-01

In Japan, dance exercise has been introduced as a compulsory element of health and physical education, but there is a considerable discrepancy in the levels of performance among students with intellectual disability (ID) at special needs schools. The aim of this study was therefore to identify the factors affecting the performance of dance exercise in students with ID. A 4 month dance exercise program was implemented for junior high school students at a special needs school, and the performance of 32 students at 22 sessions was assessed quantitatively according to calorie use during exercise and performance proficiency score. The measures were compared according to gender, age, body mass index, diagnosis, and development quotient (DQ) score. Performance in many students improved with repetition and reached the highest attainment level at around the third month. Male gender and older age had a significant positive impact on calorie use, whereas diagnosis of Down syndrome and higher DQ score had a significant positive impact on proficiency score. Four students with poor performance were all female students with autism. This study provides some possible explanations for differences in the levels of dance performance among students with ID. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

General and Domain-Specific Contributions to Creative Ideation and Creative Performance

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Donggun An

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The general objective of this study was to reexamine two views of creativity, one positing that there is a general creative capacity or talent and the other that creativity is domain-specific. These two views were compared by (a testing correlations among measures of domain-general and domain-specific creativity and (b examining how the general and the specific measures was each related to indices of knowledge, motivation, and personality. Participants were 147 college students enrolled in a foreign language course. Data were collected on participants’ domain knowledge, motivation, and creative personality, as well as four measures representing “General or Domain-Specific Creative Ideation” or “Creative Performance and Activity”. Results indicated that the four measures of creativity were correlated with one another, except for “General Performance and Activity” and “Domain-Specific Ideation.” A canonical correlation indicated that knowledge, motivation, and personality were significantly correlated with the four creativity measures (Rc = .49, p < .01. Multiple regressions uncovered particular relationships consistent with the view that creativity has both general and domain-specific contributions. Limitations, such as the focus on one domain, and future directions are discussed.

[Dance, art and top performance sport with specific injuries].

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Rietveld, Boni; van de Wiel, Albert

2011-01-01

Professional theatre dance has high and specific physical demands, comparable to top sport. Dance injuries are often caused by faulty technique due to compensation for physical limitations. Knowledge of these limitations and professional teaching can prevent many problems. Dance injuries mostly involve the lower limbs, especially the ankles and knees. Dance injuries require that the medical professional has knowledge of dance technique and respects the passion of the dancer. The advice to stop dancing has hardly ever to be given. Scientific, prospective dance medical research is recommended.

Appreciating "Thirdspace": An Alternative Way of Viewing and Valuing Site-Specific Dance Performance

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Munjee, Tara

2014-01-01

Site-specific dance performance involves the presentation of choreography in connection with a site. The context of the site combined with a viewer's personal history, beliefs, and identity impact the reading and appreciation of the performance. Although both stage and site dance performance valuing elicit multiple interpretations of artistic…

THE PERFORMANCE PRACTICE IN AYELE MUSIC AND DANCE ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ABSTRACT. This paper focuses on Ayele music and dance of the Unuwazi village in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State. It examines the term Ayele, its tradition of origin, its musical instruments, context of performance and performance practices. So as to be able to elicit data from the field, ...

The Dancing Brain: Structural and Functional Signatures of Expert Dance Training.

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Burzynska, Agnieszka Z; Finc, Karolina; Taylor, Brittany K; Knecht, Anya M; Kramer, Arthur F

2017-01-01

Dance - as a ritual, therapy, and leisure activity - has been known for thousands of years. Today, dance is increasingly used as therapy for cognitive and neurological disorders such as dementia and Parkinson's disease. Surprisingly, the effects of dance training on the healthy young brain are not well understood despite the necessity of such information for planning successful clinical interventions. Therefore, this study examined actively performing, expert-level trained college students as a model of long-term exposure to dance training. To study the long-term effects of dance training on the human brain, we compared 20 young expert female Dancers with normal body mass index with 20 age- and education-matched Non-Dancers with respect to brain structure and function. We used diffusion tensor, morphometric, resting state and task-related functional MRI, a broad cognitive assessment, and objective measures of selected dance skill (Dance Central video game and a balance task). Dancers showed superior performance in the Dance Central video game and balance task, but showed no differences in cognitive abilities. We found little evidence for training-related differences in brain volume in Dancers. Dancers had lower anisotropy in the corticospinal tract. They also activated the action observation network (AON) to greater extent than Non-Dancers when viewing dance sequences. Dancers showed altered functional connectivity of the AON, and of the general motor learning network. These functional connectivity differences were related to dance skill and balance and training-induced structural characteristics. Our findings have the potential to inform future study designs aiming to monitor dance training-induced plasticity in clinical populations.

Physical performance in recently aged adults after 6 weeks traditional Thai dance: a randomized controlled trial

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Janyacharoen, Taweesak; Laophosri, Maneepun; Kanpittaya, Jaturat; Auvichayapat, Paradee; Sawanyawisuth, Kittisak

2013-01-01

Background Exercise has been shown to be effective in cardiovascular endurance in the elderly. We studied the effect of Thai dancing on physical performance of Thai elderly. Methods This was an open-labeled, randomized intervention study. The Thai dancing group exercised for 40 minutes three times a week for 6 weeks. Physical performance ability was the primary outcome, including a 6-minute walk test (6MWT), five-times sit-to-stand (FTSST), and a sit-and-reach test measured before and after 6 weeks of intervention. Results There were 42 subjects enrolled in the study, and 38 female subjects completed (20 in Thai dance group, 18 controls), with an average age of 65.8 ± 5.1 years. The Thai dance group had significantly better physical performance in all measurements at the end of the study. The 6MWT was longer (416.7 ± 58.7 versus 345.7 ± 55.1 m; P = 0.011), FTSST was quicker (10.2 ± 1.5 versus 14.4 ± 3.3 seconds; P dance group than the control group. Conclusion Thai dance can improve physical performance in recently aged (elderly) female adults. PMID:23950640

Eating Disorders in Non-Dance Performing Artists: A Systematic Literature Review.

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Kapsetaki, Marianna E; Easmon, Charlie

2017-12-01

Previous literature on dancers and athletes has shown a large impact of eating disorders (EDs) on these individuals, but there is limited research on EDs affecting non-dance performing artists (i.e., musicians, actors, etc.). This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate the literature on EDs in non-dance performing artists. A systematic review of the literature was performed on 24 databases, using search terms related to EDs and non-dance performing artists. All results from the databases were systematically screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The initial search returned 86,383 total articles, which after screening and removal of duplicates and irrelevant papers yielded 129 results. After screening the 129 full-text results for eligibility, 10 studies met criteria for inclusion: 6 papers addressed EDs in musicians, and 4 papers addressed EDs in theatre performers. Most studies used questionnaires and body mass index (BMI) as diagnostic tools for EDs. Most were small-scale studies and participants were mostly students. Because of the studies' heterogeneity and varying quality, the results obtained were often contradictory and questionable. Although there has been a lot of literature in dancers, we found relatively few studies associating EDs with other performing artists, and most were inconsistent in their information.

The Dancing Brain: Structural and Functional Signatures of Expert Dance Training

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Agnieszka Z. Burzynska

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Dance – as a ritual, therapy, and leisure activity – has been known for thousands of years. Today, dance is increasingly used as therapy for cognitive and neurological disorders such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Surprisingly, the effects of dance training on the healthy young brain are not well understood despite the necessity of such information for planning successful clinical interventions. Therefore, this study examined actively performing, expert-level trained college students as a model of long-term exposure to dance training. To study the long-term effects of dance training on the human brain, we compared 20 young expert female Dancers with normal body mass index with 20 age- and education-matched Non-Dancers with respect to brain structure and function. We used diffusion tensor, morphometric, resting state and task-related functional MRI, a broad cognitive assessment, and objective measures of selected dance skill (Dance Central video game and a balance task. Dancers showed superior performance in the Dance Central video game and balance task, but showed no differences in cognitive abilities. We found little evidence for training-related differences in brain volume in Dancers. Dancers had lower anisotropy in the corticospinal tract. They also activated the action observation network (AON to greater extent than Non-Dancers when viewing dance sequences. Dancers showed altered functional connectivity of the AON, and of the general motor learning network. These functional connectivity differences were related to dance skill and balance and training-induced structural characteristics. Our findings have the potential to inform future study designs aiming to monitor dance training-induced plasticity in clinical populations.

The dance between companies and performing arts; corporate sponsorships of performing arts and its mutual benefits

OpenAIRE

Özdemir, Nazlıcan

2011-01-01

113 pages These days, it really does take two to tango. Have you ever thought about this saying in its literal meaning? When you do, you will find out that the saying has a very straight forward message. Without the other partner, the dance would not exist. Just like the dance between the major players of the Turkish Economy and the Independent Performing Arts sector, without the support of the Private Sector, the Independent Performing Arts sector would not exist in Turkey. Over the last ...

Factors for Radical Creativity, Incremental Creativity, and Routine, Noncreative Performance

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Madjar, Nora; Greenberg, Ellen; Chen, Zheng

2011-01-01

This study extends theory and research by differentiating between routine, noncreative performance and 2 distinct types of creativity: radical and incremental. We also use a sensemaking perspective to examine the interplay of social and personal factors that may influence a person's engagement in a certain level of creative action versus routine,…

Improving creativity performance by short-term meditation

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background One form of meditation intervention, the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) has been shown to improve attention, reduce stress and change self-reports of mood. In this paper we examine whether short-term IBMT can improve performance related to creativity and determine the role that mood may play in such improvement. Methods Forty Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to short-term IBMT group or a relaxation training (RT) control group. Mood and creativity performance were assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) questionnaire respectively. Results As predicted, the results indicated that short-term (30 min per day for 7 days) IBMT improved creativity performance on the divergent thinking task, and yielded better emotional regulation than RT. In addition, cross-lagged analysis indicated that both positive and negative affect may influence creativity in IBMT group (not RT group). Conclusions Our results suggested that emotion-related creativity-promoting mechanism may be attributed to short-term meditation. PMID:24645871

FORMING PROFESSIONAL SKILLS OF THE PROSPECTIVE HEADS OF CHILDREN'S DANCE GROUPS DURING THE CHOREOGRAPHIC ACTIVITIES IN THE COURSE "FOLK DANCE THEORY AND METHODOLOGY"

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr Kotov

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The article highlights the urgent problem of contemporary art pedagogy – involvement to training future professional choreographic traditions of different nations. Addressing to this problem is caused by a number of socio-political events in Ukraine, mainstreaming of national and international education, integration of Ukrainian education with the European educational space, intensive development of domestic students’ intercultural communication with young people from different countries, which is the basis for updating national art education. Prospective choreographers, who are being training at pedagogical universities to manage children's dance groups, should actively be involved into creating their own productions of folk dance various genres. It promotes the formation of choreographers’ professional competence and pedagogical skills. The development of Georgian "Lezginka" is proposed – a joint creative work of the teacher and students who get higher education degree in SHEE “Donbass State Pedagogical University” (Bachelor's Degree. Development of the dance contains schematic drawings of dance figures, it is recommended for use in forming choreographers’ professional skills while studying the course "Folk Dance Theory and Methodology". The author admits that folklore material requires a cautious, respectful attitude. Therefore, modern folk stage dances are integrally to combine traditional choreographic manner with its new interpretations. The author believes the actual capture of different nations’ choreographic culture improves intercultural youth communication; involves future professionals into the traditions of different nations; form professional skills of managers of children’s dance groups. The author concluded that a dance always reflects consciousness of different nations; future choreographers should be aware of characteristic features of dances of different world nations so that on the basis of traditional

A Course on Humanistic Creativity in Later Life: Literature Review, Case Histories, and Recommendations.

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Nuessel, Frank; Van Stewart, Arthur; Cedeno, Aristofanes

2001-01-01

Presents case histories of late-life creativity in literature (May Sarton), painting (Marcel Duchamp), music (Leos Janacek), dance (Martha Graham), and theatre (Jessica Tandy). Offers suggestions for a course on humanistic creativity in later life. (Contains 74 references.) (SK)

Creativity: Performativity's Poison or Its Antidote?

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Munday, Ian

2014-01-01

A common move in the study of creativity and performativity is to present the former as an antidote to the latter. Might we, therefore, see work on creativity in education as heralding an era of post-performativity? In this paper I argue that the portrayal of performativity in the literature on creativity presents an overly simplistic (vulgar?)…

The Dancing Picture - The Ritual Dance of Native Australians

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monica Engelhart

1996-01-01

Full Text Available What kind of message does -or did — the dance convey to the Native Australians? Several types of communication can be distinguished in ritual dance. There is the narrative aspect, i.e., the dramatization of a myth, or of certain social relations, there is an aspect of explanation, i.e., the visual performance of significant conditions, an expressive aspect of worship, and even an aspect of transmission, as when the body of the dancer is thought to mediate divine power to the audience. When a dancer is considered possessed, the boundaries between his human identity and the divine are wiped out. This last aspect leads us to the second item of interest regarding the ritual dance in Australia, an issue that has been discussed at length regarding masked dancers in other societies, i.e., the question of whether the dancer is identified with the being represented, or merely performs as an actor in a play. In this discussion, the very technique of dancing may have some explanatory faculty, at least as long as we are dealing with Native Australian ritual dance.

Sports dance artistic expression culture analysis

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Chen Zegang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available At present, the sports dance has entered every stage of the people’s life, has become the public’s favorite sport. Sports dance has been well developed. This article mainly uses the literature material law to carry on the detailed analysis to the sports dance constitution, elaborated in detail the sports dance artistic expression. The composition of sports dance elements; sports dance is a form of dance art show; sports dance through the dance art can be divided into three aspects, namely, form, music, shape of the expressive force. In this paper, the study will be more in-depth excavation of the cultural connotation of sports dance, and promote the development of sports dance can be more comprehensive. In 20s of last century, Chinese Sports Dance Association officially joined the International Sports Dance Association, which also makes our country’s sports dance and international exchange more frequent. However, due to China’s sports dance sports dance learning time is not long, while learning is influenced by Chinese traditional culture, the sports dance movements are too conservative, there is a very large gap and international enthusiasm, bold and unrestrained, the pursuit of individual sports dance in the dance style, music and performance hand. Sports dance originated from abroad, it is produced in the daily life of people in foreign countries. China’s domestic sports dance players in learning dance at the same time, the production and the connotation of dance is not very understanding, therefore, it is difficult to better reflect the emotional expression of sports dance. Although the sports dance is a kind of similar to the competitive projects, but it is also a kind of dance culture, and to constitute a force from the dance art show a detailed study, detailed mining playing officer of sports dance performance further, reducing China’s sports dance and international sports dance gap.

Care to dance?

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2011-01-01

The second part of the artistic programme Collide@CERN was officially launched at the beginning of November. The initiative, a dance and performance award, is the result of a partnership between CERN, the City of Geneva and the Canton of Geneva.   From left to right: Sami Kanaan, Rolf Heuer, and Charles Beer. The project Collide@CERN was launched in September in the framework of CERN's new cultural policy (announced in an article published in Bulletin No. 50-51/2010). The project, whose main objective is to achieve a symbiosis between the imagination of artists and the creativity of scientists, features an artist-in-residence scheme that will run for three years. The Organization has concluded two cultural partnerships for the purpose: one with Ars Electronica Linz, an Austrian organisation specialising in the digital arts, which will sponsor a digital arts prize (see article published in Bulletin No. 37-38 earlier this year), and the other with the City and the Canton of Geneva, wh...

An Examination of Critical Approaches to Interdisciplinary Dance Performance

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Kennedy, Michelle

2009-01-01

As artists seek new ways to reflect an increasingly digital and global culture, theatrical dance in the UK and Europe has seen a growing collaboration and cross-fertilisation between forms of dance, theatre, visual art, film and technology. As the boundaries between artistic disciplines continue to blur, it seems clear that dance audiences need to…

EFFECTS OF DANCE AND MUSIC THERAPY

OpenAIRE

Dr. Saroj Kothari

2017-01-01

Arts have consistently been part of life as well as healing throughout the history of humankind. Today, expressive therapies have an increasingly recognized role in mental health, rehabilitation and medicine. The expressive therapies are defined as the use of art, music, dance/movement drama, poetry/creative writing, play and sand play within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation or health care. Through the centuries, the healing nature of these expressive therapies has bee...

Bulgarian folk dances at CERN

CERN Multimedia

Roberto Cantoni

2010-01-01

On Sunday 29 August, the Bulgarian folklore dance group Rhythm visited CERN. After their visit to the ATLAS visitor centre and the SM18 hall, they performed a show in the Pump Room, introducing CERN people to the musical traditions of their country.   The visit of the Bulgarian dance group was organized by Zornitsa Zaharieva, a member of the Beams Department, and Svejina Dimitrova, Director of the Varna Astronomical Observatory. “The students were enthusiastic about the opportunity to visit CERN”, says Zornitsa. “The idea of the performance came from the dance group itself, who wanted to express their gratitude for being given this chance”. The group, comprising around 25 children aged between 11 and 16 from the city of Varna, was hosted by the CERN Dancing Club. For their show, the young dancers, choreographed by Tashka Pavlova, performed traditional dances and songs from different Bulgarian regions. “As a member of the CERN Dancing Club com...

Creativity and the Dyslexic Child: A Classroom View.

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Burrows, Dian; Wolf, Beverly

1983-01-01

Multisensory techniques can be used to provide opportunities for creative expression for children with specific language disabilities. Dramatics, art, movement activities, music, poetry, and dancing can help meet the children's emotional needs while also enhancing their self-concepts. (CL)

Preventing dance injuries: current perspectives

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Russell JA

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Jeffrey A Russell Division of Athletic Training, School of Applied Health Sciences and Wellness, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA Abstract: Dancers are clearly athletes in the degree to which sophisticated physical capacities are required to perform at a high level. The standard complement of athletic attributes – muscular strength and endurance, anaerobic and aerobic energy utilization, speed, agility, coordination, motor control, and psychological readiness – all are essential to dance performance. In dance, as in any athletic activity, injuries are prevalent. This paper presents the research background of dance injuries, characteristics that distinguish dance and dancers from traditional sports and athletes, and research-based perspectives into how dance injuries can be reduced or prevented, including the factors of physical training, nutrition and rest, flooring, dancing en pointe, and specialized health care access for dancers. The review concludes by offering five essential components for those involved with caring for dancers that, when properly applied, will assist them in decreasing the likelihood of dance-related injury and ensuring that dancers receive optimum attention from the health care profession: (1 screening; (2 physical training; (3 nutrition and rest; (4 specialized dance health care; and (5 becoming acquainted with the nature of dance and dancers. Keywords: dance, injuries, injury prevention, fitness, wellness, health

Genetic control of the honey bee (Apis mellifera) dance language: segregating dance forms in a backcrossed colony.

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Johnson, R N; Oldroyd, B P; Barron, A B; Crozier, R H

2002-01-01

We studied the genetic control of the dance dialects that exist in the different subspecies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) by observing the variation in dance form observed in a backcross between two lines that showed widely different dance dialects. To do this we generated the reciprocal of the cross performed by Rinderer and Beaman (1995), thus producing phenotypic segregation of dance forms within a single colony rather than between colonies. Our results are consistent with Rinderer and Beaman (1995) in that inheritance of the transition point from round dancing --> waggle dancing is consistent with control by a single locus with more than one allele. That is, we found one dance type to be dominant in the F(1), and observed a 1:1 segregation of dance in a backcross involving the F(1) and the recessive parent. However, we found some minor differences in dance dialect inheritance, with the most significant being an apparent reversal of dominance between our cross (for us "black" is the dominant dialect) and that of Rinderer and Beaman (1995) (they report "yellow" to be the dominant dialect). We also found that our black bees do not perform a distinct sickle dance, whereas the black bees used by Rinderer and Beaman (1995) did perform such a dance. However, our difference in dominance need not contradict the results of Rinderer and Beaman (1995), as there is no evidence that body color and dominance for dance dialect are linked.

Superior sensory, motor, and cognitive performance in elderly individuals with multi-year dancing activities

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Jan-Christoph Kattenstroth

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Aging is associated with a progressive decline of mental and physical abilities. Considering the current demographic changes in many civilizations there is an urgent need for measures permitting an independent lifestyle into old age. The critical role of physical exercise in mediating and maintaining physical and mental fitness is well-acknowledged. Dance, in addition to physical activity, combines emotions, social interaction, sensory stimulation, motor coordination and music, thereby creating enriched environmental conditions for human individuals. Here we demonstrate the impact of multi-year (average 16.5 years amateur dancing (AD in a group of elderly subjects (aged 65 to 84 years as compared to education-, gender- and aged-matched controls (CG having no record of dancing or sporting activities. Besides posture and balance parameters, we tested reaction times, motor behavior, tactile and cognitive performance. In each of the different domains investigated, the AD group had a superior performance as compared to the non-dancer CG group. Analysis of individual performance revealed that the best participants of the AD group were not better than individuals of the CG group. Instead, the AD group lacked individuals showing poor performance, which was frequently observed for the CG group. This observation implies that maintaining a regular schedule of dancing into old age can preserve cognitive, motor and perceptual abilities and prevent them from degradation. We conclude that the far-reaching beneficial effects found in the AD group make dance, beyond its ability to facilitate balance and posture, a prime candidate for the preservation of everyday life competence of elderly individuals.

Dance-the-Music: an educational platform for the modeling, recognition and audiovisual monitoring of dance steps using spatiotemporal motion templates

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Maes, Pieter-Jan; Amelynck, Denis; Leman, Marc

2012-12-01

In this article, a computational platform is presented, entitled "Dance-the-Music", that can be used in a dance educational context to explore and learn the basics of dance steps. By introducing a method based on spatiotemporal motion templates, the platform facilitates to train basic step models from sequentially repeated dance figures performed by a dance teacher. Movements are captured with an optical motion capture system. The teachers' models can be visualized from a first-person perspective to instruct students how to perform the specific dance steps in the correct manner. Moreover, recognition algorithms-based on a template matching method-can determine the quality of a student's performance in real time by means of multimodal monitoring techniques. The results of an evaluation study suggest that the Dance-the-Music is effective in helping dance students to master the basics of dance figures.

The Negro Dance

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Katherine Dunham

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Katherine Dunham’s The Negro Dance (1941 focuses on dances in the West Indies and on their similarities with North American dance forms rooted in African culture. Though backed up by the New Negro arguments of the time, it shows Dunham’s prominent elaboration of a dignified African-American art based on syncretic bodily practices, which anticipated theorizations in dance and cultural studies. By uniting a theoretical approach and performance ability, she also made methodological choices which, decades later, became standard practices in the field of dance anthropology. Moreover, she is now considered an ante litteram exponent of public or applied anthropology due to the fact that, by using various strategies, she managed to take anthropological knowledge out of the academic world and use it as an instrument for social transformation. The Negro Dance is introduced by Rossella Mazzaglia and followed by an afterword by Cristiana Natali and a biographical note by Marie-Christine Dunham Pratt.

Using Improvisational Exercises in General Education to Advance Creativity, Inventiveness and Innovation

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Hackbert, Peter H.

2010-01-01

Creativity is the process of generating something new or original that has value to an individual, a group, an organization, an industry or a society. Improvisational theater techniques are used to enhance creative thinking and action in a variety of disciplines as broad as education, theater, dance, painting, writing and music, law, business, and…

The Influence of Creative Process Engagement on Employee Creative Performance and Overall Job Performance: A Curvilinear Assessment

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Zhang, Xiaomeng; Bartol, Kathryn M.

2010-01-01

Integrating theories addressing attention and activation with creativity literature, we found an inverted U-shaped relationship between creative process engagement and overall job performance among professionals in complex jobs in an information technology firm. Work experience moderated the curvilinear relationship, with low-experience employees…

Ramogi Dance and Luo Cultural Values | Odwar | Humanities ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Specifically the study describes the dance performance with a view to analyze the dance vocabulary so as to provide an interpretation of how the dance movements enact the Luo cultural values. This study is based on personal interview with two Ramogi performers and my observation of the dance performance during ...

Six months of dance intervention enhances postural, sensorimotor, and cognitive performance in elderly without affecting cardio-respiratory functions

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Kattenstroth, Jan-Christoph; Kalisch, Tobias; Holt, Stephan; Tegenthoff, Martin; Dinse, Hubert R.

2013-01-01

During aging, sensorimotor, cognitive and physical performance decline, but can improve by training and exercise indicating that age-related changes are treatable. Dancing is increasingly used as an intervention because it combines many diverse features making it a promising neuroplasticity-inducing tool. We here investigated the effects of a 6-month dance class (1 h/week) on a group of healthy elderly individuals compared to a matched control group (CG). We performed a broad assessment covering cognition, intelligence, attention, reaction time, motor, tactile, and postural performance, as well as subjective well-being and cardio-respiratory performance. After 6 months, in the CG no changes, or further degradation of performance was found. In the dance group, beneficial effects were found for dance-related parameters such as posture and reaction times, but also for cognitive, tactile, motor performance, and subjective well-being. These effects developed without alterations in the cardio-respiratory performance. Correlation of baseline performance with the improvement following intervention revealed that those individuals, who benefitted most from the intervention, were those who showed the lowest performance prior to the intervention. Our findings corroborate previous observations that dancing evokes widespread positive effects. The pre-post design used in the present study implies that the efficacy of dance is most likely not based on a selection bias of particularly gifted individuals. The lack of changes of cardio-respiratory fitness indicates that even moderate levels of physical activity can in combination with rich sensorimotor, cognitive, social, and emotional challenges act to ameliorate a wide spectrum of age-related decline. PMID:23447455

Six months of dance intervention enhances postural, sensorimotor, and cognitive performance in elderly without affecting cardio-respiratory functions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan-Christoph eKattenstroth

2013-02-01

Full Text Available During aging, sensorimotor, cognitive and physical performance decline, but can improve by training and exercise indicating that age-related changes are treatable. Dancing is increasingly used as an intervention because it combines many diverse features making it a promising neuroplasticity-inducing tool. We here investigated the effects of a 6-months dance class (1 h/week on a group of healthy elderly individuals compared to a matched control group. We performed a broad assessment covering cognition, intelligence, attention, reaction time, motor, tactile, and postural performance, as well as subjective well-being and cardio-respiratory performance. After 6 months, in the control group no changes, or further degradation of performance was found. In the dance group, beneficial effects were found for dance-related parameters such as posture and reaction times, but also for cognitive, tactile, motor performance, and subjective well-being. These effects developed without alterations in the cardio-respiratory performance. Correlation of baseline performance with the improvement following intervention revealed that those individuals, who benefitted most from the intervention, were those who showed the lowest performance prior to the intervention. Our findings corroborate previous observations that dancing evokes widespread positive effects. The pre-post design used in the present study implies that the efficacy of dance is most likely not based on a selection bias of particularly gifted individuals. The lack of changes of cardio-respiratory fitness indicates that even moderate levels of physical activity can in combination with rich sensorimotor, cognitive, social, and emotional challenges act to ameliorate a wide spectrum of age-related decline.

Dance and Music in "Gangnam Style": How Dance Observation Affects Meter Perception.

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Lee, Kyung Myun; Barrett, Karen Chan; Kim, Yeonhwa; Lim, Yeoeun; Lee, Kyogu

2015-01-01

Dance and music often co-occur as evidenced when viewing choreographed dances or singers moving while performing. This study investigated how the viewing of dance motions shapes sound perception. Previous research has shown that dance reflects the temporal structure of its accompanying music, communicating musical meter (i.e. a hierarchical organization of beats) via coordinated movement patterns that indicate where strong and weak beats occur. Experiments here investigated the effects of dance cues on meter perception, hypothesizing that dance could embody the musical meter, thereby shaping participant reaction times (RTs) to sound targets occurring at different metrical positions.In experiment 1, participants viewed a video with dance choreography indicating 4/4 meter (dance condition) or a series of color changes repeated in sequences of four to indicate 4/4 meter (picture condition). A sound track accompanied these videos and participants reacted to timbre targets at different metrical positions. Participants had the slowest RT's at the strongest beats in the dance condition only. In experiment 2, participants viewed the choreography of the horse-riding dance from Psy's "Gangnam Style" in order to examine how a familiar dance might affect meter perception. Moreover, participants in this experiment were divided into a group with experience dancing this choreography and a group without experience. Results again showed slower RTs to stronger metrical positions and the group with experience demonstrated a more refined perception of metrical hierarchy. Results likely stem from the temporally selective division of attention between auditory and visual domains. This study has implications for understanding: 1) the impact of splitting attention among different sensory modalities, and 2) the impact of embodiment, on perception of musical meter. Viewing dance may interfere with sound processing, particularly at critical metrical positions, but embodied familiarity with

Senior Dance Experience, Cognitive Performance, and Brain Volume in Older Women

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Claudia Niemann

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Physical activity is positively related to cognitive functioning and brain volume in older adults. Interestingly, different types of physical activity vary in their effects on cognition and on the brain. For example, dancing has become an interesting topic in aging research, as it is a popular leisure activity among older adults, involving cardiovascular and motor fitness dimensions that can be positively related to cognition. However, studies on brain structure are missing. In this study, we tested the association of long-term senior dance experience with cognitive performance and gray matter brain volume in older women aged 65 to 82 years. We compared nonprofessional senior dancers (n=28 with nonsedentary control group participants without any dancing experience (n=29, who were similar in age, education, IQ score, lifestyle and health factors, and fitness level. Differences neither in the four tested cognitive domains (executive control, perceptual speed, episodic memory, and long-term memory nor in brain volume (VBM whole-brain analysis, region-of-interest analysis of the hippocampus were observed. Results indicate that moderate dancing activity (1-2 times per week, on average has no additional effects on gray matter volume and cognitive functioning when a certain lifestyle or physical activity and fitness level are reached.

Dance on cortex: enhanced theta synchrony in experts when watching a dance piece.

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Poikonen, Hanna; Toiviainen, Petri; Tervaniemi, Mari

2018-03-01

When watching performing arts, a wide and complex network of brain processes emerge. These processes can be shaped by professional expertise. When compared to laymen, dancers have enhanced processes in observation of short dance movement and listening to music. But how do the cortical processes differ in musicians and dancers when watching an audio-visual dance performance? In our study, we presented the participants long excerpts from the contemporary dance choreography of Carmen. During multimodal movement of a dancer, theta phase synchrony over the fronto-central electrodes was stronger in dancers when compared to musicians and laymen. In addition, alpha synchrony was decreased in all groups during large rapid movement when compared to nearly motionless parts of the choreography. Our results suggest an enhanced cortical communication in dancers when watching dance and, further, that this enhancement is rather related to multimodal, cognitive and emotional processes than to simple observation of dance movement. © 2018 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dance and sexuality: many moves.

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Hanna, Judith Lynne

2010-03-01

This literature review of dance and sexual expression considers dance and religion, dance and sexuality as a source of power, manifestations of sexuality in Western theater art and social dance, plus ritual and non-Western social dance. Expressions of gender, sexual orientation, asexuality, ambiguity, and adult entertainment exotic dance are presented. Prominent concerns in the literature are the awareness, closeting, and denial of sexuality in dance; conflation of sexual expression and promiscuity of gender and sexuality, of nudity and sexuality, and of dancer intention and observer interpretation; and inspiration for infusing sexuality into dance. Numerous disciplines (American studies, anthropology, art history, comparative literature, criminology, cultural studies, communication, dance, drama, English, history, history of consciousness, journalism, law, performance studies, philosophy, planning, retail geography, psychology, social work, sociology, and theater arts) have explored dance and sexual expression, drawing upon the following concepts, which are not mutually exclusive: critical cultural theory, feminism, colonialism, Orientalism, postmodernism, poststructuralism, queer theory, and semiotics. Methods of inquiry include movement analysis, historical investigation, anthropological fieldwork, autoethnography, focus groups, surveys, and self-reflection or autobiographical narrative. Directions for future exploration are addressed.

Dance floors as injury risk: analysis and evaluation of acute injuries caused by dance floors in professional dance with regard to preventative aspects.

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Wanke, Eileen M; Mill, Helmgard; Wanke, Alice; Davenport, Jaqueline; Koch, Franziska; Groneberg, David A

2012-09-01

A dance floor is often the only support of movements in dance. A dance floor surface that shows deficiencies, can result in acute injuries and chronic problems. Although the significance of an adequate dance floor is well known, there is still a lack of differentiated analyses of dance floor-related acute injuries. This study presents data on acute injuries exclusively caused by the dance floor. The data were obtained from standardized work accident reports from consultants (F 1000), documentary accident records from all Berlin theatres, a state ballet school (n=2,281), and case records from the Berlin State Accident Insurance (UKB) covering a period of 17 years. All analyses and descriptive statistics were conducted with Excel 2007 and SPSS 18. Dance floor surfaces were the causative factor in 12.8% of all accidents (n=291, female 183, male 108). Almost two thirds (62.6%) of all accidents in professional dancers happened on stage, and almost half (49.5%) occurred during performances. As for causative factors, 53.1% of the professional dancers (P) and 42.5% of the dance students (S) claimed that the floor had been "too slippery," with "getting stuck" or (tripping) as the second most common problem (P 18.4%, S 11.3%). Of the injured dancers, 41.8% were older than 30 years and can therefore be categorized as experienced. Dance floors play a significant role in the occurrence of acute injuries, even in experienced dancers. Performances on stage seem to be a particular risk. However, injury prevention measures should include all work locations (P) as well as non-dance-specific locations (S).

Arts-based and creative approaches to dementia care.

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McGreevy, Jessica

2016-02-01

This article presents a review of arts-based and creative approaches to dementia care as an alternative to antipsychotic medications. While use of antipsychotics may be appropriate for some people, the literature highlights the success of creative approaches and the benefits of their lack of negative side effects associated with antipsychotics. The focus is the use of biographical approaches, music, dance and movement to improve wellbeing, enhance social networks, support inclusive practice and enable participation. Staff must be trained to use these approaches. A case study is presented to demonstrate how creative approaches can be implemented in practice and the outcomes that can be expected when used appropriately.

Dancing on Thinning Ice: Choreography and Science in the Chukchi Sea

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Sperling, J.

2016-12-01

In 2014, Jody Sperling was the first-ever choreographer in residence to participate in a polar science mission, thanks to an invitation from Dr. Robert Pickart (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution). This 43-day mission (SUBICE) aboard the USCGC Healy traveled to the Chukchi Sea with Sperling serving as part of an outreach team on climate science communication. Since the mission, Sperling has shared her Arctic experience with more than 4,200 people through dozens of live performances, lectures and workshops, plus press coverage across the US. Her film "Ice Floe," created during SUBICE, won a Creative Climate Award and has been aired on Alaska Public Television reaching thousands more. While Arctic sea ice is vitally important to the global climate system, the public knows little about its function (other than as a habitat for polar bears) or its precipitous decline. Sperling's research during the mission focused on sea ice and had three components: 1) As a contributor to SUBICE's Ice Watch Survey, she learned the descriptive nomenclature for sea ice and its processes of formation to transport its dynamics and aesthetics to the stage. This information served as critical inspiration for the creation of her dance work "Ice Cycle" (2015); 2) Sperling collected media samples of sea ice that were subsequently used in performances of "Ice Cycle" as well as her frequent public lectures; 3) Sperling danced on sea ice at a dozen ice stations. In collaboration with the WHOI outreach team, the SUBICE science party and the Healy crew, she created the dance film short "Ice Floe". Sperling's dance company, Time Lapse Dance, has performed "Ice Cycle" as part of the larger program "Bringing the Arctic Home" at many venues nationally and the work has been mounted on students at Brenau University in Georgia. Wherever she performs, Sperling programs talkbacks, lectures and panels with scientists, artists and climate educators, with the aim of increasing awareness of sea ice, the rapid

Dancing with STEAM: Creative Movement Generates Electricity for Young Learners

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Simpson Steele, Jamie; Fulton, Lori; Fanning, Lisa

2016-01-01

The integration of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) serves to develop creative thinking and twenty-first-century skills in the classroom (Maeda 2012). Learning through STEAM promotes novelty, innovation, ingenuity, and task-specific purposefulness to solve real-world problems--all aspects that define creativity. Lisa…

Monkey Dance Transformation And Displacement: From Traditional Performance To Urban Everydayness

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Anton Sutandio

2012-05-01

Full Text Available This research attempts to investigate how the monkey dance, a traditional mobile performance from village to village, transforms and displaces itself into a semi-permanent urban street performance as the effect of modernization and globalization. The research is closely relevant to the theme of the everyday life on the relation between art and the social. Doger monyet (monkey dance performance has always been regarded as the marginal art/culture. Its place has always been among the mid-lower class of society, thus when it changes its mode and place of performance, questions and curiosity arises. This phenomenon requires a re-examination of the cultural transformation effect to everyday life. This research attempts to answer several issues regarding the phenomena: how the performance negotiates its way to the urban everyday life and its everydayness; how it manages to place itself within the urban space; how it deals with the authority and the urban dwellers, and what its future is going to be like in the new space.

Critical Postcolonial Dance Pedagogy: The Relevance of West African Dance Education in the United States

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Cruz Banks, Ojeya

2010-01-01

This dance ethnography examines work conducted by the Dambe Project--a nonprofit organization that specializes in African performing arts education and mentorship. The study focuses on the implications of the organization's dance pedagogy in light of its postcolonial context and the importance of West African dance education in the United States.…

Delighting the Customer: Creativity-Oriented High-Performance Work Systems, Frontline Employee Creative Performance, and Customer Satisfaction

OpenAIRE

Martinaityte, Ieva; Sacramento, Claudia; Aryee, Samuel

2016-01-01

Drawing on self-determination theory, we proposed and tested a cross-level model of how perceived creativity-oriented high-performance work systems (HPWS) influence customer satisfaction. Data were obtained from frontline employees (FLEs), their managers, and branch records of two organizations (retail bank and cosmetics) in Lithuania. Results of multilevel structural equation modeling analyses revealed partial support for our model. Although perceived creativity-oriented HPWS related to crea...

Dance and the brain: a review.

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Karpati, Falisha J; Giacosa, Chiara; Foster, Nicholas E V; Penhune, Virginia B; Hyde, Krista L

2015-03-01

Dance is a universal form of human expression that offers a rich source for scientific study. Dance provides a unique opportunity to investigate brain plasticity and its interaction with behavior. Several studies have investigated the behavioral correlates of dance, but less is known about the brain basis of dance. Studies on dance observation suggest that long- and short-term dance training affect brain activity in the action observation and simulation networks. Despite methodological challenges, the feasibility of conducting neuroimaging while dancing has been demonstrated, and several brain regions have been implicated in dance execution. Preliminary work from our laboratory suggests that long-term dance training changes both gray and white matter structure. This article provides a critical summary of work investigating the neural correlates of dance. It covers functional neuroimaging studies of dance observation and performance as well as structural neuroimaging studies of expert dancers. To stimulate ongoing dialogue between dance and science, future directions in dance and brain research as well as implications are discussed. Research on the neuroscience of dance will lead to a better understanding of brain-behavior relationships and brain plasticity in experts and nonexperts and can be applied to the development of dance-based therapy programs. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Physical performance in recently aged adults after 6 weeks traditional Thai dance: a randomized controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janyacharoen T

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Taweesak Janyacharoen,1–3 Maneepun Laophosri,2,4 Jaturat Kanpittaya,3,5 Paradee Auvichayapat,6 Kittisak Sawanyawisuth71School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Associated Medical Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 2Improvement of Physical Performance and Quality of Life Research Group, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 3Back, Neck and Other Joint Pain Research Group, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 4Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 5Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 6Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand; 7Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, ThailandBackground: Exercise has been shown to be effective in cardiovascular endurance in the elderly. We studied the effect of Thai dancing on physical performance of Thai elderly.Methods: This was an open-labeled, randomized intervention study. The Thai dancing group exercised for 40 minutes three times a week for 6 weeks. Physical performance ability was the primary outcome, including a 6-minute walk test (6MWT, five-times sit-to-stand (FTSST, and a sit-and-reach test measured before and after 6 weeks of intervention.Results: There were 42 subjects enrolled in the study, and 38 female subjects completed (20 in Thai dance group, 18 controls, with an average age of 65.8 ± 5.1 years. The Thai dance group had significantly better physical performance in all measurements at the end of the study. The 6MWT was longer (416.7 ± 58.7 versus 345.7 ± 55.1 m; P = 0.011, FTSST was quicker (10.2 ± 1.5 versus 14.4 ± 3.3 seconds; P < 0.001, and flexibility was higher (14.9 ± 3.5 versus 11.1 ± 5.7 cm; P = 0.002 in the Thai dance group than the control group.Conclusion: Thai dance can improve physical performance in recently aged (elderly female adults

[Creative therapy options for patients with dementia--a systematic review].

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, B; Frölich, L

2007-12-01

The specifics of creative therapies aim at activating the creative potential of the patients in the sense of acceptance, orientation and coping with their illness "dementia" and at improving their quality of life. Creative therapies in the treatment of dementia offer the advantage of working with these patients, whose cognition and often also verbal communication skills are affected in a nonverbal way. This article presents a systematic review of studies and case studies, which could be found on the subject of the implementation of active creative therapies "music-, art-, drama- and dance-therapy" within the following databases (05/05): Medline, Psyndex Plus, PsychInfo and Cochrane. The search terms used were: "Creativ* and therapy and dementia and (stud*)", "Dance therapy and dementia", "Music therapy and dementia", "Drama therapy and dementia" and "Art therapy and dementia". As a result of this search we found seven quantitative evaluated controlled studies, three prae-post comparisons and three qualitative evaluated studies which have been finished since 1998. All of these studies included groups of at least three participants. Further reviews are mentioned in this article. This survey of studies on creative therapies for patients with dementia shows positive effects like the improvement of interaction skills. The data supplied thus supports the approach of using creative therapies in order to help patients accept dementia as their illness and finally to cope with it. The methodical approach to the registration of the therapies' effects and process-orientated contents of the therapy create a field of tension, leading to the request for a further development and validation of instruments, which allow the quantitative evaluation of parameters like liveliness, agility and interaction skills.

Sources of Embodied Creativity: Interactivity and Ideation in Contact Improvisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimmel, Michael; Hristova, Dayana; Kussmaul, Kerstin

2018-05-23

Drawing on a micro-phenomenological paradigm, we discuss Contact Improvisation (CI), where dancers explore potentials of intercorporeal weight sharing, kinesthesia, touch, and momentum. Our aim is to typologically discuss creativity related skills and the rich spectrum of creative resources CI dancers use. This spectrum begins with relatively idea-driven creation and ends with interactivity-centered, fully emergent creation: (1) Ideation internal to the mind, the focus of traditional creativity research, is either restricted to semi-independent dancing or remains schematic and thus open to dynamic specification under the partner’s influence. (2) Most frequently, CI creativity occurs in tightly coupled behavior and is radically emergent. This means that interpersonal synergies emerge without anybody’s prior design or planned coordination. The creative feat is interpersonally “distributed” over cascades of cross-scaffolding. Our micro-genetic data validate notions from dynamic systems theory such as interpersonal self-organization , although we criticize the theory for failing to explain where precisely this leaves skilled intentionality on the individuals’ part. Our answer is that dancers produce a stream of momentary micro-intentions that say “yes, and”, or “no, but” to short-lived micro-affordances, which allows both individuals to skillfully continue, elaborate, tweak, or redirect the collective movement dynamics. Both dancers can invite emergence as part of their playful exploration, while simultaneously bringing to bear global constraints, such as dance scores, and guide the collective dynamics with a set of specialized skills we shall term emergence management .

Dance Specialists around the World--A Living History

Science.gov (United States)

Musmon, Margaret; Welsh, Kariamu; Heath, Freddie-Lee; Minton, Sandra; Laverty, Mary Ann; Maeshiba, Naoko; Weeks, Sandy; Cardinal, Marita K.; Howton, Amy; Tavacioglu, Leyla

2008-01-01

Dance embraces the entire globe. Universities offer world dance classes to expose students to various styles and educators travel to different countries to experience how dance is viewed, performed, and taught in different cultures. In this article nine dance educators share their experiences of teaching and observing dance abroad. These accounts…

Dance learning in motion: global dance education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brown, Ann Kipling; Koff, Susan R.; Meiners, Jeff

2015-01-01

Reports indicate that dance-learning experiences provided for young people in and outside schools impact positively upon young people’s learning in schools, as well as in pre-service and professional development programs for those who teach dance in various settings. Support of major dance...... organizations as well as the goals of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) affirm the importance of dance education and encourage the research and practice to provide lifelong and intergenerational learning in, about and through dance education. This paper describes...... the results of a survey questionnaire, which captures the narratives and contexts from lived experiences of university students and graduates in formal, informal and non-formal settings and how those are experienced. This initial study confirmed the power of dance and the significance of dance in peoples...

The Quadruple Helix Model Enhancing Innovative Performance Of Indonesian Creative Industry

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Sri Wahyu Lelly Hana Setyanti

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The creative industry in Indonesia has contributed positively to the national economic growth. Creative industry grows from the creativity and innovation performance of the business actors. The challenge of creative industry is how to completely understand the creative and innovative processes in business management. Therefore it requires an approach that combines the synergy between academicians entrepreneurs government and society in a quadruple helix model. The objective of this research is to develop a creativity model through a quadruple helix model in improving innovation performance of the creative industry.

Dancing to distraction: mediating 'docile bodies' in 'Philippine Thriller video'.

Science.gov (United States)

Mangaoang, Áine

2013-01-01

This essay examines the conditions behind the 'Philippine Prison Thriller' video, a YouTube spectacle featuring the 1,500 inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Centre (CPDRC) dancing to Michael Jackson's hit song 'Thriller'. The video achieved viral status after it was uploaded onto the video-sharing platform in 2007, and sparked online debates as to whether this video, containing recorded moving images of allegedly forced dancing, was a form of cruel and inhumane punishment or a novel approach to rehabilitation. The immense popularity of the video inspired creative responses from viewers, and this international popularity caused the CPDRC to host a monthly live dance show held in the prison yard, now in its seventh year. The essay explores how seemingly innocuous products of user-generated-content are imbued with ideologies that obscure or reduce relations of race, agency, power and control. By contextualising the video's origins, I highlight current Philippine prison conditions and introduce how video-maker/programme inventor/prison warden Byron Garcia sought to distance his facility from the Philippine prison majority. I then investigate the 'mediation' of 'Thriller' through three main issues. One, I examine the commodification and transformation from viral video to a thana-tourist destination; two, the global appeal of 'Thriller' is founded on public penal intrigue and essentialist Filipino tropes, mixed with a certain novelty factor widely suffused in YouTube formats; three, how dance performance and its mediation here are conducive to creating Foucault's docile bodies, which operate as a tool of distraction for the masses and ultimately serve the interests of the state far more than it rehabilitates(unconvicted and therefore innocent) inmates.

The evolution of dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Laland, Kevin; Wilkins, Clive; Clayton, Nicky

2016-01-11

Evidence from multiple sources reveals a surprising link between imitation and dance. As in the classical correspondence problem central to imitation research, dance requires mapping across sensory modalities and the integration of visual and auditory inputs with motor outputs. Recent research in comparative psychology supports this association, in that entrainment to a musical beat is almost exclusively observed in animals capable of vocal or motor imitation. Dance has representational properties that rely on the dancers' ability to imitate particular people, animals or events, as well as the audience's ability to recognize these correspondences. Imitation also plays a central role in learning to dance and the acquisition of the long sequences of choreographed movements are dependent on social learning. These and other lines of evidence suggest that dancing may only be possible for humans because its performance exploits existing neural circuitry employed in imitation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Music, dance and memory: Towards deliberation of field research of dance

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Rakočević Selena

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Although ethnochoreology and ethnomusicology as related academic disciplines have decades-long histories, reviewing and redefining their basic epistemological and methodological principles remained one of the main focuses of disciplinary discussion. Most ethnochoreologists and ethnomusicologist agrees that “field” work (in all its traditional and contemporary forms remains an essential and constitutive quality of their research and disciplinary fields. The inherent interdisciplinary networking of ethnochoreology and ethnomusicology starts from the theoretical premise that the relationship between the kinetic and musical components of dance is not only unbreakable, but also interactive, and that complex and dynamic manifestations of dance performances represents an expressive medium through which a particular community constructs and represents itself. Since the importance of the individual experience of researchers has been ephasized during the last few decades, a comprehensive method of participant observation remains a central and unifying aspect of fieldwork, both in ethnochoreology and ethnomusicology. Based on field research of musical and dance practices of the village of Svinica (Sviniţa in Romania, this paper reviews the application and combination of various methods of field research (observation, participation in the performance process, filming, interviews and writing field notes as the primary tools for the acquisition and shaping of scientific knowledge about dance and music. Issues that will be discussed include the following questions: What are the advantages of personal kinetic/auditory experience during simultaneous perception of dance movement and dance music? How can different methods of field research be combined in order to improve cognitive processes? Are there border areas between ethnochoreological and ethnomusicological fieldwork? Does the variety of methods of field research represents a weakness of the

Psychophysiological responses to Salsa dance.

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Laura Guidetti

Full Text Available Speculation exists whether dance provides physiological stimuli adequate to promote health and fitness benefits. Unfortunately, research to date has not addressed the affective and exertional responses to dance. These responses are of interest as positive affective and exertional responses experienced during physical activity may play an important role in predicting adherence. The present study aims to examine the psychophysiological responses of different Salsa dance styles. Ten pairs of dancers performed two different structured lessons of Salsa dance, including Typical Salsa and Rueda de Casino lessons, and a non-structured Salsa dance at a night club. Physiological responses (i.e., percent of heart rate reserve; %HRR were continuously assessed and perceived exertion and affective valence were rated every 15 min throughout the trials. %HRR responses differed between the Salsa dance styles (%HRR from 41.3 to 51.9%, and participants were dancing at intensities near their ventilatory threshold. Specifically, Typical Salsa lesson elicited lower %HRR responses than Rueda de Casino lesson (p 0.05. Surprisingly, exertional (from 8 to 11 and affective (from +3 to +5 responses were unaffected by Salsa dance styles (p > 0.05. These data support that different Salsa dance styles provide physiological stimuli adequate to promote health and fitness benefits, and perhaps more importantly, produce pleasurable experiences, which in turn might lead to an increase in adherence to Salsa dancing which likely provides exercise-like health benefits.

When and why creativity-related conflict with coworkers can hamper creative employees' individual job performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, Onne; Giebels, Ellen

2013-01-01

We examined when and why focal employees' creativity-related conflict with coworkers is related to their individual job performance. As hypothesized, a survey among 113 employees in 14 manufacturing work groups showed that creativity-related conflict with coworkers escalates into dysfunctional

Improvement of Dance Composition Skills During the Study Process in the Perspective of the Newest Motor Learning Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spalva Rita

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In today’s dynamic world, where technologies have changed the understanding of time and space, the discussion about the body as a communicative performer in the new information field becomes a topic of interest. Different body techniques have become prevalent (sports, fitness, dance, which contribute to the scientific interest in the movement determination, inheritance, ergonomics and other aspects of movement quality. This article analyses recent motor learning models (Fitts, Posner, Gentile, etc and substantiates the usefulness to introduce the three-stage learning model in any field related to motor skills. The article analyses the effectiveness of the proposed model in practice as part of the study course Dance Composition at the Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy. The research results show that the ability to transfer acquired movement skills into new situations and to use them for performing independent creative tasks is a testimony to a high level of application, what is the goal of the introduction of the proposed model.

Counseling as an Art: The Creative Arts in Counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Gladding, Samuel T.

In this book counseling approaches with a variety of populations are examined using these creative arts: music; dance/movement; imagery; visual arts; literature; drama; and play and humor. It is noted that all of these arts are process-oriented, emotionally sensitive, socially directed, and awareness-focused. Chapter 1 discusses the history,…

Definition of dance and dance movement therapy: overview of dance styles and their application for the scopes of the dance movement therapy in different countries and cultures

OpenAIRE

Di Dio, Kristina

2017-01-01

The master thesis discusses the areas of dance and dance movement therapy. Moreover it presents an overview of the artistic dance, which is applied for therapeutic treatment purposes. Furthermore, it defines concepts and dance genres that are present within different dance movement therapy approaches. Dance description is further elaborated in those chapters dedicated to the understanding and development of dance movement therapy. The thesis presents different dance genres and forms, whi...

DANCE, BALANCE AND CORE MUSCLE PERFORMANCE MEASURES ARE IMPROVED FOLLOWING A 9-WEEK CORE STABILIZATION TRAINING PROGRAM AMONG COMPETITIVE COLLEGIATE Dancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Todd; Graning, Jessica; McPherson, Sue; Carter, Elizabeth; Edwards, Joshuah; Melcher, Isaac; Burgess, Taylor

2017-02-01

Dance performance requires not only lower extremity muscle strength and endurance, but also sufficient core stabilization during dynamic dance movements. While previous studies have identified a link between core muscle performance and lower extremity injury risk, what has not been determined is if an extended core stabilization training program will improve specific measures of dance performance. This study examined the impact of a nine-week core stabilization program on indices of dance performance, balance measures, and core muscle performance in competitive collegiate dancers. Within-subject repeated measures design. A convenience sample of 24 female collegiate dance team members (age = 19.7 ± 1.1 years, height = 164.3 ± 5.3 cm, weight 60.3 ± 6.2 kg, BMI = 22.5 ± 3.0) participated. The intervention consisted of a supervised and non-supervised core (trunk musculature) exercise training program designed specifically for dance team participants performed three days/week for nine weeks in addition to routine dance practice. Prior to the program implementation and following initial testing, transversus abdominis (TrA) activation training was completed using the abdominal draw-in maneuver (ADIM) including ultrasound imaging (USI) verification and instructor feedback. Paired t tests were conducted regarding the nine-week core stabilization program on dance performance and balance measures (pirouettes, single leg balance in passe' releve position, and star excursion balance test [SEBT]) and on tests of muscle performance. A repeated measures (RM) ANOVA examined four TrA instruction conditions of activation: resting baseline, self-selected activation, immediately following ADIM training and four days after completion of the core stabilization training program. Alpha was set at 0.05 for all analysis. Statistically significant improvements were seen on single leg balance in passe' releve and bilateral anterior reach for the SEBT (both p ≤ 0

Impact of the Supervisor Feedback Environment on Creative Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jian; Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Shuangyu; Zhao, Yujia

2017-01-01

Studies on the relationship between feedback and creative performance have only focused on the feedback-self and have underestimated the value of the feedback environment. Building on Self Determined Theory, the purpose of this article is to examine the relationship among feedback environment, creative personality, goal self-concordance and creative performance. Hierarchical regression analysis of a sample of 162 supervisor-employee dyads from nine industry firms. The results indicate that supervisor feedback environment is positively related to creative performance, the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance is mediated by goal self-concordance perfectly and moderated by creative personality significantly. The mediation effort of goal self-concordance is significantly influenced by creative personality. The implication of improving employees' creative performance is further discussed. The present study advances several perspectives of previous studies, echoes recent suggestions that organizations interested in stimulating employee creativity might profitably focus on developing work contexts that support it.

Dance Facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashton, Dudley, Ed.; Irey, Charlotte, Ed.

This booklet represents an effort to assist teachers and administrators in the professional planning of dance facilities and equipment. Three chapters present the history of dance facilities, provide recommended dance facilities and equipment, and offer some adaptations of dance facilities and equipment, for elementary, secondary and college level…

The Performing Arts: Music, Dance, and Theater in the Early Years

Science.gov (United States)

Koralek, Derry

2010-01-01

This article presents an interview with Mimi Brodsky Chenfeld, a longtime early childhood teacher, author, teacher educator, and advocate for integrating the arts with every aspect of the curriculum. In this interview, Chenfeld shares her thoughts about the performing arts: music, dance, and theater. She explains why it is important for young…

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees' perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2); the negative affect (t1) moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2) and creative performance (t2), rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1) is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhenxing Gong

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of a supportive supervisor feedback environment indirectly influence their level of creative performance through positive affect (t2; the negative affect (t1 moderates the relationship between positive affect (t2 and creative performance (t2, rendering the relationship more positive if negative affect (t1 is high. The change in positive affect mediates the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance; a decrease in negative affect moderates the relationship between increased positive affect and creative performance, rendering the relationship more positive if the decrease in negative affect is large. The implications for improving the creative performances of employees are further discussed.

Conditioning Methodologies for DanceSport: Lessons from Gymnastics, Figure Skating, and Concert Dance Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Outevsky, David; Martin, Blake Cw

2015-12-01

Dancesport, the competitive branch of ballroom dancing, places high physiological and psychological demands on its practitioners, but pedagogical resources in these areas for this dance form are limited. Dancesport competitors could benefit from strategies used in other aesthetic sports. In this review, we identify conditioning methodologies from gymnastics, figure skating, and contemporary, modern, and ballet dance forms that could have relevance and suitability for dancesport training, and propose several strategies for inclusion in the current dancesport curriculum. We reviewed articles derived from Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, and Web of Science search engines and databases, with publication dates from 1979 to 2013. The keywords included MeSH terms: dancing, gymnastics, physiology, energy metabolism, physical endurance, and range of motion. Out of 47 papers examined, 41 papers met the inclusion criteria (validity of scientific methods, topic relevance, transferability to dancesport, publication date). Quality and validity of the data were assessed by examining the methodologies in each study and comparing studies on similar populations as well as across time using the PRISMA 2009 checklist and flowchart. The relevant research suggests that macro-cycle periodization planning, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, range of motion and muscular endurance training, and performance psychology methods have potential for adaptation for dancesport training. Dancesport coaches may help their students fulfill their ambitions as competitive athletes and dance artists by adapting the relevant performance enhancement strategies from gymnastics, figure skating, and concert dance forms presented in this paper.

Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies - Vol 8, No 2 ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Creative Artist: A Journal of Theatre and Media Studies - Vol 8, No 2 (2014) ... Social Media Use And Real-life Social Relationships: (A Study of Nnamdi ... The Impacts of Slavery and Colonialism on African Traditional Music and Dance ...

Creative Self-Efficacy Development and Creative Performance over Time

Science.gov (United States)

Tierney, Pamela; Farmer, Steven M.

2011-01-01

Building from an established framework of self-efficacy development, this study provides a longitudinal examination of the development of creative self-efficacy in an ongoing work context. Results show that increases in employee creative role identity and perceived creative expectation from supervisors over a 6-month time period were associated…

Creative Change: Art, Music, and Climate Science

Science.gov (United States)

Dahlberg, R. A.; Hoffman, J. S.; Maurakis, E. G.

2017-12-01

As part of ongoing climate science education initiatives, the Science Museum of Virginia hosted Creative Change in March 2017. The event featured multidisciplinary programming created by scientists, artists, and students reacting to and interpreting climate change and resiliency through a variety of artistic mediums and informal science education. Creative Change was developed in consideration of studies conducted at Columbia University that indicate traditional educational approaches, which rely heavily on scientific information and data literacy, fail to engage and inspire action in a majority of people. Our informal science education programming developed for Creative Change, by contrast, is inclusive to all ages and backgrounds, integrating scientific data and an artistic human touch. Our goal was to increase public awareness of climate change and resiliency through the humanities in support of the Museum's mission to inspire Virginians to enrich their lives through science. Visitors were invited to attend Coral Reef Fever, a dance performance of coral bleaching; high school and university art exhibitions; climate data performed by a string quartet; poetry, rap, and theater performances; and a panel discussion by artists and scientists on communicating science through the arts and humanities. Based on 26 post- event survey results, we found as a result that visitors enjoyed the event (mean of 9.58 out of 10), learned new information (9.07), and strongly agreed that the arts and humanities should be used more in communicating science concepts (9.77). Funded in part by Bond Bradley Endowment and NOAA ELG Award #NA15SEC0080009.

Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, and School Performance in Children

Science.gov (United States)

Hansenne, Michel; Legrand, Jessica

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that both creativity and emotional intelligence (EI) were related to children school performance. In this study, we investigated the incremental validity of EI over creativity in an elementary school setting. Seventy-three children aged from 9 to 12 years old were recruited to participate in the study. Verbal and…

Injuries in Irish dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, Cynthia J; Tyson, Kesley D; Johnson, Victor M; Popoli, David M; d'Hemecourt, Pierre A; Micheli, Lyle J

2013-12-01

Irish dance is growing in popularity and competitiveness; however, very little research has focused specifically on this genre of dance. The purpose of this study was to analyze the types of dance injuries incurred by Irish dancers. A chart review was performed to identify all injuries associated with Irish dance seen in the sports medicine or orthopaedic clinics at the investigators' hospital over an 11-year period. "Injury" was defined as any dance-related pain or disorder that led to evaluation in the clinics. Survey data were also collected from study participants. Ultimately, 255 patients from over 30 different schools of dance were seen with injuries directly related (726 clinic visits) or partially related (199 visits) to Irish dance. Participants ranged in age from 4 to 47, with 95% (243/255) under the age of 19. These 255 patients received 437 diagnoses. Almost 80% of the injuries (348/437) were attributable to overuse, and 20.4% were acute and traumatic injuries (89/437). Ninety-five percent (95.9%) of injuries involved the hip or lower extremity. The most common sites were the foot (33.2%), ankle (22.7%), knee (19.7%), and hip (14.4%). Typical diagnoses were tendon injury (13.3%), apophysitis (11.4%), patellofemoral pain and instability (10.8%), stress injury (10.1%), and muscle injury (7.8%). The majority of traumatic injuries were seen in clinic within 3 weeks, but less than a quarter of overuse injuries were seen that quickly. The most common treatment, prescribed to 84.3% of patients, was physical therapy and home exercises, and the majority of dancers (64.3%) were able to return to full dance activity after injury.

Art, dance, and music therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pratt, Rosalie Rebollo

2004-11-01

Art, dance, and music therapy are a significant part of complementary medicine in the twenty-first century. These creative arts therapies contribute to all areas of health care and are present in treatments for most psychologic and physiologic illnesses. Although the current body of solid research is small compared with that of more traditional medical specialties, the arts therapies are now validating their research through more controlled experimental and descriptive studies. The arts therapies also contribute significantly to the humanization and comfort of modern health care institutions by relieving stress, anxiety, and pain of patients and caregivers. Arts therapies will greatly expand their role in the health care practices of this country in the twenty-first century.

Restaurant 1: dance theatre for a day

CERN Document Server

Caroline Duc

2012-01-01

On Tuesday 31 July, CERN’s Restaurant 1 transformed into a dance studio for the duration of a public rehearsal. The performers from the dance troupe of Geneva choreographer Gilles Jobin, CERN’s current artist in residence, presented their 2011 creation, Spider Galaxies. The result: a voyage of bodies suspended between art and science.   Just two months after the choreographer’s “Strangels” invaded the library, the same bodies returned to take over another iconic CERN space: Restaurant 1. While a black floor covering was spread over the dance floor, bordered on three sides by the glass partitions overlooking the terrace, the four dancers warmed up. Gilles Jobin, the first prize winner of the “Collide@CERN” competition held last March in the dance/performance category, briefly introduced the dance that would follow, called Spider Galaxies. The piece, created in 2011, features four dancers moving to music...

Dance Careers for the Next Decade.

Science.gov (United States)

Lappe, Mary Martha

1984-01-01

Dance educators need to be aware of current career trends and focus their programs on practical needs of their students. Teaching, dance journalism, therapy, and photography are career options for the dancer who is not a professional performer. (DF)

Marketing communication of dancing school Luas Dancing School.

OpenAIRE

Vařechová, Alice

2016-01-01

Title: Marketing communication of dancing school Luas Dancing School. Objectives: This thesis is trying to come up with new and effective marketing communication for dancing school. It is based on the old propagation methods and trying to do it better with documents obtained from theoretical part. Methods: Methods we used for this thesis are interview with owner and founder of this dancing school and discussion with dancers of this school. Some of them are long term dancers and some of them a...

Analysis of the dance of native Isan artists for conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pakawat Petatano

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This is a qualitative investigation to analyse native dance in North-eastern Thailand. There were three objectives for this investigation, which were to study the history of Isan folk dance, current dance postures and ways to conserve the current dance postures of Isan folk artists. Research tools were interview, observation, participation, focus group discussion and workshop. The purposively selected research sample was composed of 3 groups of national artists. The findings show that Isan folk dancer shave their own unique dancing styles. Each artist has his or her own identity, which is constructed based on personal experience of dancing and singing. Mor lam is a dance used to accompany traditional Isansung poetry. Modern dance postures have been adapted from the traditional forms. Dance postures have been adapted from three primary sources: traditional literature, the ethnic and Lanchang dancing in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and rhythmic Khon Kaen compositions. The conclusions of this investigation suggest that preservation of the dancing arts and postures should centre on the incorporation of new knowledge, as well as the continuation of traditional dance postures. Further research is required for people interested in performing arts conservation in other provinces and other traditional performing arts.

"Dance for Your Health": Exploring Social Latin Dancing for Community Health Promotion

Science.gov (United States)

Iuliano, Joseph E.; Lutrick, Karen; Maez, Paula; Nacim, Erika; Reinschmidt, Kerstin

2017-01-01

The goal of "Dance for Your Health" was to explore the relationship between social Latin dance and health as described by members of the Tucson social Latin dance community. Social Latin dance was selected because of the variety of dances, cultural relevance and popularity in Tucson, and the low-key, relaxed atmosphere. Dance has been…

Dancing as an Intervention Tool for People with Dementia: A Mini-Review Dancing and Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Klimova, Blanka; Valis, Martin; Kuca, Kamil

2017-01-01

Research studies show a positive impact of physical activities such as dancing on the improvement of cognitive reserves of people with dementia. The purpose of this study is to explore dancing efficacy on people with dementia and list the key benefits and limitations of dancing therapy for these people. The methods used in this study include a method of literature review of available Englishwritten sources with respect to the dancing therapy and dementia in the acknowledged databases Pub- Med, Web of Science, Springer, and Scopus, and a method of comparison and evaluation of their findings. The findings of this mini review confirm positive efficacy of dancing therapy on cognitive, physical, emotional and social performance of people with dementia. More randomized controlled clinical trials should be conducted in this field, as well as other non-pharmacological therapies should be employed in order to holistically contribute to the prevention and treatment of dementia. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

[Development and evaluation of a dance-based exercise therapy for patients with haemophilia].

Science.gov (United States)

Czepa, D; van Ravenstein, S; Stäuber, F; Hilberg, T

2013-01-01

So far, the use of methods derived from creative arts has not been considered in the haemophilia treatment. The AIM was to investigate the expectations for a dance-based exercise therapy for patients with haemophilia and the extent of its acceptance. The one-hour dance-based exercise therapy was offered to 30 haemophilia patients (HI30) (49 ± 11, 30-67 years). For the evaluation of expectations, questionnaires were created and filled out by participants before and after the intervention. Additionally, 19 haemophilia patients (HF) and 20 controls without haemophilia (KF) who did not participate in the intervention were also questioned. The RESULTS show that haemophilia patients have more experience in dance than controls (HI30:62%, HF:74%, KF:45%). In contrast, the proportion of those who are currently dancing is higher in controls without haemophilia (HI30: 17%, HF: 10%, KF:26%). The termination of dance activity in patients with haemophilia who were part of the intervention was mainly due to pain (HI30: 40%, HF: 29%, KF: 0%), whereby controls without intervention terminated the dance activity mainly due to lack of time (HI30: 30%, HF: 57%, KF: 56%). Ultimately, 24 out of 30 patients with haemophilia (HI24) completed the intervention. All HI24 met their expectations. 38% felt limited by haemophilia while carrying out the exercises. The majority of the participants were able to follow the exercises well (96%) and were did not overstrain physically (92%) nor mentally (87%), also 79% did not have pain. 23 of HI24 (96%) can envision a continuation of the dance-based exercise therapy. The experience with the dance-based exercise therapy was predominantly positive. It represents an alternative sports therapy programme for patients with haemophilia. Further studies are needed in order to make statements concerning the long-term use of such training.

Dancing in the 'Contact Zone'

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Monica Wulff

2006-09-01

Full Text Available In October 2002 I performed and exhibited Troppo Obscura: A Peepshow of Historical Perversity at the Performance Space as part of the multicultural Arts festival, Carnivale, in Sydney, Australia. Troppo Obscura is a multimedia installation that explores some aspects of the complex relationships between the West and Asia. The work looks at a large range of possibilities, from the colonial gaze through to personal relationships forged through artistic endeavor. This paper—the first of two extended mediations on the topic—focuses on one such personal relationship addressed in the installation, namely that between traditional master mask dancer Ibu Sawitri from Cirebon on the West coast of Java, Indonesia and myself, a Sydney based contemporary dancer and performance artist. Between 1992 and 1999, the year Ibu Sawitri passed away, I spent many long-term visits learning dance and living in Ibu Sawitri’s house in Losari. This essay focuses on Ibu Sawitri’s family and dance background and how she, the younger generation of dancers, the dance context, and the dance itself, have been transformed over time as a result of rapidly changing socio-historical conditions. In the second half of this paper I move the discussion to the broader issues of cross-cultural encounters in what Pratt terms the ‘contact zone’ (1992. This includes looking at dance as an embodied practice and its function in the ‘contact zone’ as well as dealing with Spivak’s debates about the subaltern voice in reference to my telling of Ibu Sawitri’s story, both in the installation and in text. A closer analysis of the dynamics of my dance with Ibu Sawitri in the ‘contact zone’ is addressed here.

Development of Nora Performance and Management System for Creative Economy

OpenAIRE

Sriaroon Ruangrit; Prajak Maicharoen; Kla Somtrakool

2015-01-01

This research study on “Development of Nora Performance and Management System for Creative Economy” is a qualitative research that aims to study 1) historical background, popular traditions, beliefs and management system of Nora performance; 2) problems encountered pertaining Nora performance and its management system; and 3) an appropriate model for development of Nora performance and management system for the creative economy. The target area of the research is a selection of 6 Nora perform...

FORMING PROSPECTIVE PRIMAPY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ NATIONAL SELF-IDENTIFICATION IN THE COURSE “FOLK DANCE THEORY AND METHODOLOGY”

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Volodymyr Kotov

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The article highlights the urgent problem of contemporary art pedagogy – involvement to training future professional choreographic traditions of different nations. Addressing to this problem is caused by a number of socio-political events in Ukraine, mainstreaming of national and international education, integration of Ukrainian education with the European educational space, intensive development of domestic students’ intercultural communication with young people from different countries, which is the basis for updating national art education. Prospective choreographers, who are being training at pedagogical universities to manage children's dance groups, should actively be involved into creating their own productions of folk dance various genres. It promotes the formation of choreographers’ professional competence and pedagogical skills. The development of Ukrainian dance “Opryshky” is proposed – a joint creative work of the teacher and students who get higher education degree in SHEE “Donbass State Pedagogical University” (Bachelor's Degree. Development of the dance contains schematic drawings of dance figures, it is recommended for use in forming choreographers’ professional skills while studying the course "Folk Dance Theory and Methodology". The author admits that folklore material requires a cautious, respectful attitude. Therefore, modern folk stage dances are integrally to combine traditional choreographic manner with its new interpretations. The author believes the actual capture of different nations’ choreographic culture improves intercultural youth communication; involves future professionals into the traditions of different nations; form professional skills of managers of children’s dance groups. The author concluded that a dance always reflects consciousness of different nations; future choreographers should be aware of characteristic features of dances of different world nations so that on the basis of

Dance and music share gray matter structural correlates.

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Karpati, Falisha J; Giacosa, Chiara; Foster, Nicholas E V; Penhune, Virginia B; Hyde, Krista L

2017-02-15

Intensive practise of sensorimotor skills, such as music and dance, is associated with brain structural plasticity. While the neural correlates of music have been well-investigated, less is known about the neural correlates of dance. Additionally, the gray matter structural correlates of dance versus music training have not yet been directly compared. The objectives of the present study were to compare gray matter structure as measured by surface- and voxel-based morphometry between expert dancers, expert musicians and untrained controls, as well as to correlate gray matter structure with performance on dance- and music-related tasks. Dancers and musicians were found to have increased cortical thickness compared to controls in superior temporal regions. Gray matter structure in the superior temporal gyrus was also correlated with performance on dance imitation, rhythm synchronization and melody discrimination tasks. These results suggest that superior temporal regions are important in both dance- and music-related skills and may be affected similarly by both types of long-term intensive training. This work advances knowledge of the neural correlates of dance and music, as well as training-associated brain plasticity in general. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Connecting the dots within: creative performance and identity integration.

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Cheng, Chi-Ying; Sanchez-Burks, Jeffrey; Lee, Fiona

2008-11-01

In two studies drawing from social identity theory and the creative-cognition approach, we found that higher levels of identity integration--perceived compatibility between two social identities--predict higher levels of creative performance in tasks that draw on both identity-relevant knowledge domains. Study 1 showed that Asian Americans with higher identity integration were more creative in developing new dishes using a given set of ingredients, but only when both Asian and American ingredients were available. Study 2 showed that female engineers with higher identity integration were more creative in designing a product, but only when the product was targeted to female users. These findings suggest that the psychological management of multiple social identities may be related to accessibility of multiple knowledge domains, which in turn influences creativity.

Lower extremity kinetics in tap dance.

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Mayers, Lester; Bronner, Shaw; Agraharasamakulam, Sujani; Ojofeitimi, Sheyi

2010-01-01

Tap dance is a unique performing art utilizing the lower extremities as percussion instruments. In a previous study these authors reported decreased injury prevalence among tap dancers compared to other dance and sports participants. No biomechanical analyses of tap dance exist to explain this finding. The purpose of the current pilot study was to provide a preliminary overview of normative peak kinetic and kinematic data, based on the hypothesis that tap dance generates relatively low ground reaction forces and joint forces and moments. Six professional tap dancers performed four common tap dance sequences that produced data captured by the use of a force platform and a five-camera motion analysis system. The mean vertical ground reaction force for all sequences was found to be 2.06+/-0.55 BW. Mean peak sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane joint moments (hip, knee, and ankle) ranged from 0.07 to 2.62 N.m/kg. These small ground reaction forces and joint forces and moments support our hypothesis, and may explain the relatively low injury incidence in tap dancers. Nevertheless, the analysis is highly complex, and other factors remain to be studied and clarified.

Dancing beyond exercise: young people's experiences in dance classes

OpenAIRE

Gardner, SM; Komesaroff, P; Fensham, R

2008-01-01

Dance classes in urban settings may have a role in health-promotion programmes seeking to increase physical activity amongst young people. However, little is so far known about the motivations, experiences or health outcomes of those participating in dance classes. This qualitative study of young people attending recreational dance classes addressed motivations, the nature of the class experience, and implications for health and well-being. Data show that young dance participants' experiences...

The Analysis of Topeng Sinok Dance in Brebes Regency

OpenAIRE

Sintho Rukmi, Dinar Ayu; -, Indriyanto

2015-01-01

Topeng Sinok dance is the characteristic art of Brebes regency. This dance tells about the typical women in Brebes who are hard-working. Beauty, flexibility, and elegance do not reduce their love for nature and farming. This dance is a combination of Cirebon, Banyumas, and Surakarta style. The dance is basically aiming at showing that women from the border areas of Central and West Java are not spoiled, whiny, and lazy. Topeng Sinok dance is performed beautifully, elegant, and swift. This pap...

Performers Creators and Audience: Co-Participants in an Interconnected Model of Performance and Creative Process

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Brooks, Pauline

2014-01-01

This article reflects upon the process of creating dance in an intermedial telematic dance setting with university students. Some contextualisation is made of five telematic dance projects (the "Phillypool Projects 2007-2012") that have taken place between two universities, one in the UK and one in the US. It will explore some of the…

DANCE MUSIC: GENDER ISSUES AND EMBODIMENT OF NATIONAL IDENTITY

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Natalia Viktorovna Sokovikova

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Drawing on research of contemporary dance music this study analyzes how practices of, and discourse about, contemporary dance music contribute to the performance and embodiment of gender, and national identities. This article examines the articulation of gender and national identity in performance in the specific context of Russian contemporary male national dance. Dance in particular is a very interesting research setting for a subject as identity. Dance is located mostly outside of the daily life setting, therefore it enables another social framework with different social norms and rules than the ones applicable in daily life. Especially the identity axes of gender and national identity are provoked by national dances. To create insight and to understand the background and discourse of her research, the author presents the theoretical framework at first. Next her argument will be elucidated by the empirical chapters, which represent her findings in the field. At the end the author answers her research questions, as well as evaluating some existing theories on the topic, in her conclusion. The conclusion is that the bodies of dancers are cultural bodies and dance movements can be seen as scripts, which are culturally encoded and part of daily life. The body is the materialization of cultural definitions of femininity and masculinity, maleness and femaleness, and also materializes the dancer’s interpretation of them, as was stated by Aalten (1997. Namely, dancers create and recreate their gender and national identity inter-subjectively while dancing. Dance allow people to reclaim their humanity and is inscribed within the realm of feeling and emotion, The dancing body is a symbolic expression that may embody many notions of desire, hate, romance, anger, sexual climax. Dance, dance music and culture are intrinsically connected. Dancers and their dance practices reflect what exist in a society and culture, like how sexuality and gender are

Example-Based Automatic Music-Driven Conventional Dance Motion Synthesis

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Xu, Songhua [ORNL; Fan, Rukun [University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Geng, Weidong [Zhejiang University

2011-04-21

We introduce a novel method for synthesizing dance motions that follow the emotions and contents of a piece of music. Our method employs a learning-based approach to model the music to motion mapping relationship embodied in example dance motions along with those motions' accompanying background music. A key step in our method is to train a music to motion matching quality rating function through learning the music to motion mapping relationship exhibited in synchronized music and dance motion data, which were captured from professional human dance performance. To generate an optimal sequence of dance motion segments to match with a piece of music, we introduce a constraint-based dynamic programming procedure. This procedure considers both music to motion matching quality and visual smoothness of a resultant dance motion sequence. We also introduce a two-way evaluation strategy, coupled with a GPU-based implementation, through which we can execute the dynamic programming process in parallel, resulting in significant speedup. To evaluate the effectiveness of our method, we quantitatively compare the dance motions synthesized by our method with motion synthesis results by several peer methods using the motions captured from professional human dancers' performance as the gold standard. We also conducted several medium-scale user studies to explore how perceptually our dance motion synthesis method can outperform existing methods in synthesizing dance motions to match with a piece of music. These user studies produced very positive results on our music-driven dance motion synthesis experiments for several Asian dance genres, confirming the advantages of our method.

Example-based automatic music-driven conventional dance motion synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Rukun; Xu, Songhua; Geng, Weidong

2012-03-01

We introduce a novel method for synthesizing dance motions that follow the emotions and contents of a piece of music. Our method employs a learning-based approach to model the music to motion mapping relationship embodied in example dance motions along with those motions' accompanying background music. A key step in our method is to train a music to motion matching quality rating function through learning the music to motion mapping relationship exhibited in synchronized music and dance motion data, which were captured from professional human dance performance. To generate an optimal sequence of dance motion segments to match with a piece of music, we introduce a constraint-based dynamic programming procedure. This procedure considers both music to motion matching quality and visual smoothness of a resultant dance motion sequence. We also introduce a two-way evaluation strategy, coupled with a GPU-based implementation, through which we can execute the dynamic programming process in parallel, resulting in significant speedup. To evaluate the effectiveness of our method, we quantitatively compare the dance motions synthesized by our method with motion synthesis results by several peer methods using the motions captured from professional human dancers' performance as the gold standard. We also conducted several medium-scale user studies to explore how perceptually our dance motion synthesis method can outperform existing methods in synthesizing dance motions to match with a piece of music. These user studies produced very positive results on our music-driven dance motion synthesis experiments for several Asian dance genres, confirming the advantages of our method.

Dance Theatre of Harlem: Inspiring the Deprived

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Weil, Henry

1976-01-01

The Dance Theatre of Harlem, which includes both a school and a publicly performing dance company, is described from its inception by its artistic director, Arthur Mitchell, to its current activities. Budgets, student characteristics, and philosophy are discussed. (LBH)

Think different? An investigation of network antecedents and performance consequences of creativity as deviation

OpenAIRE

Soda, Giuseppe; Bizzi, Lorenzo

2012-01-01

In this study, we investigate how network relations affect project performance through creativity. We challenge previous conceptualizations of creativity by proposing the idea that creative outcomes in project industries can be conceptualized as deviation from past projects and deviation from partners’ projects. While previous research has mostly assumed that network relations are beneficial to performance because they increase innovation and creativity, our conceptualization of creativity al...

Life and Death on the Pulse Dance Floor: Transglocal Politics and Erasure of the Latinx in the History of Queer Dance Culture

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Tim Lawrence

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Although the dominant response of politicians, journalists and campaign groups to Omar Mateen’s 12 June 2016 massacre of forty-nine people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando revolved around the repetition of already established arguments about terrorism, this article will outline how the massacre amounted to a specific attack on the Latinx community. It will also argue that, although distinctive, the discursive erasure of the specifically queer Latinx finds a partial echo in the way that Latin culture has been marginalised in writing on dance culture. An outline map of the somewhat opaque Latinx contribution will be offered as a small tribute to those who have lived for and now died on the Latinx dance floor. The account of the dancers who gathered at Pulse, the music they danced to, and the unstable, marginalised and dynamic networks of musicians, dancers and party spaces that preceded them will be considered within J. Blake Scott and Rebecca Dingo’s (2012 evocation of the “transglocal”. If transglocal encounters “can generate new meanings and subject positions” (Blake Scott and Dingo: 7, so the dancers at Pulse can be seen to have moved resourcefully, dynamically and creatively between the local and the transnational as they sought out new modes of expression and community in a darkening global terrain.

Exploring Dance Careers. A Student Guidebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornell, Richard; Hansen, Mary Lewis

One of six student guidebooks in a series of 11 arts and humanities career exploration guides for grade 7-12 teachers, counselors, and students, this student book on exploration of dance careers presents information on specific occupations in both performance careers and dance education. An introductory section describes the four different dance…

Social dancing in the care of persons with dementia in a nursing home setting: a phenomenological study.

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Palo-Bengtsson, L; Ekman, S L

1997-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the phenomenon of social dancing in the care of persons with dementia in a nursing home setting. Social dancing is an activity that has taken place once a month regularly during the last 10 years at a nursing home in Stockholm. The period of data collection for this study was the year 1995. At the time of the investigation, the subjects were in special units for persons with dementia. The analysis is based on the data contained in five 45-minute video tapes. All videotapes were analysed based on Husserl's philosophy and Giorgi's method of phenomenological analysis. The results suggested that dance music was a good stimulus for making social contacts. The earlier-trained social patterns, old social habits, and general rules seemed to awaken to life in the persons with dementia. It was important that the caregivers showed individual creativity, spontaneity, and supportive nursing care. Social dancing at the nursing home was found in this study to be very positive and successful for patients with dementia.

Relationships between Talent Management and Organizational Performance: The Role of Climate for Creativity

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Tomasz Ingram

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this paper is to explore the role of climate for creativity in mediating relationships between talent management and organizational performance. Research Design & Methods: A model relating talent management, organizational performance and climate for creativity was tested using structural equation modelling Based and data from 326 large organizations in Poland. It allowed the verification of two formulated hypotheses. Findings: Research results reveal that talent management is a three-dimensional construct (dimensions are: strategic, structural and ideological while climate for creativity and organizational performance are both unidimensional constructs. Results indicate that climate for creativity mediates the relationships between the dimensions of talent management and organizational performance. Implications & Recommendations: Research findings suggest that in order to enable organizations to achieve high performance through talent management it should focus on creating an appropriate climate supporting individual creativity of its employees. Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in studying unexplored relationships between talent management policies and organizational performance with the mediating role of climate for creativity. It is the first attempt to assess these relationships on the basis of empirical data in Poland.

Land of a Couple of Dances: Global and Local Influences on Freestyle Play in Dance Dance Revolution

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Gillian

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper traces successful and unsuccessful attempts to shape the meanings of the video game Dance Dance Revolution, specifically with reference to what "dancing" means in this context, as the game moves between various interested parties - game developers, players, Internet forum participants, and other media producers. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory and the network analyses of Manuel Castells, the paper reconstructs the forces shaping players' stylistic decisions through an analysis of dance game machines and software, and of a single forum thread on DDRFreak.com, a major website in the dance game community. The paper asks who decides how DDR players dance and at what times? Are the decisions about play made in the development meeting, the arcade, competitions, online or around the home console? Globally, how do some regions or groups emerge as experts or leaders in play style? Analysis indicates that within the United States, Californian players from major cities dominate discussion, supported by the global flows of people, resources, and capital through the state. The dominant players support their stated norms for play through recourse to mainstream conceptions of masculinity, rap music and associated styles of dance.

Dance Education Research and Supplementary Articles.

Science.gov (United States)

Minton, Sandra, Comp.

This bibliography presents listings in the following areas: assessment in dance education; attitudinal studies in dance education; dance certification, standards, status; dance curricula; dance education history; dance education and technology; dance education theory; dance teacher behaviors; dance teacher preparation; descriptions of dance…

Team Proactivity as a Linking Mechanism between Team Creative Efficacy, Transformational Leadership, and Risk-Taking Norms and Team Creative Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Yuhyung; Eom, Chanyoung

2014-01-01

Despite the growing body of research on creativity in team contexts, very few attempts have been made to explore the team-level antecedents and the mediating processes of team creative performance on the basis of a theoretical framework. To address this gap, drawing on Paulus and Dzindolet's (2008) group creativity model, this study proposed team…

Dance Therapy: Focus on Dance VII.

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Mason, Kathleen Criddle, Ed.

This document is a collection of essays by various authors on the subject of dance therapy. Dance therapy, in the introduction of this document, is defined as a form of psychotherapy in which the therapist utilizes movement interaction as the primary means of accomplishing therapeutic goals. The document is divided into five parts: a)…

Creativity and working memory capacity in sports: working memory capacity is not a limiting factor in creative decision making amongst skilled performers.

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Furley, Philip; Memmert, Daniel

2015-01-01

The goal of the study was to investigate the relationship between domain-general working memory capacity and domain-specific creativity amongst experienced soccer players. We administered the automated operation span task in combination with a domain-specific soccer creativity task to a group of 61 experienced soccer players to address the question whether an athlete's domain-specific creativity is restricted by their domain-general cognitive abilities (i.e., working memory capacity). Given that previous studies have either found a positive correlation, a negative correlation, or no correlation between working memory capacity and creativity, we analyzed the data in an exploratory manner by following recent recommendations to report effect-size estimations and their precision in form of 95% confidence intervals. The pattern of results provided evidence that domain-general working memory capacity is not associated with creativity in a soccer-specific creativity task. This pattern of results suggests that future research and theorizing on the role of working memory in everyday creative performance needs to distinguish between different types of creative performance while also taking the role of domain-specific experience into account.

WHEN PROSE DANCES AND DANCE WALKS

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Ana Marques Gastão

2011-04-01

Full Text Available To Paul Valéry, prose follows the less action path, as in marching in a straight line, and poetry, as in dancing – in as much as it is a «system of acts» – it not only intends to go nowhere but it remains in its own realisation, creating its own purpose. Why then does his prose contain this commanded impulse, led by desire, and his poetry does not, since they are so often one and the same? In this essay, looking at works by Rainer Marie Rilke, Fernando Pessoa, António Vieira and Yvette K. Centeno, I develop the idea that, very often, to establish a distinction between genres can be impractical and useless, if one considers concepts such as march/walk and dance from a choreographic perspective. Even if it be a possible question and since it has nevertheless been the object of study by scholars of all times, why is it undertaken? Why can’t prose be danced to, and poetry marched to? Can the walking essence unconsciously dance?

The Dance Within: A Pilot Project in Dance for the Handicapped and Teaching Dance for the Handicapped: A Curriculum Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Michigan Dance Association, Lansing.

The Michigan Dance Association's Dance Project for the Handicapped is the subject of the two pamphlets that make up this document. The first pamphlet, "The Dance Within," describes the history, nature and goals of the Jackson Pilot Project, the first handicapped dance program in Michigan; it also offers suggestions on how to set up similar…

Modern technologies and business performance in creative industries: a framework of analysis

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Bujor, A.; Avsilcai, S.

2016-08-01

The creative economy is, at the moment, one of the most dynamic sectors of the world economy and international trade generating jobs, revenues, export earnings while promoting social inclusion and human development (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). It is also a set of knowledge-based activities that make intensive use of creative talent incorporating techniques or technologies bringing added value to intellectual capital. The heart of the creative economy are the creative industries, those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill, talent and which demonstrates to have the potential for wealth and job creation "through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property" (Department of Culture, Media and Sport, UK, 2001). The aim of this paper is twofold: to explore and to analyze the role and the contribution of technology, particularly of the new technologies, on the economic and social performance of the Creative Industries at European Union level. The foreseen output is a model for analyzing the impact of technology on business performance level of Creative Industries.

Nordic Dance Spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This volume identifies different kinds of dance activities and examines their distribution and modes of operation across and beyond the Nordic region. The focus of the research is on dance and how it moves between different locations, organizations and networks of individuals. The study integrates...... three complementary perspectives. One looks at the interplay between politics and larger global flows on the one hand and the movements of dance and dancers on the other. Another looks at the contribution of localized activities such as dance festivals, competitions and cultural mobility pro......-grammes to the transnational movements within dance. The third looks at the ways in which the impact of the transnational context is supported, resisted or commented upon either by the general public, in the dance itself or by the dancers themselves. The book presents a critical analysis of cul-tural location, relocation...

Smiljana Mandukic (1908-1992 Beginning of Modern Dance and Dance Expressionism in Europe

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Vera Obradović

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Smiljana Mandukić (1908-1992 a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, was among those dancers who pioneering the modern dance in Serbia. The beginning of the 20th century brought new forms of art as the old ones were not sufficient to express new feelings and experiences, in that era of rapid technological progress. Mandukic was educated as a dancer in interwar Vienna, so she happened to be at the centre of Central European expressionist dance, free dance, at the time of her formation as a dancer. Smiljana acquired dance knowledge from her teachers, famous dancers and choreographers, Gertrud Bodenwieser, who developed her own style of modern expressionist dance, known as “Bodenwieser Viennise Style”, and Grete Wiesenthal, who was a member of the corps de ballet of the Hofoper in Vienna (Vienna Court Opera Ballet. Both her teachers were the representatives of “Ausdrukstanz” or “Neur Tanz”, and were rejected formalism and virtuosity of classical dance in favour of more natural movements. Like her pair, Maga Magazinovic (1882-1968, who introduced expressionist dance in Serbia, established the first school of modern dance in 1910, and founded the first modern dance group consisted of female dancers, Mandukic advocated for the importance of dance in education of female population. In the traditional, patriarchal Serbian society, she opened the second school of modern dance in 1931, and was the first artist who established a professional group of modern dance. Her greatest achievement was the creation of “epic-patriotic choreodrama”. The main goal of this article is to confirm that Smiljana Mandukic’s pioneer work in establishing modern dance in Serbia was the part of the European expressionist modern dance movement of the equal importance and significance not only when considering the Western Balkans but the broader European context.

Shall We Dance?

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Black, Susan

2001-01-01

Of all art forms, dance is experienced least and considered low-priority. Art educators and the NAEP's arts education framework view dance as essential for every child's complete development. The National Dance Association has set high standards. Baltimore and South Bronx programs are profiled. (MLH)

Co-creative dance practices - how participants’ mutual exploration of interactional potentials cultivates embodied narratives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Susanne

Based on an evaluation of a national dance project in Denmark, this paper explores how the sensing and moving body is essentially shaped in the mutual affaires of interaction. The national project, running from 2014-2017, was led by The Dancehalls, funded by 2.7 mill. Euro, and involved more than...

Why Do You Dance? Development of the Dance Motivation Inventory (DMI)

OpenAIRE

Maraz, Aniko; Kir?ly, Orsolya; Urb?n, R?bert; Griffiths, Mark D.; Demetrovics, Zsolt

2015-01-01

Dancing is a popular form of physical exercise and studies have show that dancing can decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological wellbeing. The aim of the current study was to explore the motivational basis of recreational social dancing and develop a new psychometric instrument to assess dancing motivation. The sample comprised 447 salsa and/or ballroom dancers (68% female; mean age 32.8 years) who completed an online survey. Eight motivational factors were identified ...

How To Dance through Time. Volume V: Victorian Era Couple Dances. [Videotape].

Science.gov (United States)

Teten, Carol

This 55-minute VHS videotape is the fifth in a series of "How To Dance Through Time" videos. It continues the tradition of the romance of the mid-19th century couple dances, focusing on Victorian era couple dances. The videotape offers 35 variations of the renowned 19th century couple dances, including the waltz, the polka, the galop,…

Dance movement therapy and falls prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Veronese, Nicola; Maggi, Stefania; Schofield, Patricia; Stubbs, Brendon

2017-08-01

Falls are a leading cause of morbidity, healthcare use and mortality. Dance is a popular form of physical activity among older people and previous research has suggested that it may improve various health outcomes in this population, including balance, gait and muscle performance. A systematic review of the potential benefits of dance on falls and fear of falling is lacking. Thus, we conducted a systematic review considering all randomized controls trials (RCTs) investigating if dance can reduce falls and improve fear of falling in older adults. Major databases were searched from inception until 1 March 2017 and a total of 10 RCTs were identified, which included a total of 680 people (n=356 dance, n=324 control). Overall, the mean age of the samples was 69.4 years, and 75.2% were female. Across four RCTs, dance therapy reduced falls versus usual care in only one study. Dance therapy improved fear of falling in two out of three included RCTs. There were no serious adverse events reported in the RCTs. In summary, we found a paucity of studies investigating the effect of dance on falls and fear of falling and the evidence base is preliminary and equivocal. Given the heterogeneity of the included samples and interventions, in addition to the short-term follow-up, no firm conclusions can be drawn. However, dance appears to be safe and, given its popularity and demonstrated benefits on other health/wellbeing outcomes in older adults, it is important that future research considers its potential benefits on falls/fear of falling in older age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Indian Classical Dance Action Identification and Classification with Convolutional Neural Networks

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P. V. V. Kishore

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Extracting and recognizing complex human movements from unconstrained online/offline video sequence is a challenging task in computer vision. This paper proposes the classification of Indian classical dance actions using a powerful artificial intelligence tool: convolutional neural networks (CNN. In this work, human action recognition on Indian classical dance videos is performed on recordings from both offline (controlled recording and online (live performances, YouTube data. The offline data is created with ten different subjects performing 200 familiar dance mudras/poses from different Indian classical dance forms under various background environments. The online dance data is collected from YouTube for ten different subjects. Each dance pose is occupied for 60 frames or images in a video in both the cases. CNN training is performed with 8 different sample sizes, each consisting of multiple sets of subjects. The remaining 2 samples are used for testing the trained CNN. Different CNN architectures were designed and tested with our data to obtain a better accuracy in recognition. We achieved a 93.33% recognition rate compared to other classifier models reported on the same dataset.

Impact of touring, performance schedule, and definitions on 1-year injury rates in a modern dance company.

Science.gov (United States)

Bronner, Shaw; Wood, Lily

2017-11-01

There is ongoing debate about how to define injury in dance: the most encompassing one or a time-loss definition. We examined the relationship between touring, performance schedule and injury definition on injury rates in a professional modern dance company over one-year. In-house healthcare management tracked 35 dancers for work-related musculoskeletal injuries (WMSI), time-loss injuries (TLinj), complaints, and exposure. The year was divided into 6 segments to allow comparison of effects of performance, rehearsal, and touring. Injuries/segment were converted into injuries/1000-h dance exposure. We conducted negative binomial regression analysis to determine differences between segments, P ≤ 0.05. Twenty WMSI, 0.44 injuries/1000-h, were sustained over one-year. WMSI were 6 times more likely to occur in Segment-6, compared with other segments (incident rate ratio = 6.055, P = 0.031). The highest rate of TLinj and traumatic injuries also occurred in Segment-6, reflecting concentrated rehearsal, New York season and performances abroad. More overuse injuries occurred in Segment-2, an international tour, attributed to raked stages. Lack of methods to quantify performance other than injury may mask effects of touring on dancer's well-being. Tracking complaints permits understanding of stressors to specific body regions and healthcare utilisation; however, TLinj remain the most important injuries to track because they impact other dancers and organisational costs.

The Analysis of Topeng Sinok Dance in Brebes Regency

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Dinar Ayu Sintho Rukmi

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Topeng Sinok dance is the characteristic art of Brebes regency. This dance tells about the typical women in Brebes who are hard-working. Beauty, flexibility, and elegance do not reduce their love for nature and farming. This dance is a combination of Cirebon, Banyumas, and Surakarta style. The dance is basically aiming at showing that women from the border areas of Central and West Java are not spoiled, whiny, and lazy. Topeng Sinok dance is performed beautifully, elegant, and swift. This paper purposes to uncover the meaning behind Topeng Sinok dance movement. This study implements qualitative method that uses qualitative descriptive approach. The data collection process was conducted by using observation, documentation, and interview techniques. Further, the data were analysed by using dance data analysis by following the steps of (1 identifying and describing components; (2 understanding; (3 interpreting; and (4 evaluating. The data were then validated by using triangulation.

Sexuality and Sexual Identity: Critical Possibilities for Teaching Dance Appreciation and Dance History

Science.gov (United States)

Dils, Ann

2004-01-01

The intersections of dance and sexuality and sexual identity are part of the critical discourse important to teaching dance appreciation and dance history. This essay presents aspects of my teaching practice, informed by current writings in queer studies, dance studies, education, and sociology. Awareness of potential classroom diversity helps…

Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre. Cuesheet for Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, John C.; And Others

This performance guide provides students with an introduction to Lakota Sioux history and culture and to the dances performed by the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre. The Lakota Sioux believe that life is a sacred circle in which all things are connected, and that the circle was broken for them in 1890 by the massacre at Wounded Knee. Only in…

Why do you dance? Development of the Dance Motivation Inventory (DMI).

Science.gov (United States)

Maraz, Aniko; Király, Orsolya; Urbán, Róbert; Griffiths, Mark D; Demetrovics, Zsolt

2015-01-01

Dancing is a popular form of physical exercise and studies have show that dancing can decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological wellbeing. The aim of the current study was to explore the motivational basis of recreational social dancing and develop a new psychometric instrument to assess dancing motivation. The sample comprised 447 salsa and/or ballroom dancers (68% female; mean age 32.8 years) who completed an online survey. Eight motivational factors were identified via exploratory factor analysis and comprise a new Dance Motivation Inventory: Fitness, Mood Enhancement, Intimacy, Socialising, Trance, Mastery, Self-confidence and Escapism. Mood Enhancement was the strongest motivational factor for both males and females, although motives differed according to gender. Dancing intensity was predicted by three motivational factors: Mood Enhancement, Socialising, and Escapism. The eight dimensions identified cover possible motives for social recreational dancing, and the DMI proved to be a suitable measurement tool to assess these motives. The explored motives such as Mood Enhancement, Socialising and Escapism appear to be similar to those identified in other forms of behaviour such as drinking alcohol, exercise, gambling, and gaming.

Why do you dance? Development of the Dance Motivation Inventory (DMI.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aniko Maraz

Full Text Available Dancing is a popular form of physical exercise and studies have show that dancing can decrease anxiety, increase self-esteem, and improve psychological wellbeing. The aim of the current study was to explore the motivational basis of recreational social dancing and develop a new psychometric instrument to assess dancing motivation. The sample comprised 447 salsa and/or ballroom dancers (68% female; mean age 32.8 years who completed an online survey. Eight motivational factors were identified via exploratory factor analysis and comprise a new Dance Motivation Inventory: Fitness, Mood Enhancement, Intimacy, Socialising, Trance, Mastery, Self-confidence and Escapism. Mood Enhancement was the strongest motivational factor for both males and females, although motives differed according to gender. Dancing intensity was predicted by three motivational factors: Mood Enhancement, Socialising, and Escapism. The eight dimensions identified cover possible motives for social recreational dancing, and the DMI proved to be a suitable measurement tool to assess these motives. The explored motives such as Mood Enhancement, Socialising and Escapism appear to be similar to those identified in other forms of behaviour such as drinking alcohol, exercise, gambling, and gaming.

Managing creative team performance in virtual environments : An empirical study in 44 R&D teams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kratzer, J.; Leenders, R.Th.A.J.; van Engelen, J.M.L.

Creative performance in R&D is of vital importance to organizations. Because R&D usually is organized in teams, the management of creative performance inherently refers to the team level creative performance. Over the last decades, R&D teams have become increasingly virtual. In this article we

Dancing the Numinous: Sacred and Spiritual Techniques of Contemporary American Belly Dancers

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Jeana Jorgensen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, I explore how contemporary American practitioners of belly dance (as Middle Eastern dance and its many varieties are often called in the English-speaking world conceptualize not only the spiritual dimensions of their dance, but also how the very notion of performance affects sacred and spiritual dance practices. Drawing on interviews with this community, I describe the techniques of sacred and spiritual belly dancers, how these dancers theorize performance, and how the conflicts inherent to patriarchal mind-body dualism are resolved in these practices. My purpose here is twofold: to document an emergent dance tradition and to analyze its meanings in the relevant social context.

Dancing the Numinous: Sacred and Spiritual Techniques of Contemporary American Belly Dancers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeana Jorgensen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, I explore how contemporary American practitioners of belly dance (as Middle Eastern dance and its many varieties are often called in the English-speaking world conceptualize not only the spiritual dimensions of their dance, but also how the very notion of performance affects sacred and spiritual dance practices. Drawing on interviews with this community, I describe the techniques of sacred and spiritual belly dancers, how these dancers theorize performance, and how the conflicts inherent to patriarchal mind-body dualism are resolved in these practices. My purpose here is twofold: to document an emergent dance tradition and to analyze its meanings in the relevant social context.

Dance: Verities, Values, Visions.

Science.gov (United States)

Boorman, Joyce, Ed.; Harris, Dorothy, Ed.

The Binational Dance Conference was organized into three focal themes--verities, values, and visions in dance--to emphasize the known and accepted worth and value of dance, and to stimulate through knowledge and idea exchange, imaginative directions for dance in the future of both the United States and Canada. This thematic structure is also the…

Sports dance artistic expression culture analysis

OpenAIRE

Chen Zegang

2017-01-01

At present, the sports dance has entered every stage of the people’s life, has become the public’s favorite sport. Sports dance has been well developed. This article mainly uses the literature material law to carry on the detailed analysis to the sports dance constitution, elaborated in detail the sports dance artistic expression. The composition of sports dance elements; sports dance is a form of dance art show; sports dance through the dance art can be divided into three aspects, namely, fo...

Motor Simulation without Motor Expertise: Enhanced Corticospinal Excitability in Visually Experienced Dance Spectators

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Jola, Corinne; Abedian-Amiri, Ali; Kuppuswamy, Annapoorna; Pollick, Frank E.; Grosbras, Marie-Hélène

2012-01-01

The human “mirror-system” is suggested to play a crucial role in action observation and execution, and is characterized by activity in the premotor and parietal cortices during the passive observation of movements. The previous motor experience of the observer has been shown to enhance the activity in this network. Yet visual experience could also have a determinant influence when watching more complex actions, as in dance performances. Here we tested the impact visual experience has on motor simulation when watching dance, by measuring changes in corticospinal excitability. We also tested the effects of empathic abilities. To fully match the participants' long-term visual experience with the present experimental setting, we used three live solo dance performances: ballet, Indian dance, and non-dance. Participants were either frequent dance spectators of ballet or Indian dance, or “novices” who never watched dance. None of the spectators had been physically trained in these dance styles. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to measure corticospinal excitability by means of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in both the hand and the arm, because the hand is specifically used in Indian dance and the arm is frequently engaged in ballet dance movements. We observed that frequent ballet spectators showed larger MEP amplitudes in the arm muscles when watching ballet compared to when they watched other performances. We also found that the higher Indian dance spectators scored on the fantasy subscale of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, the larger their MEPs were in the arms when watching Indian dance. Our results show that even without physical training, corticospinal excitability can be enhanced as a function of either visual experience or the tendency to imaginatively transpose oneself into fictional characters. We suggest that spectators covertly simulate the movements for which they have acquired visual experience, and that empathic abilities heighten

Creativity as an integral element of social capital and its role for economic performance

OpenAIRE

Westlund , Hans; Andersson, Martin; Karlsson, Charlie

2013-01-01

In this paper, we focus on the connections between creativity, social capital and economic performance and growth. Our working hypothesis is that both creativity and social capital influences the economy, both each per se, but also through their influence on each other. We regard creativity as one of the sources of entrepreneurship and innovation (although creativity also can have ‘bad’ consequences if bad actors such as criminals perform it). Depending on the types of networks and the norms ...

Impact of the Supervisor Feedback Environment on Creative Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Jian; Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Shuangyu; Zhao, Yujia

2017-01-01

Studies on the relationship between feedback and creative performance have only focused on the feedback-self and have underestimated the value of the feedback environment. Building on Self Determined Theory, the purpose of this article is to examine the relationship among feedback environment, creative personality, goal self-concordance and creative performance. Hierarchical regression analysis of a sample of 162 supervisor–employee dyads from nine industry firms. The results indicate that su...

Physics and the Art of Dance - Understanding Movement

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Swope, Kenneth Laws

2005-03-01

Written by a physicist with professional dance training, Physics and the Art of Dance explains how dancers can achieve better, safer performances through an understanding of physics in motion. Using simple, non-technical terms, Kenneth Laws combines his knowledge of both physics and dance to describe how the laws of gravity, momentum, and energy affect dancing bodies. The book explores the natural laws that govern the subtleties of balance, the techniques of leaps and pirouettes, and the impressive lifts and turns executed by ballet partners. Finally, Laws offers insight into two current discussions in the dance world--the effect of body size on ballet technique, and the relationship between science and the art of dance. Beautiful, original stop-action photographs by Martha Swope, along with clear diagrams, illustrate the concepts described in the text. Plus, an intriguing "puzzler" at the beginning of each chapter provides an engaging entree into the topics presented. For those who want a more advanced understanding of the physics, extensive appendices are provided. This new book combines the best features of Laws's widely acclaimed The Physics of Dance and Physics, Dance, and the Pas de Deux by Laws and Cynthia Harvey. Its expert application of the basic principles of physics to the art of dance will be an invaluable resource for dancers and dance instructors and will open a new level of appreciation for lovers of the form. It will also appeal to physicists who seek to include the arts in their scientific pursuits.

The effect of dance training on menstrual function in collegiate dancing students.

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To, W W; Wong, M W; Chan, K M

1995-08-01

A total of 98 dancing students from a collegiate school of dancing were studied through interview using a highly structured questionnaire to elicit details of the duration and intensity of dance training, menstrual patterns and musculoskeletal injuries sustained during training; 70 (72%) of these dancing students were eumenorrhoeic, while 15 (15.4%) had oligomenorrhoea. Thirteen (13.4%) either had amenorrhoea for over 90 days at the time of the study, or were on hormonal treatment because of amenorrhoea for over 3 months in the past 1 year. Those who were amenorrhoeic had longer training hours per week when compared with eumenorrhoeic and oligomenorrhoeic students. Both oligomenorrhoeic and amenorrhoeic students had a lower body mass index (18.25 kg/m2 and 18.26 kg/m2 versus 19.45 kg/m2, p dance, modern dance and musical theatre dance students as well as a significantly lower average body mass index. These data suggest a proportional correlation between menstrual dysfunction and proneness to musculoskeletal injuries in training, which could be explained by a hormonal mechanism.

Autonomy and control in dyads: effects on interaction quality and joint creative performance.

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Weinstein, Netta; Hodgins, Holley S; Ryan, Richard M

2010-12-01

Two studies examined interaction quality and joint performance on two creative tasks in unacquainted dyads primed for autonomy or control orientations. It was hypothesized that autonomy-primed dyads would interact more constructively, experience more positive mood, and engage the task more readily, and as a result these dyads would perform better. To test this, Study 1 primed orientation and explored verbal creative performance on the Remote Associates Task (RAT). In Study 2, dyads were primed with autonomy and control orientation and videotaped during two joint creative tasks, one verbal (RAT) and one nonverbal (charades). Videotapes were coded for behavioral indicators of closeness and task engagement. Results showed that autonomy-primed dyads felt closer, were more emotionally and cognitively attuned, provided empathy and encouragement to partners, and performed more effectively. The effects of primed autonomy on creative performance were mediated by interpersonal quality, mood, and joint engagement.

How does emotion influence different creative performances? The mediating role of cognitive flexibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wei-Lun; Tsai, Ping-Hsun; Lin, Hung-Yu; Chen, Hsueh-Chih

2014-01-01

Cognitive flexibility is proposed to be one of the factors underlying how positive emotions can improve creativity. However, previous works have seldom set up or empirically measured an independent index to demonstrate its mediating effect, nor have they investigated its mediating role on different types of creative performances, which involve distinct processes. In this study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to positive, neutral or negative affect conditions. Their levels of cognitive flexibility were then measured by a switch task. Finally, their creative performances were calibrated by either an open-ended divergent thinking test or a closed-ended insight problem-solving task. The results showed that positive emotional states could reduce switch costs and enhance both types of creative performances. However, cognitive flexibility exhibited a full mediating effect only on the relationship between positive emotion and insight problem solving, but not between positive emotion and divergent thinking. Divergent thinking was instead more associated with arousal level. These results suggest that emotions might influence different creative performances through distinct mechanisms.

Part II. Drama / Choreography5. Theater Dance Atelier

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Enache Lorette

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The substance of the spiritual and cultural life is the syncretism of the arts from the performer-spectator division, that was made concurrently with the “dance” segmentation into work and pleasure. Words were held in formulas, gestures and dance in rhythm. Today, dance is mostly seen as the art of gesture. However, it is remarkable to reflect at to what extent the dance, as an organic necessity, it could further develop into hermetic structures that would still require analyses and studies from researchers in the field. In today‟s theatrical landscape, this formula of artistic expression which was called theatre dance evolved so much so that gesticulations and body exploration became its core components.

Kazakh Traditional Dance Gesture Recognition

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Nussipbekov, A. K.; Amirgaliyev, E. N.; Hahn, Minsoo

2014-04-01

Full body gesture recognition is an important and interdisciplinary research field which is widely used in many application spheres including dance gesture recognition. The rapid growth of technology in recent years brought a lot of contribution in this domain. However it is still challenging task. In this paper we implement Kazakh traditional dance gesture recognition. We use Microsoft Kinect camera to obtain human skeleton and depth information. Then we apply tree-structured Bayesian network and Expectation Maximization algorithm with K-means clustering to calculate conditional linear Gaussians for classifying poses. And finally we use Hidden Markov Model to detect dance gestures. Our main contribution is that we extend Kinect skeleton by adding headwear as a new skeleton joint which is calculated from depth image. This novelty allows us to significantly improve the accuracy of head gesture recognition of a dancer which in turn plays considerable role in whole body gesture recognition. Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed method and that its performance is comparable to the state-of-the-art system performances.

Integrating dependency on the leader and empowerment into the transformational leadership-creative performance relationship

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Tobias Kollmann

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Previous literature highlights employees’ creativity as an important means of fostering innovation and competitiveadvantage in companies. Transformational leadership is an approach aimed at stimulating and encouraging thecreative performance of employees. However, contradictory empirical fi ndings indicate that the relationship betweentransformational leadership and creativity may be more complex than a simple direct link. Drawing from the existingliterature, we propose that dependency on the leader is a partial mediator of this relationship, impeding employees’ creativity.Synthesizing theories of leadership and creativity, we propose that empowerment, as a moderator, is able to reducethe dependency on the leader caused by transformational leadership as well as contribute to turning possible negativeoutcomes of transformational leadership on creative performance into positive outcomes. The fi ndings of a PLS analysisof 271 employees support the predicted mediating and moderating effects. Our results indicate that the transformationalleadership style should be combined with empowering behavior to enhance employees’ creative performance.

Urban Latino children's physical activity levels and performance in interactive dance video games: effects of goal difficulty and goal specificity.

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Gao, Zan; Podlog, Leslie

2012-10-01

To examine the effects of different levels of goal specificity and difficulty on Latino children's performance and physical activity (PA) levels in an after-school program incorporating an interactive dance program (Dance Dance Revolution [DDR]; Konami Corporation). Comparison study. Rose Park Elementary School, Salt Lake City, Utah. Ninety-eight Latino children in the first through sixth grades, aged 7 to 13 years. After the pretest, the participants were randomly assigned into 1 of the following 3 goal-setting conditions: (1) easy, (2) difficult, and (3) best effort (hereinafter referred to as do-your-best goal). Participants' PA levels were measured using piezoelectric pedometers, and steps per minute were used as the outcome variable. Participants' total points for their dance on television screens were retrieved as their performance scores. These outcome variables were assessed again 8 weeks later (posttest score). The multivariate analysis of covariance yielded a significant main effect for the goal-setting condition. Follow-up tests revealed that children who set specific (easy or difficult) goals had significantly greater increased PA levels (mean scores, 10.34 for easy and 22.45 for difficult) and DDR performance (0.011 for easy and 0.67 for difficult) than those in the do-your-best group (0.83 for PA and 0.17 for performance). In addition, children's increased PA levels in the difficult-goal group were significantly higher than those in the easy-goal group. The easy- and difficult-goal groups show a significant improvement on DDR performance. The difficult- goal group also displays the highest improvement on PA levels. Strategies to enhance children's DDR performance and PA levels are discussed in relation to the extant goal-setting literature.

Theatre and Dance with Deaf Students: Researching Performance Practices in a Brazilian School Context

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Berselli, Marcia; Lulkin, Sergio A.

2017-01-01

The article presents performance practices created with deaf students in the project "Theater and dance with deaf students," an outreach activity of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). The project took place in the Bilingual Deaf Municipal Elementary School Salomão Watnick in Porto Alegre, Brazil from 2013 to 2015. The…

Decolonizing Dance Pedagogy: Application of Pedagogies of Ugandan Traditional Dances in Formal Dance Education

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Mabingo, Alfdaniels

2015-01-01

Dances from African communities are gradually getting incorporated into formal education at pre-tertiary and tertiary levels in the United States. Whereas strides have been made to embrace this artistic and cultural diversity, the instructional methodologies that are applied in teaching these dances are commonly founded on Western pedagogic canons…

The Dance of Fireflies. Orality and Transmission in Virgilio Sieni’s Work

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Rossella Mazzaglia

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This essay investigates the meaning of  contemporary dance transmission through an analysis of the creative and pedagogical work lead by the Tuscan artist Virgilio Sieni. Adopting the concept of orality, the author goes through his career, from the early stages of his education to his present activity both with his dance company and with the Accademia il gesto, particularly focusing on recent accomplishments and projects. On the one hand, she articulates on the process of dissolution of the dance tradition that his work witnesses, by extending references and motivations to a vaster context concerning the art and the human cultural heritage (with particular emphasis on the Italian one. On the other, she shows the consequent redefinition of the meaning, methods and targets of transmission in a dialectical confrontation with contemporaneity, intended as an attitude towards one’s own present and not only as a chronological phase of history. Readapting Didi-Huberamn’s politics of survival perspective, the author further recognizes, in the aesthetic and human encounter among people of different background and age, the way Sieni draws the present near the past, the individual identity near the collective one, through the transmission of his aesthetic gesture.

Toward a Psychology of Responses to Dance Performance

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Gervasio, Amy Herstein

2012-01-01

This paper applies contemporary principles in cognitive and social psychology to understand how Western ballet and modern dance is imbued with emotional and narrative meaning by an audience. These include nine Gestalt concepts of visual form perception as well as cognitive heuristics of representativeness and availability in concept formation and…

Openness to language and value diversity fosters multicultural team creativity and performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauring, Jakob; Paunova, Minna; Butler, Christina

2015-01-01

Multicultural teams are increasingly employed by organizations as a way to achieve international coordination, particularly when creativity and innovation are desired. Unfortunately, studies often fail to demonstrate the purported benefits associated with these teams, reporting difficulties with ...... open to value diversity. We conclude that multicultural teams are in want of a climate that is welcoming to both linguistic and cultural differences and suggest implications for theory and practice....... with communication and social integration, inhibiting creativity and performance. A survey-based study of multicultural academic teams (n = 1085) demonstrates that teams that are open to language diversity are more creative and perform better. We observe that performance is enhanced even further when teams are also...

Dance Theater of Harlem Arts Exposure Program. Cue Sheet for Students.

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John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC.

This publication is a performance guide containing several brief articles for students to use before and after attending an Arts Exposure Program given by the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH). The first article, "Dancing," traces the origins and history of dance itself, and in particular, ballet. The second article, "Arthur Mitchell…

Making It All Count: A Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration Model Incorporating Scholarship, Creative Activity, and Student Engagement

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Dailey, Rocky; Hauschild-Mork, Melissa

2017-01-01

This study takes a grounded theory approach as a basis for a case study examining a cross-disciplinary artistic and academic collaborative project involving faculty from the areas of English, music, dance, theatre, design, and visual journalism resulting in the creation of research, scholarly, and creative activity that fosters student engagement…

The construction of the Black dance/African Peoples' dance section in Britain: Issues arising for the conceptualisation of related choreographic and dance practices

OpenAIRE

Adewole, Funmi

2016-01-01

This chapter will discuss the construction of the Black dance/African Peoples’ Dance sector (APD) in Britain in the 1990s. The debate about the definition of the terms Black dance and African peoples’ dance is shown to be part and parcel of the quest for appropriate infrastructure to sustain the work of black dancers and those using African and Diasporan dance forms and aesthetics in their productions. I argue therefore that a fuller understanding of this field of practice can only be gained ...

Dinaka/kiba: A descriptive analysis of a Northern Sotho song-dance ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A disjuncture in the description of persists between practitioners of the genre, deemed custodians of Northern Sotho culture, and some scholars. Drawing from extensive fieldwork and ... song-dance performative compound. Keywords: Indigenous music, African drumming, African performance, African folklore, African dance.

Tanko Bushi: Designing a Japanese-American Dance Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Sweeting, Terry; Werner, Peter; Williams, Lori H.; Crump, Alyssa

2012-01-01

Many folk dances reflect the everyday activities of the people, celebrating the commonplace through physical forms of expression. The traditional Japanese folk dance, Tanko Bushi, is still performed in Japan and among Japanese-Americans today, and its theme of coal mining makes it relatable to many cultures around the world. With its traditional…

Communicating Science; a collaborative approach through Art, Dance, Music and Science

Science.gov (United States)

Smart, Sarah-Jane; Mortimer, Hugh

2016-04-01

A collaborative approach to communicating our amazing science. RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Lab, has initiated a unique collaboration with a team of award-winning performing artists with the aim of making space science research engaging and accessible to a wide audience. The collaboration has two distinct but connected strands one of which is the development of a contemporary dance work inspired by solar science and including images and data from the Space Physics Division of STFC RAL Space. The work has been commissioned by Sadler's Wells, one of the world's leading dance venues. It will be created by choreographer Alexander Whitley, video artist Tal Rosner and composers Ella Spira and Joel Cadbury and toured throughout the UK and internationally by the Alexander Whitley Dance Company (AWDC). The work will come about through collaboration with the work of the scientists of RAL Space and in particular the SOHO, CDS and STEREO missions, taking a particular interest in space weather. Choreographer Alexander Whitley and composers Ella Spira and Joel Cadbury will take their inspiration from the images and data that are produced by the solar science within RAL Space. Video artist Tal Rosner will use these spectacular images to create an atmospheric backdrop to accompany the work, bringing the beauty and wonder of space exploration to new audiences. Funding for the creation and touring of the work will be sought from Arts Council England, the British Council, partner organisations, trusts and foundations and private donors.The world premiere of the work will take place at Sadler's Wells in June 2017. It will then tour throughout the UK and internationally to theatres, science conferences and outreach venues with the aim of bringing the work of STFC RAL Space and the science behind solar science and space weather to new audiences. An education programme will combine concepts of choreography and space science aimed at young people in year 5 Key Stage 2 and be

Why, when and where did honey bee dance communication evolve?

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Robbie eI'Anson Price

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Honey bees (Apis sp. are the only known bee genus that uses nest-based communication to provide nest-mates with information about the location of resources, the so-called dance language. Successful foragers perform waggle dances for high quality food sources and suitable nest-sites during swarming. However, since many species of social insects do not communicate the location of resources to their nest-mates, the question of why the dance language evolved is of ongoing interest. We review recent theoretical and empirical research into the ecological circumstances that make dance communication beneficial in present day environments. This research suggests that the dance language is most beneficial when food sources differ greatly in quality and are hard to find. The dances of extant honey bee species differ in important ways, and phylogenetic studies suggest an increase in dance complexity over time: species with the least complex dance were the first to appear and species with the most complex dance are the most derived. We review the fossil record of honey bees and speculate about the time and context (foraging vs. swarming in which spatially referential dance communication might have evolved. We conclude that there are few certainties about when the dance language first appeared; dance communication could be older than 40 million years and, thus, predate the genus Apis, or it could be as recent as 20 million years when extant honey bee species diverged during the early Miocene. The most parsimonious scenario assumes it evolved in a sub-tropical to temperate climate, with patchy vegetation somewhere in Eurasia.

Neurological implications and neuropsychological considerations on folk music and dance.

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Sironi, Vittorio A; Riva, Michele A

2015-01-01

Neurological and neuropsychological aspects of folk music and traditional dance have been poorly investigated by historical and scientific literature. Some of these performances could be indeed the manifestation of latent pathological conditions or the expression of liberation rituals. This chapter aimed at analyzing the relationships between traditional dance, folk music, and neurological and psychiatric disorders. Since ancient times, dance has been used in the individual or collective as treatment of some diseases, including epilepsy and movement disorders (dyskinesia, chorea, etc.). Dionysia in Ancient Greece, St. Vitus dance in the Middle Age, tarantism and other traditional dances of southern Italy and of non-Western countries might be credited as curative rituals of these neurological and psychiatric conditions. During the nineteenth century, dance was also used for the treatment of psychiatric patients; the relationship between dance and insanity could also be reflected in classical ballets and music of that period. Nowadays, neuropsychiatric manifestations could also be evidenced in modern dances (mass fainting at rock concerts, flash mobs); some ballroom dances are commonly used for the rehabilitation of patients suffering from neurodegenerative and psychiatric conditions. Interdisciplinary research on these subjects (ethnomusicology and cultural anthropology, clinical neurology and dynamic psychology, neuroradiology and neurophysiology, and socioneurology and neuromusicology) should be increased. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dancing for Healthy Aging: Functional and Metabolic Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues-Krause, Josianne; Krause, Mauricio; Reischak-Oliveira, Alvaro

2018-02-10

Context • Dancing has been used as a form of exercise to improve functional and metabolic outcomes during aging. The field lacks randomized, clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating metabolic outcomes related to dance interventions, but dancing may be a form of exercise that could induce positive effects on the metabolic health of older adults. However, primary studies seem very heterogonous regarding the trial designs, characteristics of the interventions, the methods for outcomes assessments, statistical powers, and methodological quality. Objective • The current research team intended to review the literature on the use of dance as a form of intervention to promote functional and metabolic health in older adults. Specifically, the research team aimed to identify and describe the characteristics of a large range of studies using dance as an intervention, summarizing them and putting them into perspective for further analysis. Design • The research team searched the following data sources-MEDLINE, Cochrane Wiley, Clinical Trials.gov, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDRO), and the Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS)-for RCTs, quasi-experimental studies, and observational trials that compared the benefits of any style of dancing, combined with other exercises or alone, to nonexercising controls and/or controls practicing other types of exercise. Setting • The study took place at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil). Participants were aging individuals, >55 y, both with or without health conditions. Interventions • Interventions should be supervised, taking form as group classes, in a dance setting environment. Dance styles were divided into 5 categories for the review: (1) cultural dances developed by groups of people to reflect the roots of a certain region, such as Greek dance; (2) ballroom dance (ie, dances with partners performed socially or competitively in a ballroom, such as foxtrot

Enhancement of Pleasure during Spontaneous Dance

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardi, Nicolò F.; Bellemare-Pepin, Antoine; Peretz, Isabelle

2017-01-01

Dancing emphasizes the motor expression of emotional experiences. The bodily expression of emotions can modulate the subjective experience of emotions, as when adopting emotion-specific postures and faces. Thus, dancing potentially offers a ground for emotional coping through emotional enhancement and regulation. Here we investigated the emotional responses to music in individuals without any prior dance training while they either freely danced or refrained from movement. Participants were also tested while imitating their own dance movements but in the absence of music as a control condition. Emotional ratings and cardio-respiratory measures were collected following each condition. Dance movements were recorded using motion capture. We found that emotional valence was increased specifically during spontaneous dance of groovy excerpts, compared to both still listening and motor imitation. Furthermore, parasympathetic-related heart rate variability (HRV) increased during dance compared to motor imitation. Nevertheless, subjective and physiological arousal increased during movement production, regardless of whether participants were dancing or imitating. Significant correlations were found between inter-individual differences in the emotions experienced during dance and whole-body acceleration profiles. The combination of movement and music during dance results in a distinct state characterized by acutely heightened pleasure, which is of potential interest for the use of dance in therapeutic settings. PMID:29238298

Hip Hop Dance Experience Linked to Sociocognitive Ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonny, Justin W; Lindberg, Jenna C; Pacampara, Marc C

2017-01-01

Expertise within gaming (e.g., chess, video games) and kinesthetic (e.g., sports, classical dance) activities has been found to be linked with specific cognitive skills. Some of these skills, working memory, mental rotation, problem solving, are linked to higher performance in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) disciplines. In the present study, we examined whether experience in a different activity, hip hop dance, is also linked to cognitive abilities connected with STEM skills as well as social cognition ability. Dancers who varied in hip hop and other dance style experience were presented with a set of computerized tasks that assessed working memory capacity, mental rotation speed, problem solving efficiency, and theory of mind. We found that, when controlling for demographic factors and other dance style experience, those with greater hip hop dance experience were faster at mentally rotating images of hands at greater angle disparities and there was a trend for greater accuracy at identifying positive emotions displayed by cropped images of human faces. We suggest that hip hop dance, similar to other more technical activities such as video gameplay, tap some specific cognitive abilities that underlie STEM skills. Furthermore, we suggest that hip hop dance experience can be used to reach populations who may not otherwise be interested in other kinesthetic or gaming activities and potentially enhance select sociocognitive skills.

Hip Hop Dance Experience Linked to Sociocognitive Ability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin W Bonny

Full Text Available Expertise within gaming (e.g., chess, video games and kinesthetic (e.g., sports, classical dance activities has been found to be linked with specific cognitive skills. Some of these skills, working memory, mental rotation, problem solving, are linked to higher performance in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM disciplines. In the present study, we examined whether experience in a different activity, hip hop dance, is also linked to cognitive abilities connected with STEM skills as well as social cognition ability. Dancers who varied in hip hop and other dance style experience were presented with a set of computerized tasks that assessed working memory capacity, mental rotation speed, problem solving efficiency, and theory of mind. We found that, when controlling for demographic factors and other dance style experience, those with greater hip hop dance experience were faster at mentally rotating images of hands at greater angle disparities and there was a trend for greater accuracy at identifying positive emotions displayed by cropped images of human faces. We suggest that hip hop dance, similar to other more technical activities such as video gameplay, tap some specific cognitive abilities that underlie STEM skills. Furthermore, we suggest that hip hop dance experience can be used to reach populations who may not otherwise be interested in other kinesthetic or gaming activities and potentially enhance select sociocognitive skills.

Dancing Earthquake Science Assists Recovery from the Christchurch Earthquakes

Science.gov (United States)

Egan, Candice J.; Quigley, Mark C.

2015-01-01

The 2010-2012 Christchurch (Canterbury) earthquakes in New Zealand caused loss of life and psychological distress in residents throughout the region. In 2011, student dancers of the Hagley Dance Company and dance professionals choreographed the performance "Move: A Seismic Journey" for the Christchurch Body Festival that explored…

Coming Alive: Creative Movement as a Personal Coping Strategy on the Path to Healing and Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Leseho, Johanna; Maxwell, Lisa Rene

2010-01-01

This study interviewed 29 women from various countries and spiritual backgrounds, between the ages of 16 and 67, seeking to better understand how dance/creative movement supports women during difficult life struggles such as trauma from abuse, relationship breakups, community violence and loss of self, and how it acts as a connection to the…

Information privacy in organizations: empowering creative and extrarole performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Alge, Bradley J; Ballinger, Gary A; Tangirala, Subrahmaniam; Oakley, James L

2006-01-01

This article examines the relationship of employee perceptions of information privacy in their work organizations and important psychological and behavioral outcomes. A model is presented in which information privacy predicts psychological empowerment, which in turn predicts discretionary behaviors on the job, including creative performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Results from 2 studies (Study 1: single organization, N=310; Study 2: multiple organizations, N=303) confirm that information privacy entails judgments of information gathering control, information handling control, and legitimacy. Moreover, a model linking information privacy to empowerment and empowerment to creative performance and OCBs was supported. Findings are discussed in light of organizational attempts to control employees through the gathering and handling of their personal information. (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Doctors Can Dance

Science.gov (United States)

Newell, Anna; Kleiman, Paul

2012-01-01

Between 2008-2010 the School of Medicine at Queen's University Belfast funded and supported two unique and intensive three week interdisciplinary performance projects in which medical and drama students worked together to create an experimental dance theatre piece. One of the unique aspects of this collaboration was that the medical students who…

Interactive Sonification of Weather Data for The Locust Wrath, a Multimedia Dance Performance

OpenAIRE

Lindborg, PerMagnus

2016-01-01

To work flexibly with the sound design for The Locust Wrath, a multimedia dance performance on the topic of climate change, we developed a software for interactive sonification of climate data. An open-ended approach to parameter mapping allowed tweaking and improvisation during rehearsals, resulting in a large range of musical expression. The sonifications represented weather systems pushing through South-East Asia in complex patterns. The climate was rendered as a piece of electroacoustic m...

Cooperation makes two less-creative individuals turn into a highly-creative pair.

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Xue, Hua; Lu, Kelong; Hao, Ning

2018-05-15

This study aimed to investigate which type of group (e.g., consisting of less-creative or highly-creative individuals) would perform better in solving creativity problems, and explore the underlying inter-brain neural correlates between team members. A preliminary test (an alternative-uses task) was performed to rank individuals' level of creativity, and divide participants into three types of dyads: high-high (two highly-creative individuals), low-low (two less-creative individuals), and high-low (one highly-creative and one less-creative individual). Dyads were then asked to solve a realistic presented problem (RPP; a typical creativity problem) during which a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)-based hyperscanning device was used to record the variation of interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS). Results revealed that less-creative individuals, while working together, would perform as well as highly-creative individuals. The low-low dyads showed higher levels of cooperation behaviour than the other two types of dyads. The fNIRS results revealed increased IBS only for low-low dyads at PFC (prefrontal cortex) and rTPJ (right temporal-parietal junction) brain regions during RPP task performance. In the rDLPFC (right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), the IBS in the low-low dyads was stronger than that of high-high and high-low dyads. In the rTPJ, the IBS in the low-low dyads was only stronger than that of the high-low dyads. Besides, the IBS at rDLPFC and rTPJ regions in the low-low dyads was positively correlated with their cooperation behaviour and group creative performance. These findings indicated when two less-creative individuals worked on a creativity problem together, they tended to cooperate with each other (indicated by both behaviour index and increased IBS at rDLPFC and rTPJ), which benefited their creative performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dance, Sexuality, and Education Today: Observations for Dance Educators

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Risner, Doug S.

2004-01-01

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive discussion of sexuality and dance education from multiple perspectives including public schools (K-12), private studios, conservatories, and higher education. Among innumerable potential topics emanating from this review of sexuality and dance education in the 21st century, this article focuses on today's…

Dance Education in Korea

Science.gov (United States)

Byeon, Jae-Kyung

2012-01-01

Despite a structured physical education system and related policies, dance education in Korea largely exists as a course in name only, without achieving its unique goals. It lacks standards within the physical education curriculum, which indicates that dance education is not conducted properly. Thus, the content and level of dance education vary…

Can social dancing prevent falls in older adults? a protocol of the Dance, Aging, Cognition, Economics (DAnCE) fall prevention randomised controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Merom, Dafna; Cumming, Robert; Mathieu, Erin; Anstey, Kaarin J; Rissel, Chris; Simpson, Judy M; Morton, Rachael L; Cerin, Ester; Sherrington, Catherine; Lord, Stephen R

2013-05-15

Falls are one of the most common health problems among older people and pose a major economic burden on health care systems. Exercise is an accepted stand-alone fall prevention strategy particularly if it is balance training or regular participation in Tai chi. Dance shares the 'holistic' approach of practices such as Tai chi. It is a complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity integrating multiple physical, cognitive and social elements. Small-scale randomised controlled trials have indicated that diverse dance styles can improve measures of balance and mobility in older people, but none of these studies has examined the effect of dance on falls or cognition. This study aims to determine whether participation in social dancing: i) reduces the number of falls; and ii) improves cognitive functions associated with fall risk in older people. A single-blind, cluster randomised controlled trial of 12 months duration will be conducted. Approximately 450 participants will be recruited from 24 self-care retirement villages that house at least 60 residents each in Sydney, Australia. Village residents without cognitive impairment and obtain medical clearance will be eligible. After comprehensive baseline measurements including physiological and cognitive tests and self-completed questionnaires, villages will be randomised to intervention sites (ballroom or folk dance) or to a wait-listed control using a computer randomisation method that minimises imbalances between villages based on two baseline fall risk measures. Main outcome measures are falls, prospectively measured, and the Trail Making cognitive function test. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses will be performed. This study offers a novel approach to balance training for older people. As a community-based approach to fall prevention, dance offers older people an opportunity for greater social engagement, thereby making a major contribution to healthy ageing. Providing diversity in exercise programs targeting

Dance in The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wildschut, E.M.M.

2005-01-01

The aim of my lecture is to give you an overview of the history of Dutch theatre dance. I will show you the richness of our dance landscape by the video examples. Dutch theatre dance has no long tradition and it is this lack of tradition that made dancers and choreographers curious for new elements

The Science of Unitary Human Beings in a Creative Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Caratao-Mojica, Rhea

2015-10-01

In moving into a new kind of world, nurses are encouraged to look ahead and be innovative by transcending to new ways of using nursing knowledge while embracing a new worldview. "We need to recognize that we're going to have to use our imagination more and more" (Rogers, 1994). On that note, the author in this paper explicates Rogers' science of unitary human beings in a creative way relating it to painting. In addition, the author also explores works derived from Rogers' science such as Butcher's (1993) and Cowling's (1997), which are here discussed in light of an artwork. A painting is presented with the unpredictability, creativity, and the "dance of color and light" (Butcher, 1993) is appreciated through comprehending essence, pandimensionality, and wholeness. © The Author(s) 2015.

A norming study and library of 203 dance movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen, Julia F; Nadal, Marcos; Cela-Conde, Camilo José

2014-01-01

Dance stimuli have been used in experimental studies of (i) how movement is processed in the brain; (ii) how affect is perceived from bodily movement; and (iii) how dance can be a source of aesthetic experience. However, stimulus materials across--and even within--these three domains of research have varied considerably. Thus, integrative conclusions remain elusive. Moreover, concerns have been raised that the movements selected for such stimuli are qualitatively too different from the actual art form dance, potentially introducing noise in the data. We propose a library of dance stimuli which responds to the stimuli requirements and design criteria of these three areas of research, while at the same time respecting a dance art-historical perspective, offering greater ecological validity as compared with previous dance stimulus sets. The stimuli are 5-6 s long video clips, selected from genuine ballet performances. Following a number of coding experiments, the resulting stimulus library comprises 203 ballet dance stimuli coded in (i) 25 qualitative and quantitative movement variables; (ii) affective valence and arousal; and (iii) the aesthetic qualities beauty, liking, and interest. An Excel spreadsheet with these data points accompanies this manuscript, and the stimuli can be obtained from the authors upon request.

Bodystorming: effects of collaboration and familiarity on improvising contemporary dance.

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Stevens, Catherine J; Leach, James

2015-09-01

In contemporary dance, cognitive events are not necessarily restricted "to the skin or skull of an individual" (Hutchins in Int Encycl Soc Behav Sci 2068-2072, 2001) but distributed across dancers during collaborative improvisation. There is some experimental evidence of greater output when people perform problem-solving tasks alone. However, when a task is challenging and paired participants are familiar with each other, pairwise and emergent outcomes are more plentiful than solo outcomes. We investigate these factors in the context of dance with the broad hypothesis that innovation is enhanced when dancers improvise together compared with when they improvise alone. Dancers (N = 10) in a professional company improvised for 2 min alone and then with another dancer. Dancer familiarity (familiar, unfamiliar) and task (expressive, non-expressive) were crossed (within-subjects). The improvisations were video-recorded over 2 h in the dancers' usual improvisation space. After each improvisation, the dancers: stated the number of movement ideas expressed and rated task ease, satisfaction, interest, novelty, originality and clarity. In both tasks, there was a tendency for self-report of a greater number of movement ideas expressed in familiar and unfamiliar pairs than alone. Ratings of task ease, satisfaction, interest, clarity, etc. were slightly higher in the unfamiliar pair condition. In the non-expressive task, ratings of the task were higher in pairs (M = 3.02, SD 0.82) than in the solo (M = 2.67, SD 0.96) condition. Distributed creativity, relational cognition and social facilitation are used to interpret the results.

CREATIVE MARKETING STRATEGY AND EFFECTIVE EXECUTION ON PERFORMANCE IN PAKISTAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the current research is to determine the influence of creative marketing strategies and effective execution on business unit performance. Moreover, strategic orientation and environmental uncertainty are used as moderating variables. Data are collected from 368 key informants working in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG, banking, pharmaceutical, chemical, insurance, and engineering industries using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Factor analysis and multiple hierarchal regressions are used to test the study hypotheses. The results indicate that creative marketing strategy and effective execution are positively associated with business performance. Moreover, environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation play a moderating role in the above relationships.

Choreographing lived experience: dance, feelings and the storytelling body.

Science.gov (United States)

Eli, Karin; Kay, Rosie

2015-06-01

Although narrative-based research has been central to studies of illness experience, the inarticulate, sensory experiences of illness often remain obscured by exclusively verbal or textual inquiry. To foreground the body in our investigation of subjective and intersubjective aspects of eating disorders, we-a medical anthropologist and a contemporary dance choreographer-designed a collaborative project, in which we studied the experiences of women who had eating disorders, through eight weeks of integrating dance practice-based, discussion-based and interview-based research. Grounded in the participants' own reflections on choreographing, dancing and watching others perform solos about their eating disordered experiences, our analysis examines the types of knowledge the participants used in choreographing their dance works, and the knowledge that they felt the dance enabled them to convey. We find that the participants consistently spoke of feeling as guiding their choreographic processes; they also said the experiences they conveyed through their dance works were centred in feelings, rather than in practices or events. Through dance, the participants said they could communicate experiences that would have remained unspoken otherwise. Yet, notably, dance practice also enabled participants to begin defining and describing their experiences verbally. We suggest, therefore, that through engaging participants in contemporary dance practice, we can begin to identify and address embodied experiences of illness and recovery that may be silenced in speech or writing alone. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Continuing education for performance improvement: a creative approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Patti-Ann; Hardesty, Ilana; White, Julie L; Zisblatt, Lara

2012-10-01

In an effort to improve patient safety and health care outcomes, continuing medical education has begun to focus on performance improvement initiatives for physician practices. Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) Continuing Nursing Education Accredited Provider Unit has begun a creative project to award nursing contact hours for nurses' participation in performance improvement activities. This column highlights its initial efforts. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

You Should be Dancin:! The Role of Performing Arts in the Lives of the Severely and Profoundly Handicapped.

Science.gov (United States)

Barringer, Mary Dean

The manual presents a program planning framework and teaching units for teaching dance and movement to severely and profoundly handicapped individuals. The planning framework contains four components: (1) aesthetic perception/multisensory integration; (2) creative expression; (3) dance heritage/historical and cultural; and (4) aesthetic…

Ethnic Dance. The Origins of Jazz. A Curriculum Design for Dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Karen W.

1988-01-01

The article describes the development, organization, goals, and activities of a course designed to trace the evolution of jazz dance and tie this dynamic dance form to the cultural experiences of African-Americans. (CB)

The Organizational Identification Perspective of CSR on Creative Performance: The Moderating Role of Creative Self-Efficacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Ibrahim Abdullah

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Corporate social responsibility (CSR is an emerging and fast-growing concept for both academic research and organizations. In recent years, the far-reaching influence of CSR practices on stakeholders has made both researchers and practitioners pay heed to this dimension. Employees are one of the most important stakeholders influenced by CSR practices. CSR brings in many ideas, concepts, and techniques. In the past, different antecedents and consequences of corporate social responsibility have been studied, but there is still a deficit in regard to whether employee creative performance is an outcome of corporate social responsibility, and the interlinked variables that might enhance this relationship. The main objective of this study is to examine how CSR practices enhance employee performances within the organization, and which other variables may enhance this relationship. The literature suggests that employees who value CSR campaigns and other practices identify with their company to a greater degree, work with more devotion and loyalty, and show more creativity in their work performance. In this study, organizational identification has been taken as the mediator, and creative self-efficacy has been taken as the moderator. The hypotheses were tested within the sample of companies engaging in CSR practices in Pakistan. A questionnaire survey was conducted using simple random sampling. Simple linear regression, hierarchical regression, and Barron and Kenny tests were applied through SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science for data analysis, and results were found according to the proposed model of the study.

How To Dance through Time. Volume III: The Majesty of Renaissance Dance. [Videotape].

Science.gov (United States)

Teten, Carol

This 42-minute VHS videotape is the third in a series of "How To Dance Through Time" videos. It highlights the intricacies of an Italian court dance suite, which mirrors the episodic changes of courtship. Nido D'Amore" (The Nest of Love) exposes the technique for all the dance suites of the era, and features The Opening (which…

DSI--Dance Scene Investigation: Exploring a Time in Dance History as Dancer, Choreographer, Historian, and Critic

Science.gov (United States)

Spear-Jones, Gwen

2008-01-01

This article provides a brief description of a dance program at the Old Donation Center Dance Education Program in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The mission of DSI--Dance Scene Investigation--is to nurture the full development of each student's dance potential through intense involvement in every aspect of the art. The program provides differentiated…

Science as Performance: Communicating and Educating through Theater, Music, and Dance

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Brian B.

2010-01-01

Theater, music, dance, the literary and the visual arts can convey the joys and controversies of science. We describe a program at the Graduate Center entitled Science & the Arts which is designed to communicate to the public the excitement and wonder of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Over the past few years there have been major successes in communicating science to the public through the arts. This is especially evident in theater, film and opera with such recent plays as Copenhagen, the Oscar winning film A Beautiful Mind and the opera Doctor Atomic at the Met. The performance series Science & the Arts has been developed and tested at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY) in mid-Manhattan for more than nine years, see http://web.gc.cuny.edu/sciart/ . We have established working relationships with actors, playwrights, dancers, choreographers, musicians, composers, artists and scientists who work at the intersection of science and the arts. In this presentation we will illustrate many of our collaborations in theater, dance, music and art. Faculty members, professionals and students from the university, other educational institutions, museums, theaters and government laboratories as well as the public with an interest science and arts programs should find this presentation of particular interest. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation, NSF PHY-0431660.

What Does Dance History Have to Do with Dancing? Making College Dance History Usable for Dancers

Science.gov (United States)

Kattner, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This paper explores methods for bringing dance history directly into the studio. It shows how the movement components that have proven successful in introductory courses can be extended to in-depth studies of dance history with dancers who have formal training. Through the example of a research project on the early work of George Balanchine, it…

Dance as a Medium for Social Stability: A Case of Umuada Burial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Most importantly, dance is an art form that is so involving that dancers and audience could get so encompassed in participatory communalism that differences can be shade or forgotten in the course of performances. The Umuada burial performance is a typical example of a dance performance that can be so involving that in ...

A flexible influence of affective feelings on creative and analytic performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Huntsinger, Jeffrey R; Ray, Cara

2016-09-01

Considerable research shows that positive affect improves performance on creative tasks and negative affect improves performance on analytic tasks. The present research entertained the idea that affective feelings have flexible, rather than fixed, effects on cognitive performance. Consistent with the idea that positive and negative affect signal the value of accessible processing inclinations, the influence of affective feelings on performance on analytic or creative tasks was found to be flexibly responsive to the relative accessibility of different styles of processing (i.e., heuristic vs. systematic, global vs. local). When a global processing orientation was accessible happy participants generated more creative uses for a brick (Experiment 1), successfully solved more remote associates and insight problems (Experiment 2) and displayed broader categorization (Experiment 3) than those in sad moods. When a local processing orientation was accessible this pattern reversed. When a heuristic processing style was accessible happy participants were more likely to commit the conjunction fallacy (Experiment 3) and showed less pronounced anchoring effects (Experiment 4) than sad participants. When a systematic processing style was accessible this pattern reversed. Implications of these results for relevant affect-cognition models are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

National Dance Education Organization: Building a Future for Dance Education in the Arts

Science.gov (United States)

Bonbright, Jane; McGreevy-Nichols, Susan

2012-01-01

The field of dance arts education in the United States is in an entirely different place today than it was at the turn of the century. Much of this change is due to a convergence of events that involved: federal and state legislation, policy, and funding that supported dance in arts education; a forty-year transition of dance out of departments of…

A deep learning pipeline for Indian dance style classification

Science.gov (United States)

Dewan, Swati; Agarwal, Shubham; Singh, Navjyoti

2018-04-01

In this paper, we address the problem of dance style classification to classify Indian dance or any dance in general. We propose a 3-step deep learning pipeline. First, we extract 14 essential joint locations of the dancer from each video frame, this helps us to derive any body region location within the frame, we use this in the second step which forms the main part of our pipeline. Here, we divide the dancer into regions of important motion in each video frame. We then extract patches centered at these regions. Main discriminative motion is captured in these patches. We stack the features from all such patches of a frame into a single vector and form our hierarchical dance pose descriptor. Finally, in the third step, we build a high level representation of the dance video using the hierarchical descriptors and train it using a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) for classification. Our novelty also lies in the way we use multiple representations for a single video. This helps us to: (1) Overcome the RNN limitation of learning small sequences over big sequences such as dance; (2) Extract more data from the available dataset for effective deep learning by training multiple representations. Our contributions in this paper are three-folds: (1) We provide a deep learning pipeline for classification of any form of dance; (2) We prove that a segmented representation of a dance video works well with sequence learning techniques for recognition purposes; (3) We extend and refine the ICD dataset and provide a new dataset for evaluation of dance. Our model performs comparable or better in some cases than the state-of-the-art on action recognition benchmarks.

The Apperception of Musical Creativity: Performance as Ritual, Composition as Self-Realization

Science.gov (United States)

Nagy, Zvonimir

2015-01-01

Musical invention is defined in this article as a form of inward creativity. The creative acts of musical performance are understood in terms of ritual-like symbolic and stylized actions, and those of musical composition as the mind's enactment of meditation and reflection. This article draws on the relationship between two psychological…

Between the Dance Studio and the Social Dance Floor: On Solidarity and Practices of Mutuality in Swing Dance Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boštjan Kravanja

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the dynamics of actualization of solidarity and hierarchical relations in contemporary swing dance communities. It shows how these communities are based on a specific solidarity ideology, at least it terms of dealing with processes of their institutionalization, commercialization and establishing of formal dance hierarchies. However, when we take into view the swing dancers themselves, diverse practices of mutuality become evident. In contrast to the formal solidarity discourses and practices, the latter are much more heterogeneous and as such more interesting for anthropological discussion, for they establish solidarity and hierarchical relations apart from wider mobilization movements of the swing dance industry, and many of them implicitly resist institutionalization. The thesis arising from this case study is that the practices of mutuality are not always in complementary relation with discourses of solidarity. On the contrary, they often bypass the major solidarity flows and, paradoxically, contribute most efficiently to the actual solidarity of vital parts of the swing communities. The author discusses the subject on the basis of six years of active participation in different Slovene swing dance scenes and occasional presence at international swing dance events in different European cities.

Dances and Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Karen

1991-01-01

Presents guidelines for teaching students about African culture via dances and games and for developing related activities to expand student learning experiences. Student activity pages describe how to do the Ghana national dance and how to play Mankala, a popular African game. (SM)

The Future of Dance and/as Work: Performing Precarity

Science.gov (United States)

Van Assche, Annelies

2017-01-01

This article explores how and to what extent precarity is intertwined with a contemporary dance artist's labour, life and art in the neoliberal society. Throughout this investigation my arguments are supported by insights from an on-going qualitative study that uses in-depth interviews and observations of working processes within the Brussels…

Dance for Individuals With Dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapum, Jennifer L; Bar, Rachel J

2016-03-01

The movement and music associated with dance plays an important role in many individuals' lives and can become imprinted upon the body and mind. Dance is thus closely associated with memory because of these deep connections. Without conscious thought, dance has the potential to be initiated as individuals age. In the current article, the authors share narrative reflections about their experiences with, and the potential of, dance as an intervention for aging populations diagnosed with dementia-related diseases. They draw upon their experiences in working with the aging population and a dance program currently being developed by Canada's National Ballet School and Baycrest Health Sciences for individuals with dementia-related diseases in long-term care. The current article is structured as dialogue between the authors because it mimics dance as a dialogical encounter between movement and music, and/or between individuals. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Encores for Dance. Selected Articles on Dance III, 1968-77.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallon, Dennis J., Ed.

The nature, role, and scope of the dance in the United States is the subject of this collection of articles. The philosophical, historical, socio-cultural, and educational perspectives of dance are considered in the first four chapters. The following five chapters focus primarily on considerations that should improve teaching techniques and…

Capture and fission with DANCE and NEUANCE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bond, E.; Rusev, G.; Walker, C.; Bredeweg, T.A.; Chadwick, M.B.; Couture, A.; Fowler, M.M.; Hayes, A.; Kawano, T.; Mosby, S.; Stetcu, I.; Taddeucci, T.N.; Talou, P.; Ullmann, J.L.; Vieira, D.J.; Wilhelmy, J.B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico (United States)

2015-12-15

A summary of the current and future experimental program at DANCE is presented. Measurements of neutron capture cross sections are planned for many actinide isotopes with the goal to reduce the present uncertainties in nuclear data libraries. Detailed studies of capture gamma rays in the neutron resonance region will be performed in order to derive correlated data on the de-excitation of the compound nucleus. New approaches on how to remove the DANCE detector response from experimental data and retain the correlations between the cascade gamma rays are presented. Studies on {sup 235}U are focused on quantifying the population of short-lived isomeric states in {sup 236}U after neutron capture. For this purpose, a new neutron detector array NEUANCE is under construction. It will be installed in the central cavity of the DANCE array and enable the highly efficient tagging of fission and capture events. In addition, developments of fission fragment detectors are also underway to expand DANCE capabilities to measurements of fully correlated data on fission observables. (orig.)

Is Dance a Sport?: A Twenty-First-Century Debate

Science.gov (United States)

Guarino, Lindsay

2015-01-01

This article discusses a new debate which has emerged for dancers. For many years dancers debated dance as art versus entertainment. This age-old debate still exists without a consensus, yet there is suddenly a new generation of dancers with a fresh debate. Legions of young performers are fervently proclaiming that their dance is actually a sport.…

Materials on Creative Arts (Arts, Crafts, Dance, Drama, Music, Bibliotherapy) for Persons with Handicapping Conditions. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Washington, DC. Information and Research Utilization Center.

Intended as a resource guide for persons who include such subjects as arts, crafts, dance, and music in programs for the handicapped, resources are listed for printed materials, audiovisual materials, resource persons and organizations, and material and equipment suppliers. Brief literature reviews sum up the state of the art in the specific art…

Effects of dance on anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Lesté, A; Rust, J

1984-06-01

The study investigated the effects of modern dance on anxiety. State anxiety was assessed before and after a 3-mo. education programme, using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The target group followed a class in modern dance. Control groups were (1) a physical education group to control for the effects of exercise, (2) a music group to control for aesthetic sensitivity training, and (3) a mathematics group. Several concomitant variables were measured: age, sex, attitude towards dance, and previous experience in sport, dance, and relaxation. Dance training significantly reduced anxiety, but no control activities did so. Examination of the concomitant variables showed that the result could not be accounted for by any obvious artifacts.

Dance as Aggressiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Hamrin

1996-01-01

Full Text Available The woman who founded Tenho-kötai-jingii-kyö, Kitamura Sayo (1900-1967, publicly announced in July 1945 that the world was coming to an end and that she had been chosen by the absolute deity Tensho Kotai Jingu to be the savior of the world. People began to gather to her banner, a religious organization was formed, and legal incorporation of the group as a religious juridical person took place in January 1947. Teaching that regret, desire, hatred, love and other emotional antipathies were the cause of all misfortune, the founder urged people to free themselves of such restraints by praying earnestly until they attained a state in which the self was completely forgotten. Since the members of the group perform a ritual dance and fall into an ecstatic condition at the group meetings, the movement is called the Dancing Religion.

Using a Feedback Environment to Improve Creative Performance: A Dynamic Affect Perspective

OpenAIRE

Gong, Zhenxing; Zhang, Na

2017-01-01

Prior research on feedback and creative performance has neglected the dynamic nature of affect and has focused only on the influence of positive affect. We argue that creative performance is the result of a dynamic process in which a person experiences a phase of negative affect and subsequently enters a state of high positive affect that is influenced by the feedback environment. Hierarchical regression was used to analyze a sample of 264 employees from seven industry firms. The results indi...

The Philippine "Hip Hop Stick Dance"

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Lisa

2012-01-01

This article introduces a dance that blends the traditional cultural heritage of the Philippines with modern music and moves. "Hip Hop Stick Dance" incorporates Tinikling (the Philippine national dance) and Arnis (a Filipino style of martial arts) to create a contemporary combination of rhythm, dance, and fitness. It was designed to introduce…

The caring dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Johns, C

2001-02-01

As nursing and health care practice enter the new Millennium, practitioners are increasingly urged to pay attention to evidenced based practice to justify what they do. Yet the truth is, that within the caring dance, practitioners need to connect with more ancient sources of wisdom. Failure to do so leads to a life out of balance and a failure to dance well and fulfil the fundamental role of being a nurse. The paper draws exclusively on the work of Blackwolf and Gina Jones, as an example of such ancient wisdom to inform and inspire the caring dance.

Older adults' acceptance of a robot for partner dance-based exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tiffany L; Bhattacharjee, Tapomayukh; Beer, Jenay M; Ting, Lena H; Hackney, Madeleine E; Rogers, Wendy A; Kemp, Charles C

2017-01-01

Partner dance has been shown to be beneficial for the health of older adults. Robots could potentially facilitate healthy aging by engaging older adults in partner dance-based exercise. However, partner dance involves physical contact between the dancers, and older adults would need to be accepting of partner dancing with a robot. Using methods from the technology acceptance literature, we conducted a study with 16 healthy older adults to investigate their acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Participants successfully led a human-scale wheeled robot with arms (i.e., a mobile manipulator) in a simple, which we refer to as the Partnered Stepping Task (PST). Participants led the robot by maintaining physical contact and applying forces to the robot's end effectors. According to questionnaires, participants were generally accepting of the robot for partner dance-based exercise, tending to perceive it as useful, easy to use, and enjoyable. Participants tended to perceive the robot as easier to use after performing the PST with it. Through a qualitative data analysis of structured interview data, we also identified facilitators and barriers to acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Throughout the study, our robot used admittance control to successfully dance with older adults, demonstrating the feasibility of this method. Overall, our results suggest that robots could successfully engage older adults in partner dance-based exercise.

Older adults’ acceptance of a robot for partner dance-based exercise

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tiffany L.; Beer, Jenay M.; Ting, Lena H.; Hackney, Madeleine E.; Rogers, Wendy A.; Kemp, Charles C.

2017-01-01

Partner dance has been shown to be beneficial for the health of older adults. Robots could potentially facilitate healthy aging by engaging older adults in partner dance-based exercise. However, partner dance involves physical contact between the dancers, and older adults would need to be accepting of partner dancing with a robot. Using methods from the technology acceptance literature, we conducted a study with 16 healthy older adults to investigate their acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Participants successfully led a human-scale wheeled robot with arms (i.e., a mobile manipulator) in a simple, which we refer to as the Partnered Stepping Task (PST). Participants led the robot by maintaining physical contact and applying forces to the robot’s end effectors. According to questionnaires, participants were generally accepting of the robot for partner dance-based exercise, tending to perceive it as useful, easy to use, and enjoyable. Participants tended to perceive the robot as easier to use after performing the PST with it. Through a qualitative data analysis of structured interview data, we also identified facilitators and barriers to acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Throughout the study, our robot used admittance control to successfully dance with older adults, demonstrating the feasibility of this method. Overall, our results suggest that robots could successfully engage older adults in partner dance-based exercise. PMID:29045408

Older adults' acceptance of a robot for partner dance-based exercise.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiffany L Chen

Full Text Available Partner dance has been shown to be beneficial for the health of older adults. Robots could potentially facilitate healthy aging by engaging older adults in partner dance-based exercise. However, partner dance involves physical contact between the dancers, and older adults would need to be accepting of partner dancing with a robot. Using methods from the technology acceptance literature, we conducted a study with 16 healthy older adults to investigate their acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Participants successfully led a human-scale wheeled robot with arms (i.e., a mobile manipulator in a simple, which we refer to as the Partnered Stepping Task (PST. Participants led the robot by maintaining physical contact and applying forces to the robot's end effectors. According to questionnaires, participants were generally accepting of the robot for partner dance-based exercise, tending to perceive it as useful, easy to use, and enjoyable. Participants tended to perceive the robot as easier to use after performing the PST with it. Through a qualitative data analysis of structured interview data, we also identified facilitators and barriers to acceptance of robots for partner dance-based exercise. Throughout the study, our robot used admittance control to successfully dance with older adults, demonstrating the feasibility of this method. Overall, our results suggest that robots could successfully engage older adults in partner dance-based exercise.

Therapeutic Dancing for Parkinson's Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorenna Pryscia Carvalho Aguiar

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Therapeutic dancing has been advocated as an effective adjunct to conventional physical therapies for people living with Parkinson's disease (PD. This systematic review evaluates studies on the outcomes of different dance genres on mobility and quality of life in PD. We searched databases including CINHAL (1982–2015, Medline (1922–2015, Scopus (1996–2015, Web of Science (2002–2015, Embase (2007–2015, PEDro (1999–2015 and the Cochrane Library (1996–2015. The key words were: Parkinson's disease, Parkinson*, Parkinsonism, dance, dance therapy, dance genres, safety, feasibility, and quality of life. Two independent investigators reviewed the texts. Only randomized controlled trials, quasirandomized controlled trials, and case series studies were included. There was emerging evidence that therapeutic dance can be safe and feasible for people with mild to moderately severe PD, with beneficial effects on walking, freezing of gait, and health related quality of life.

Segmentation of dance movement: Effects of expertise, visual familiarity, motor experience and music

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bettina E. Bläsing

2015-01-01

Full Text Available According to event segmentation theory, action perception depends on sensory cues and prior knowledge, and the segmentation of observed actions is crucial for understanding and memorizing these actions. While most activities in everyday life are characterized by external goals and interaction with objects or persons, this does not necessarily apply to dance-like actions. We investigated to what extent visual familiarity of the observed movement and accompanying music influence the segmentation of a dance phrase in dancers of different skill level and non-dancers. In Experiment 1, dancers and non-dancers repeatedly watched a video clip showing a dancer performing a choreographed dance phrase and indicated segment boundaries by key press. Dancers generally defined less segment boundaries than non-dancers, specifically in the first trials in which visual familiarity with the phrase was low. Music increased the number of segment boundaries in the non-dancers and decreased it in the dancers. The results suggest that dance expertise reduces the number of perceived segment boundaries in an observed dance phrase, and that the ways visual familiarity and music affect movement segmentation are modulated by dance expertise. In a second experiment, motor experience was added as factor, based on empirical evidence suggesting that action perception is modified by visual and motor expertise in different ways. In Experiment 2, the same task as in Experiment 1 was performed by dance amateurs, and was repeated by the same participants after they had learned to dance the presented dance phrase. Less segment boundaries were defined in the middle trials after participants had learned to dance the phrase, and music reduced the number of segment boundaries before learning. The results suggest that specific motor experience of the observed movement influences its perception and anticipation and makes segmentation broader, but not to the same degree as dance expertise

Dance Lessons.

Science.gov (United States)

Hahn, Emily

2015-01-01

Nursing has been described as an art and a science. The scientific aspect of nursing can be learned in nursing school and in years of practice. However, the art of nursing is enriched by each nurse's connection with life experiences. The purpose of this article is to highlight my particular life experience with dance and to show how studying dance has helped me become the strong nursing leader I am today.

African Dance Aesthetics in a K-12 Dance Setting: From History to Social Justice

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Sheila A.

2013-01-01

This article invites the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the aesthetics of African-based dance through the elements of tradition, transformation, and social justice. A discussion of the aesthetics of African dances within Africa and throughout the African diaspora opens the doors to present these dances in a K-12 setting, to explore a…

Creative performance under pressure: an integrative conceptual framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gutnik, D.; Walter, F.; Nijstad, B.A.; de Dreu, C.K.W.

2012-01-01

Creativity is the cornerstone of organizational success in today’s economy. At the same time, employees face considerable work pressure, which might undermine their creativity. This article integrates theoretical perspectives from the stress and creativity literatures to develop a new model that

What? Me? Teach Dance? Background and Confidence of Primary Preservice Teachers in Dance Education across Five Countries

Science.gov (United States)

Russell-Bowie, Deirdre E.

2013-01-01

In primary schools across many countries, dance is now included within the arts key learning area with its own outcomes and content. But as future teachers of dance and other art forms, how do preservice generalist primary teachers perceive their background and confidence in relation to dance and dance education? This study investigates the…

Why We Think We Can't Dance: Theory of Mind and Children's Desire to Perform

Science.gov (United States)

Chaplin, Lan Nguyen; Norton, Michael I.

2015-01-01

Theory of mind (ToM) allows children to achieve success in the social world by understanding others' minds. A study with 3- to 12-year-olds, however, demonstrates that gains in ToM are linked to decreases in children's desire to engage in performative behaviors associated with health and well-being, such as singing and dancing. One hundred and…

[Dance/Movement Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenichel, Emily, Ed.

1994-01-01

This newsletter theme issue focuses on dance, play, and movement therapy for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Individual articles are: "Join My Dance: The Unique Movement Style of Each Infant and Toddler Can Invite Communication, Expression and Intervention" (Suzi Tortora); "Dynamic Play Therapy: An Integrated Expressive Arts Approach to…

Dancing with the regulations - Part Deux

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nitschke, R.L.

1995-01-01

The disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) in the United States has long been subjected to two very similar regulations depending upon the location. Disposal sites located on Department of Energy (DOE) Reservations are subject to DOE Order 5820.2A open-quotes Radioactive Waste Management,close quotes while disposal sites located elsewhere are subject to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation 10 CFR 61 open-quotes Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste.close quotes While life was not necessarily good, there was only one sheet of music to dance to. Recently a new player, named CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), has ridden into those DOE towns, and for those whose disposal facilities lie within or adjacent to Superfund sites, she has brought along a different drum to dance to. This paper discusses the differences and similarities between the different dance partners and their associated musical scores (i.e., the performance assessment (PA) required by the DOE order and the baseline risk assessment (BRA) required by CERCLA). The paper then provides a brief discussion on the latest dancer to cut in: the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). This discussion should help to alleviate the confusion while dancing on the LLW disposal regulatory ballroom floor

Dancing with the regulations - Part Deux

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nitschke, R.L. [Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies, Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

1995-12-31

The disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) in the United States has long been subjected to two very similar regulations depending upon the location. Disposal sites located on Department of Energy (DOE) Reservations are subject to DOE Order 5820.2A {open_quotes}Radioactive Waste Management,{close_quotes} while disposal sites located elsewhere are subject to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulation 10 CFR 61 {open_quotes}Licensing Requirements for Land Disposal of Radioactive Waste.{close_quotes} While life was not necessarily good, there was only one sheet of music to dance to. Recently a new player, named CERCLA (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act), has ridden into those DOE towns, and for those whose disposal facilities lie within or adjacent to Superfund sites, she has brought along a different drum to dance to. This paper discusses the differences and similarities between the different dance partners and their associated musical scores (i.e., the performance assessment (PA) required by the DOE order and the baseline risk assessment (BRA) required by CERCLA). The paper then provides a brief discussion on the latest dancer to cut in: the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB). This discussion should help to alleviate the confusion while dancing on the LLW disposal regulatory ballroom floor.

Afro-American Music and Dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Floyd, Samuel A., Jr.

1989-01-01

Outlines the concurrent development of Black music and Black dance in the United States, and describes the interaction of the two genres throughout their mutually dependent evolutions. Traces the histories of the dances of African American culture, known collectively as "jazz dance," in relation to ragtime, jazz, and the blues. (AF)

The Buffering Effect of Mindfulness on Abusive Supervision and Creative Performance: A Social Cognitive Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Xiaoming; Liu, Xin

2017-01-01

Our research draws upon social cognitive theory and incorporates a regulatory approach to investigate why and when abusive supervision influences employee creative performance. The analyses of data from multiple time points and multiple sources reveal that abusive supervision hampers employee self-efficacy at work, which in turn impairs employee creative performance. Further, employee mindfulness buffers the negative effects of abusive supervision on employee self-efficacy at work as well as the indirect effects of abusive supervision on employee creative performance. Our findings have implications for both theory and practice. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

The Buffering Effect of Mindfulness on Abusive Supervision and Creative Performance: A Social Cognitive Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoming Zheng

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Our research draws upon social cognitive theory and incorporates a regulatory approach to investigate why and when abusive supervision influences employee creative performance. The analyses of data from multiple time points and multiple sources reveal that abusive supervision hampers employee self-efficacy at work, which in turn impairs employee creative performance. Further, employee mindfulness buffers the negative effects of abusive supervision on employee self-efficacy at work as well as the indirect effects of abusive supervision on employee creative performance. Our findings have implications for both theory and practice. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.

Dancing Aikido

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Susanne

to defend them-selves effectively. The incorporation of aikido-movement requires them to train to being able to adjust their sense of energy in their movement according to the energy sensed in the interaction with their actual partner attacking them. At the same time, aikido is practiced in a setting which......The martial art form of aikido can be related to the development of the dance genre of contact improvisation as well as to different kinds of dance training. Having this relation to dance practices in mind, the aim of this paper is to explore how an embodied sense of energy is developed...... in the interactional settings of aikido training. Methodologically, the exploration of aikido practices draws on auto-ethnographical methodologies and recent phenomenological discussions and explorations of interaction. In the training of aikido, practitioners focus on developing an embodied competence of how...

DANCEMAKING IN UNEXPECTED PLACES: MOLDOVAN MUSIC AND VERTICAL DANCE IN WYOMING

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GARNETT RODNEY

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Since 1998, vertical dance at the University of Wyoming has been an active catalyst for interactions among choreographers and dancers, composers and musical performers, audiences, rock climbers, and others. Outdoor performances at an impressive geologic formation have consistently drawn large audiences, and allowed choreographer and performer Margaret Wilson to consider the ways that vertical dancers come to embody widely varying environments through heightened sensitivity, improvisation, and other processes of “tuning in” (Hunter 2015: 181 to the world around them. In 2013, as I stood on a high ledge on the massive Vedauwoo rock formation in Wyoming, I found that the sound of Moldovan nai naturally became a part of our outdoor environment as it echoed off of the rocks and projected out into the forest. Our pianist had begun to embody an effective sense of how to collaborate with dancers and their movement having accompanied their classes for many years. Nai easily became an integral part of her musical compositions. Musicians who are more closely focused on devices such as instruments, sheet music, and microphones have been less able to improvise and interact spontaneously with the sensory world of vertical dance. Listening closely to create their best sound makes them less sensitive to distant aural, visual, and sensory phenomena that would allow them to embody their environment along with other performers and their audiences. In seeking to better adapt to variable vertical dance settings, I found that Moldovan nai is especially well-suited for collaborating with other instruments and dancers in vertical dance environments. Moldovan melodies and rhythms have also become an important element of both outdoor and indoor vertical dance performances in Wyoming. The broader movement, of playing panflute is more like dancing than the smaller movements required for playing transverse flutes. In addition, the social essence of learning and

Virtual Dance and Motion-Capture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marc Boucher

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A general view of various ways in which virtual dance can be understood is presented in the first part of this article. It then appraises the uses of the term “virtual” in previous studies of digital dance. A more in-depth view of virtual dance as it relates to motion-capture is offered, and key issues are discussed regarding computer animation, digital imaging, motion signature, virtual reality and interactivity. The paper proposes that some forms of virtual dance be defined in relation to both digital technologies and contemporary theories of virtuality.

Irish set dancing classes for people with Parkinson's disease: The needs of participants and dance teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanahan, Joanne; Bhriain, Orfhlaith Ní; Morris, Meg E; Volpe, Daniele; Clifford, Amanda M

2016-08-01

As the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease increases, there is a need to develop initiatives that promote health and wellbeing and support self-management. Additionally, as exercise may slow physical decline, there is a need to develop methods that facilitate greater engagement with community-based exercise. The aim of this study is to examine the needs of (1) people with Parkinson's disease and (2) set dancing teachers to enable the development of participant-centred community set dance classes. A mixed methods study design was used. Two consensus group discussions using nominal group technique were held to (1) identify factors pertaining to the needs of people with Parkinson's disease from a set dance class and (2) the educational needs of set dancing teachers to enable them to teach set dancing to people with Parkinson's disease. Group discussions began with silent generation of ideas. A round-robin discussion and grouping of ideas into broader topic areas followed. Finally, participants ranked, by order of priority (1-5), the topic areas developed. Final data analysis involved summation of participants' ranking scores for each topic area. Rich information on the needs of people with Parkinson's disease from a dance class and the educational guidance sought by set dancing teachers was gathered. Topic areas developed include "teaching method" for set dances and "class environment". Accessing community exercise programmes is important for this population. The results of this study will inform the development of an educational resource on Parkinson's disease for set dancing teachers. This resource may facilitate a larger number of teachers to establish sustainable community set dancing classes for people with Parkinson's disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

British Dance: Black Routes

OpenAIRE

Adair, C.; Burt, Ramsay, 1953-

2016-01-01

British Dance: Black Routes re-examines the distinctive contributions made to British dance by dancers who are Black. Covering the period 1946 to the present, it presents a radical re-reading of dancers and their companies, placing their achievements within a broader historical, cultural and artistic context. The result of a two year research project, British Dance and the African Diaspora, led by editors Christy Adair and Ramsay Burt, the collection looks at artists working with contempor...

Incremental effects of reward on creativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberger, R; Rhoades, L

2001-10-01

The authors examined 2 ways reward might increase creativity. First, reward contingent on creativity might increase extrinsic motivation. Studies 1 and 2 found that repeatedly giving preadolescent students reward for creative performance in 1 task increased their creativity in subsequent tasks. Study 3 reported that reward promised for creativity increased college students' creative task performance. Second, expected reward for high performance might increase creativity by enhancing perceived self-determination and, therefore, intrinsic task interest. Study 4 found that employees' intrinsic job interest mediated a positive relationship between expected reward for high performance and creative suggestions offered at work. Study 5 found that employees' perceived self-determination mediated a positive relationship between expected reward for high performance and the creativity of anonymous suggestions for helping the organization.

Cultural Difference in Stereotype Perceptions and Performances in Nonverbal Deductive Reasoning and Creativity

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Regine; Niu, Weihua

2013-01-01

A total of 182 undergraduate students from China and the United States participated in a study examining the presence of stereotypical perceptions regarding creativity and deductive reasoning abilities, as well as the influence of stereotype on participants' performance on deductive reasoning and creativity in nonverbal form. The results showed…

Naturalistic music and dance: Cortical phase synchrony in musicians and dancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Poikonen, Hanna; Toiviainen, Petri; Tervaniemi, Mari

2018-01-01

Expertise in music has been investigated for decades and the results have been applied not only in composition, performance and music education, but also in understanding brain plasticity in a larger context. Several studies have revealed a strong connection between auditory and motor processes and listening to and performing music, and music imagination. Recently, as a logical next step in music and movement, the cognitive and affective neurosciences have been directed towards expertise in dance. To understand the versatile and overlapping processes during artistic stimuli, such as music and dance, it is necessary to study them with continuous naturalistic stimuli. Thus, we used long excerpts from the contemporary dance piece Carmen presented with and without music to professional dancers, musicians, and laymen in an EEG laboratory. We were interested in the cortical phase synchrony within each participant group over several frequency bands during uni- and multimodal processing. Dancers had strengthened theta and gamma synchrony during music relative to silence and silent dance, whereas the presence of music decreased systematically the alpha and beta synchrony in musicians. Laymen were the only group of participants with significant results related to dance. Future studies are required to understand whether these results are related to some other factor (such as familiarity to the stimuli), or if our results reveal a new point of view to dance observation and expertise.

Naturalistic music and dance: Cortical phase synchrony in musicians and dancers

Science.gov (United States)

Toiviainen, Petri; Tervaniemi, Mari

2018-01-01

Expertise in music has been investigated for decades and the results have been applied not only in composition, performance and music education, but also in understanding brain plasticity in a larger context. Several studies have revealed a strong connection between auditory and motor processes and listening to and performing music, and music imagination. Recently, as a logical next step in music and movement, the cognitive and affective neurosciences have been directed towards expertise in dance. To understand the versatile and overlapping processes during artistic stimuli, such as music and dance, it is necessary to study them with continuous naturalistic stimuli. Thus, we used long excerpts from the contemporary dance piece Carmen presented with and without music to professional dancers, musicians, and laymen in an EEG laboratory. We were interested in the cortical phase synchrony within each participant group over several frequency bands during uni- and multimodal processing. Dancers had strengthened theta and gamma synchrony during music relative to silence and silent dance, whereas the presence of music decreased systematically the alpha and beta synchrony in musicians. Laymen were the only group of participants with significant results related to dance. Future studies are required to understand whether these results are related to some other factor (such as familiarity to the stimuli), or if our results reveal a new point of view to dance observation and expertise. PMID:29672597

Influences of Aerobic Dance on Cognitive Performance in Adults with Schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming-De; Kuo, Yu-Hsin; Chang, Yen-Ching; Hsu, Su-Ting; Kuo, Chang-Chih; Chang, Jyh-Jong

2016-12-01

Cognitive impairment is one of the core features of schizophrenia. This study examined the influences of an aerobic dance programme on the cognitive functions of people with schizophrenia. A quasi-experimental matched-control design was applied. The experimental group (n = 17) participated in a 60-minute aerobic dance group class three times a week for 3 months. The control group (n = 19) participated in colouring and handwriting activities. Cognitive functions were measured before and after the interventions for both groups. The intervention group experienced significant improvements in processing speed, memory and executive function, whereas no significant changes were noted in any measures in the control group. While there were no significant between-group differences, the data showed approximately medium effect sizes that favoured the intervention group in regard to processing speed (Cohen's d = 0.51), memory (d = 0.35-0.41) and the spontaneity and fluency aspects of executive function (d = 0.51). While the small sample size and lack of randomization were the primary methodological shortcomings, this study provides preliminary results supporting aerobic dance as an adjunct activity-based intervention to improve cognitive functions in people with schizophrenia. More rigorous studies are needed to validate the findings. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Disrupting privilege, identity, and meaning: A reflexive dance of environmental education

Science.gov (United States)

Neilson, Alison Laurie

By inviting educators from diverse backgrounds to participate in creative conversations, I had hoped to reflect on experiences that had helped construct our theories of environmental education, and inform practice. I sought consistency across the espoused ethics of co-participants, namely critical perspectives grounded in environmental justice. However, this quest was interrupted by a growing awareness of the interference of power dynamics between myself and the other participants, and of my own commitment to respect the stories being told. This narrative describes my "dance" of meaning making. The community dance examining privilege, identity and meaning is a study of how I may be contributing to the same oppressive situations I passionately strive to work against. Concepts of knowledge, power, and identity ebbed and flowed within stories drawn from the mountains of Tanzania to the hills of Colombia, and from the frozen shores of Kirkland Lake to the trout filled streams of Karman, Iran. Making meaning is itself an act of power and privilege, so I danced to make room for multiple understandings of these stories, of environmental education, and of research. This work offers an experience of disruption that raises questions and broadens the inclusion of people, ideas and other life into "accepted" research and pedagogical practices. Conventions embedded within research and education were disrupted throughout this reflexive process. As the author of this text, I was uncomfortable with the role of being the dominant voice, and consciously chose not to impose my interpretation on the stories shared by co-participants. The struggle to resist the very privilege in which my own education practice and this research process are so deeply steeped revealed normative forces that often threaten to undermine attempts by educators and researchers to act according to critical theories and environmental justice ethics. To accept the invitation to dance with the text is to step into

Development of Nora Performance and Management System for Creative Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sriaroon Ruangrit

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This research study on “Development of Nora Performance and Management System for Creative Economy” is a qualitative research that aims to study 1 historical background, popular traditions, beliefs and management system of Nora performance; 2 problems encountered pertaining Nora performance and its management system; and 3 an appropriate model for development of Nora performance and management system for the creative economy. The target area of the research is a selection of 6 Nora performance teams in 3 provinces – Pathalung, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Trang. The research methods are comprised of documentation studies, observations, interviews, group discussion and workshop. Data analysis was performed through a descriptive analysis. The research findings show that historical background of Nora ensembles are mostly derived and promoted from the families, relatives and other interested group of people. The research also finds that there are 9 elements of Nora performance, which comprise 1 the theater and scenes to be used for Nora performance; 2 the outstanding costumes to be used; 3 the musical instruments; 4 light and sound decoration; 5 the number of performers (20-70; 6 the stories to be performed; 7 the manager; 8 the popular traditions of performance; 9 Nora traditional beliefs. In terms of problems encountered, it was found that the popularity of Nora performance has decreased, since nowadays there is more technological media, thereby decreasing the amount of revenue and the degree of Nora inheritance. The research found that in developing Nora performance and management system for creative economy, the local curriculum should be developed for school use or educational academies. Besides, it may be developed in the form of a website database, books and videos, all of which should be aimed to meet public relations targets and distribution as well as to increase revenue. The local institutions should render cooperation and frequently

The Integration of Voice and Dance Techniques in Musical Theatre: Anatomical Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Morton, Jennie

2015-06-01

Musical theatre performers are required to be proficient in the three artistic disciplines of dancing, singing, and acting, although in today's modern productions, there is often a requirement to incorporate other skills such as acrobatics and the playing of an instrument. This article focuses on the issues faced by performers when dancing and voicing simultaneously, as it is between these two disciplines where we see the greatest pedagogical divide in terms of breath management and muscle recruitment patterns. The traditional teaching methods of dance and voice techniques are examined, areas of conflict highlighted, and solutions proposed through an exploration of the relevant anatomy.

Remixing the Dance Education Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Koff, Susan R.

2017-01-01

Dance Education and Music Education are not the same, but are often considered together as Arts Education along with Theatre Education and Art Education. The history of Dance Education as a discipline is much shorter than Music Education, so Dance Education often looks to music education for leadership as well as scholarship. Remixing the…

More than just dancing: experiences of people with Parkinson's disease in a therapeutic dance program.

Science.gov (United States)

Bognar, Stephanie; DeFaria, Anne Marie; O'Dwyer, Casey; Pankiw, Elana; Simic Bogler, Jennifer; Teixeira, Suzanne; Nyhof-Young, Joyce; Evans, Cathy

2017-06-01

To understand why individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) participate in a community-based therapeutic dance program and to explore its influence on perceived physical, social and emotional well-being of participants. A qualitative descriptive design was employed using one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Individuals with PD who participated in the Dancing with Parkinson's program were recruited from two locations. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, de-identified and then placed into NVivo 10 software for analysis. A content analysis approach was used with an inductive analysis method to generate a coding scheme. Group discussion facilitated development of overarching themes. Ten participants' responses revealed that the dance program allows for self-improvement and regaining identity through disease self-management. Positive influences of socialization arose through the class, decreasing isolation and improving quality of life. Participants communicate through music and dance to enhance connection with others. Dancing with Parkinson's classes allow for re-development of the social self, which can increase sense of enjoyment in life. Dance programs provide opportunities for social interaction, non-verbal communication and self-improvement, reestablishing self-identity and a sense of usefulness. This study provides unique insight into the experience of participating in a dance program from the perspective of individuals with PD. Implications for rehabilitation Dance is emerging as a strategy to address the physical and psychosocial effects of Parkinson's disease (PD), but little is known regarding participants' perceptions of community-based therapeutic dance programs for PD. This study found that Dancing with Parkinson's (DWP) facilitated an improvement in social participation, resulting in decreased isolation and improved quality of life. Participation in the DWP program can facilitate a positive change in perspective and attitude toward a PD

From Square Dance to Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Bremer, Zoe

2010-01-01

In this article, the author suggests a cross-curricular idea that can link with PE, dance, music and history. Teacher David Schmitz, a maths teacher in Illinois who was also a square dance caller, had developed a maths course that used the standard square dance syllabus to teach mathematical principles. He presents an intensive, two-week course…

Flow, affect and visual creativity.

Science.gov (United States)

Cseh, Genevieve M; Phillips, Louise H; Pearson, David G

2015-01-01

Flow (being in the zone) is purported to have positive consequences in terms of affect and performance; however, there is no empirical evidence about these links in visual creativity. Positive affect often--but inconsistently--facilitates creativity, and both may be linked to experiencing flow. This study aimed to determine relationships between these variables within visual creativity. Participants performed the creative mental synthesis task to simulate the creative process. Affect change (pre- vs. post-task) and flow were measured via questionnaires. The creativity of synthesis drawings was rated objectively and subjectively by judges. Findings empirically demonstrate that flow is related to affect improvement during visual creativity. Affect change was linked to productivity and self-rated creativity, but no other objective or subjective performance measures. Flow was unrelated to all external performance measures but was highly correlated with self-rated creativity; flow may therefore motivate perseverance towards eventual excellence rather than provide direct cognitive enhancement.

Effect of Folk Dance Training on Blood Oxidative Stress Level, Lipids, and Lipoproteins

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Okdan Bora

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Folk dance is a form of physical activity which helps develop the ability to use the whole body in a coordinated way with music, and folk dancers’ characteristics vary according to the particular type of dance practised in a given geographic region. The aims of the study were to evaluate the effects of 12-week folk dance training on blood oxidative stress level, lipids, lipoproteins, as well as muscle damage markers and to define some physical and physiological properties of folk dancers. Material and methods. Thirty-eight healthy male folk dancers aged 21-28 years having an average of 11 years of dance training experience voluntarily participated in the study. All of the physical and physiological measurements and the blood analysis were performed twice, before and after the training period which focused on different regional dances (Caucasus, Bar, Zeybek, Spoon Dance, Thracian dances, and Horon. The training was done 2 hours per day (a total of 10 hours a week, during a 12-week-long period. Results. All the blood parameters were found to be within the specified reference ranges. The training programme had no significant effect on the blood lipid profile, whereas it was found to have positive effects on body fat (p ≤ 0.012, peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak; p = 0.000, muscle damage markers (creatine kinase, Δ% = −19.6, and total antioxidant capacity (p ≤ 0.002. Conclusions. Regular folk dance training was found to have positive effects on body fat, VO2peak, blood total antioxidant capacity, and muscle damage markers. Based on these results, the community should be encouraged to perform folk dance as a recreational physical activity, and public awareness should be raised about the health benefits of practising folk dances.

Specific mindfulness skills differentially predict creative performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baas, M.; Nevicka, B.; ten Velden, F.S.

2014-01-01

Past work has linked mindfulness to improved emotion regulation, interpersonal skills, and basic cognitive abilities, but is unclear about the relation between mindfulness and creativity. Studies examining effects of mindfulness on factors pertinent to creativity suggest a uniform and positive

May I have the next dance? Chinese gay men exploring selves and practices through the tradition of dance in public spaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Miège, Pierre

2017-11-07

This study explores the way in which some Chinese gay men negotiate dance performances in parks and other public spaces in an attempt to invent and experiment with 'possible selves'. In most circumstances, these same men conceal their sexual orientation for fear of stigma and discrimination, experiencing in the process something of a 'divided self'. Little attention has been given to understanding the way such individuals negotiate and construct same-sex experiences, especially through the negotiation of specific and restricted social interactions and performances. Based on participant observation with a group of dancers practising in a Chinese public park, this paper analyses how these men explore same-sex relations and lifestyles through the circumscribed performance of collective public dance.

Assessment method of digital Chinese dance movements based on virtual reality technology

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Wei; Shao, Shuyuan; Wang, Shumin

2008-03-01

Virtual reality has played an increasing role in such areas as medicine, architecture, aviation, engineering science and advertising. However, in the art fields, virtual reality is still in its infancy in the representation of human movements. Based on the techniques of motion capture and reuse of motion capture data in virtual reality environment, this paper presents an assessment method in order to evaluate the quantification of dancers' basic Arm Position movements in Chinese traditional dance. In this paper, the data for quantifying traits of dance motions are defined and measured on dancing which performed by an expert and two beginners, with results indicating that they are beneficial for evaluating dance skills and distinctiveness, and the assessment method of digital Chinese dance movements based on virtual reality technology is validity and feasibility.

Creative Thinking and Creative Performance in Adolescents as Predictors of Creative Attainments in Adults: A Follow-Up Study after 18 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Milgram, Roberta M.; Hong, Eunsook

1993-01-01

Results of an 18-year longitudinal study of 48 Israeli high school students who were seniors at the study's start suggest that measures of creative thinking and creative leisure activities were more important than school-oriented predictors of intelligence and school grades in predicting creative attainments in adults. (DB)

How To Dance through Time. Volume VI: A 19th Century Ball--The Charm of Group Dances. [Videotape].

Science.gov (United States)

Teten, Carol

This 48-minute VHS videotape is the sixth in a series of "How To Dance Through Time" videos. It shows the festivity of the 19th century group dances, enabling the viewer to plan and participate in the elegant opening to the ball, a refined square dance, and flirtatious Cotillion dancing games. Professional dancers demonstrate the…

The socio-cultural implications of African music and dance ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper sets out to discuss the socio-cultural implications of African music and dance. To this end, the paper looks at African music, African dance and human culture, kinds of dance, dance and the human body, dance and the society, the interrelationship between African music and dance, the importance of dance to the ...

Students Awareness towards Traditional Cultural Dances in Sarawak, Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad R. Albattat

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Malaysia has many ethnic groups, and each ethnic group has own custom and tradition that most Malaysians are not aware, especially traditional dances. Among the Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak, situated in the Borneo Island have the most diverse ethnic groups in Sarawak. It has more than 30 ethnic groups. Each of the ethnic groups has its own language, cultures and lifestyle. In this regards, this research focuses on the main ethnic groups of Sarawak which are Orang Ulu, Malays, Melanau, Bidayuh, Chinese and Ibans. The aim of this study is to investigate the level of awareness among the Management and Science University (MSU students regarding their level of awareness and knowledge about traditional dances of Sarawak. The data were gathered by distributing questionnaires among MSU students. The data were then analysed using SPSS system version 18.0. Results concluded that, most of MSU students have limited knowledge about Sarawak traditional dances. Interests, internet, performing arts clubs and family background are the independent variable factors to learn and gain knowledge about Sarawak traditional dances. The level of awareness among MSU students towards Sarawak traditional dances can be enhanced through events and special occasions to increase level of awareness towards Sarawak cultures. The government plays a major role in introducing Sarawak cultures to the whole of Malaysia. Future studies could focus on factors that influence the level of awareness towards Sarawak traditional dances, and the contribution of Sarawak’s traditional dances to Malaysia’s cultural and heritage tourism.

Collective identity and dance in modern urban Greece

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Filippos Filippou

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to trace the way some cultural groups demonstrate their identity through dance in the contemporary urban society. The survey follows revelry with folk music, singing and dancing organized by a local cultural troupe on the occasion of a feast day. The collection of the ethnographic data relied on long standing observation and the video recording of the revelries between 2000 and 2005. Further information was gathered with the means of a closed questionnaire and open question interviews. In the process of the material two theories were mainly employed: the performance theory and the theory of collective identity in postmodern culture. To sum up, we would say that dance as presented on the feast day reflects the local “multicultural” society’s characteristics. It retains its dynamic with its entity, function and content to be composed of agricultural and urban features. Dance continues to exist since it has the potential to adjust to each time social, economic and historical circumstances.

Health-Related Quality of Life in University Dance Students.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Hayley M; Hoch, Johanna M; Hoch, Matthew C

2018-03-01

Injuries are common among dancers and may negatively affect health-related quality of life (HRQL). The modified Disablement in the Physically Active Scale (mDPA) is a generic patient-reported outcome instrument that could be used when providing care to patients participating in performing arts. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the internal consistency of the mDPA and assess overall HRQL using the mDPA in university dance students. Thirty-one female university dance students completed the mDPA during one data collection session. Higher scores on the Physical Summary Component (mDPA-PSC), the Mental Summary Component (mDPAMSC), and mDPA-Total indicated increased disablement. The internal consistency was determined using Cronbachs alpha. The mDPA-Total, mDPA-PSC, and mDPAMSC scores were examined descriptively using mean and standard deviations. Individual item responses were also examined. The proportion of university dance students with clinically relevant levels of disablement on the mDPA-Total was examined using a previously established minimally clinically important difference value. The internal consistency for the mDPA-MSC (a=0.91) and mDPATotal (a=0.90) was excellent and good for the mDPA-PSC (a=0.88). A large proportion (71%) of university dance students demonstrated clinically relevant levels of disablement despite fully participating in dance-related activities. Pain, impaired motion, and stress were the greatest contributors to increased disablement in these individuals. The mDPA scores observed in this pilot study indicate that many dance students experience levels of disablement and decreased HRQL which may warrant physical and mental intervention. Clinicians providing healthcare services to performing artists should consider using the mDPA to provide patient-centered care.

Differences in Itself: Redefining Disability through Dance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolien Hermans

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This paper brings together two different terms: dance and disability. This encounter between dance and disability might be seen as an unusual, even conflicting, one since dance is traditionally dominated by aesthetic virtuosity and perfect, idealized bodies which are under optimized bodily control. However, recently there has been a growing desire within dance communities and professional dance companies to challenge binary thinking (beautiful-ugly, perfect-imperfect, valid-invalid, success-failure by incorporating an aesthetic of difference. The traditional focus of dance on appearance (shape, technique, virtuosity is replaced by a focus on how movement is connected to a sense of self. This notion of the subjective body not only applies to the dancer's body but also to disabled bodies. Instead of thinking of a body as a thing, an object (Körper that is defined by its physical appearance, dance is more and more seduced by the body as we sense it, feel it and live it (Leib. This conceptual shift in dance is illustrated by a theoretical analysis of The Cost of Living, a dance film produced by DV8.

Dance choreography is coordinated with song repertoire in a complex avian display.

Science.gov (United States)

Dalziell, Anastasia H; Peters, Richard A; Cockburn, Andrew; Dorland, Alexandra D; Maisey, Alex C; Magrath, Robert D

2013-06-17

All human cultures have music and dance, and the two activities are so closely integrated that many languages use just one word to describe both. Recent research points to a deep cognitive connection between music and dance-like movements in humans, fueling speculation that music and dance have coevolved and prompting the need for studies of audiovisual displays in other animals. However, little is known about how nonhuman animals integrate acoustic and movement display components. One striking property of human displays is that performers coordinate dance with music by matching types of dance movements with types of music, as when dancers waltz to waltz music. Here, we show that a bird also temporally coordinates a repertoire of song types with a repertoire of dance-like movements. During displays, male superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) sing four different song types, matching each with a unique set of movements and delivering song and dance types in a predictable sequence. Crucially, display movements are both unnecessary for the production of sound and voluntary, because males sometimes sing without dancing. Thus, the coordination of independently produced repertoires of acoustic and movement signals is not a uniquely human trait. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Predicting academic performance through perceptions of the family atmosphere with the mediation of creative thinking

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Mahmoud Zarejamalabadi

2017-09-01

Conclusion: Since family atmosphere perceptions as well as creative thinking have a significant effect on academic performance, the role of parents towards their children and also creative thinking training is very important. 

Differential effects of tango versus Dance for PD in Parkinson disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie E McNeely

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Over half of the general population does not achieve recommended daily levels of physical activity, and activity levels in people with Parkinson disease (PD are lower than in healthy older adults. Dance can serve as an adjunct to traditional treatments to improve gait, balance, and quality of life in people with PD. This study directly compares a tango dance intervention and a dance intervention based on the Dance for PD model which integrates multiple dance styles. Eleven people with PD participated in a community-based mixed styles dance intervention called Dance for Parkinson’s (D4PD. Participants in the D4PD group were matched to participants in an ongoing community-based exercise study who participated in tango dance. The groups received 12 weeks of intervention, attending one-hour group classes twice a week. Participants were evaluated off anti-PD medication before and after intervention. Measures of balance, repeated sit-to-stand performance and endurance (Mini-BESTest, four square step test, five times sit to stand, six minute walk time improved from pre to post similarly in both groups. Motor sign severity (MDS-UPDRS-III and functional mobility (TUG improved in the tango group and worsened in the D4PD group. Gait velocity was not affected by either intervention. Direct comparisons of different interventions are critical for developing optimal exercise interventions designed to specifically target motor impairments in PD. Tango dance interventions may preferentially improve mobility and motor signs in people with PD, compared to D4PD.

Wild and free: Unpredictability and spaciousness as predictors of creative performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Rompay, Thomas Johannes Lucas; Jol, Tineke

2016-01-01

Inspired by research that demonstrates the positive effects of nature-based imagery on wellbeing and cognitive performance, the current research aims to study to what extent nature imagery can also enhance creative performance. To this end, imagery presenting green settings varying in

Dancing Intercorporeality: A Health Humanities Perspective on Dance as a Healing Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Purser, Aimie

2017-12-20

As a contribution to the burgeoning field of health humanities, this paper seeks to explore the power of dance to mitigate human suffering and reacquaint us with what it means to be human through bringing the embodied practice of dance into dialogue with the work of the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Merleau-Ponty's conceptualisation of subjectivity as embodied and of intersubjectivity as intercorporeality frees us from many of the constraints of Cartesian thinking and opens up a new way of thinking about how dance functions as a healing art through its ability to ground and reconnect us with self, world, and others--with our humanity. It is argued that through a Merleau-Pontian framework, we can come to appreciate the true potential of dance as a positive and deeply humanising experience, demonstrating how expressive arts practice understood through the lens of philosophical theory can open up new dimensions of understanding and experience in relation to well-being and self- (and other-) care.

Speaking without words: Zorba's dance

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Hnaraki Maria

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Anthony Quinn 'teaching dance' on the island of Crete to the music of Mikis Theodorakis is a popular image that portrays Greeks as extremely emotional passionate and spontaneous. This paper shows the importance of dancing in Greek culture and how Greeks talk through their body by examining Kazantzakis character, Zorba, who 'has many things to say but would rather dance them'.

Dancing for Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Trial of Irish Set Dancing Compared With Usual Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanahan, Joanne; Morris, Meg E; Bhriain, Orfhlaith Ni; Volpe, Daniele; Lynch, Tim; Clifford, Amanda M

2017-09-01

To examine the feasibility of a randomized controlled study design and to explore the benefits of a set dancing intervention compared with usual care. Randomized controlled design, with participants randomized to Irish set dance classes or a usual care group. Community based. Individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD) (N=90). The dance group attended a 1.5-hour dancing class each week for 10 weeks and undertook a home dance program for 20 minutes, 3 times per week. The usual care group continued with their usual care and daily activities. The primary outcome was feasibility, determined by recruitment rates, success of randomization and allocation procedures, attrition, adherence, safety, willingness of participants to be randomized, resource availability, and cost. Secondary outcomes were motor function (motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale), quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39), functional endurance (6-min walk test), and balance (mini-BESTest). Ninety participants were randomized (45 per group). There were no adverse effects or resource constraints. Although adherence to the dancing program was 93.5%, there was >40% attrition in each group. Postintervention, the dance group had greater nonsignificant gains in quality of life than the usual care group. There was a meaningful deterioration in endurance in the usual care group. There were no meaningful changes in other outcomes. The exit questionnaire showed participants enjoyed the classes and would like to continue participation. For people with mild to moderately severe PD, set dancing is feasible and enjoyable and may improve quality of life. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creativity associated with the application of a motivational intervention programme for the teaching of dance at school and its effect on the both genders.

Science.gov (United States)

Amado, Diana; Sánchez-Miguel, Pedro Antonio; Molero, Pablo

2017-01-01

The current study reviews processes of teaching-learning based on creativity, with the application by teachers of several strategies to support the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The aim is to learn the effect of pupil's gender on their motivational level and the psychological consequences that might arise in the cognitive, affective, and behavioural domains. A quasi-experimental study was carried out at four schools in Mexico, with 12 physical education teachers and 40 natural groups of pupils aged between 11 and 17 (M = 13.17). The groups were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (24 groups, 447 pupils) or a control group (16 groups, 474 pupils). A prior training programme was carried out with the teachers in the experimental group to enable them to support the psychological need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Initial and final measurements were taken in both groups, and the results revealed that independently of the programme used, girls showed higher motivation and positive psychological consequences in the teaching of dance compared to the male participants. In conclusion, it is important to continue with research and set a methodology that addresses those differences, dedicating the necessary time and treatment to resolve their questions and necessities.

Creativity associated with the application of a motivational intervention programme for the teaching of dance at school and its effect on the both genders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Amado

Full Text Available The current study reviews processes of teaching-learning based on creativity, with the application by teachers of several strategies to support the need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The aim is to learn the effect of pupil's gender on their motivational level and the psychological consequences that might arise in the cognitive, affective, and behavioural domains. A quasi-experimental study was carried out at four schools in Mexico, with 12 physical education teachers and 40 natural groups of pupils aged between 11 and 17 (M = 13.17. The groups were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (24 groups, 447 pupils or a control group (16 groups, 474 pupils. A prior training programme was carried out with the teachers in the experimental group to enable them to support the psychological need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Initial and final measurements were taken in both groups, and the results revealed that independently of the programme used, girls showed higher motivation and positive psychological consequences in the teaching of dance compared to the male participants. In conclusion, it is important to continue with research and set a methodology that addresses those differences, dedicating the necessary time and treatment to resolve their questions and necessities.

Dance/Movement Therapy: A Unique Career Opportunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Armeniox, Leslie Flint

Dance and movement therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the body, dance, and movement as the primary mediums for the therapeutic process. Dance is a fundamental art form that involves the body as an instrument of self-expression; movement is a universal means of learning and communicating. Dance and movement therapy is the…

The Influence of Proactive Green Innovation and Reactive Green Innovation on Green Product Development Performance: The Mediation Role of Green Creativity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Shan Chen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This study fills the research gap in the exploration of the relationships between both proactive and reactive green innovations and green product development performance, and examines the mediating effect of green creativity. Structural equation modeling (SEM is utilized to test the hypotheses. From the sample of 146 valid respondents, the results show that proactive green innovation positively affects green creativity and green product development performance, and green creativity positively affects green product development performance. In addition, our findings also indicate that the relationship between proactive green innovation and green product development performance is partially mediated by green creativity. Accordingly, green creativity plays a critical role for companies to achieve a great green product development performance. However, reactive green innovation does not significantly influence green creativity and green product development performance. Companies should develop proactive green innovation rather than reactive green innovation in order to enhance their green creativity and increase their product development performance.

First Lecture of Collide@CERN Geneva for Dance and Performance: Gilles Jobin artist in residency and his inspiration partner Joao Pequenao

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2012-01-01

CERN, jointly with Canton and City of Geneva, presents the public lecture of Gilles Jobin, the first winner of the Prix Collide@CERN Geneva, residency award for Dance and Performance arts, and his inspiration partner. They will present their work in dance and science at the CERN Globe of Science and Innovation on Wendesday 23 May 2012 at 19h (open doors at 18.30h) Refreshments will be served afterwards. Please reserve your places for you and your friends by contacting merce.monje.cano@cern.ch. +41 22 76 75246 We very much look forward to seeing you there.

Dance movement therapy for dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Karkou, Vicky; Meekums, Bonnie

2017-02-03

Dementia is a collective name for different degenerative brain syndromes which, according to Alzheimer's Disease International, affects approximately 35.6 million people worldwide. The latest NICE guideline for dementia highlights the value of diverse treatment options for the different stages and symptoms of dementia including non-pharmacological treatments. Relevant literature also argues for the value of interventions that acknowledge the complexity of the condition and address the person as a whole, including their physical, emotional, social and cognitive processes. At the same time, there is growing literature that highlights the capacity of the arts and embodied practices to address this complexity. Dance movement therapy is an embodied psychological intervention that can address complexity and thus, may be useful for people with dementia, but its effectiveness remains unclear. To assess the effects of dance movement therapy on behavioural, social, cognitive and emotional symptoms of people with dementia in comparison to no treatment, standard care or any other treatment. Also, to compare different forms of dance movement therapy (e.g. Laban-based dance movement therapy, Chacian dance movement therapy or Authentic Movement). Searches took place up to March 2016 through ALOIS, Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement's Specialized Register, which covers CENTRAL, a number of major healthcare databases and trial registers, and grey literature sources. We checked bibliographies of relevant studies and reviews, and contacted professional associations, educational programmes and experts from around the world. We considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in any language, including cross-over design and cluster-RCTs for inclusion. Studies considered had to include people with dementia, in any age group and in any setting, with interventions delivered by a dance movement therapy practitioner who (i) had received formal training (ii) was a dance movement

Current and Future Research at DANCE

Science.gov (United States)

Jandel, M.; Baramsai, B.; Bredeweg, T. A.; Couture, A.; Hayes, A.; Kawano, T.; Mosby, S.; Rusev, G.; Stetcu, I.; Taddeucci, T. N.; Talou, P.; Ullmann, J. L.; Walker, C. L.; Wilhelmy, J. B.

2015-05-01

An overview of the current experimental program on measurements of neutron capture and neutron induced fission at the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE) is presented. Three major projects are currently under way: 1) high precision measurements of neutron capture cross sections on Uranium isotopes, 2) research aimed at studies of the short-lived actinide isomer production in neutron capture on 235U and 3) measurements of correlated data of fission observables. New projects include developments of auxiliary detectors to improve the capability of DANCE. We are building a compact, segmented NEUtron detector Array at DANCE (NEUANCE), which will be installed in the central cavity of the DANCE array. It will provide experimental information on prompt fission neutrons in coincidence with the prompt fission gamma-rays measured by 160 BaF2 crystals of DANCE. Unique correlated data will be obtained for neutron capture and neutron-induced fission using the DANCE-NEUANCE experimental set up in the future.

It takes two: the influence of dance partners on the perceived enjoyment and benefits during participation in partnered ballroom dance classes for people with Parkinson's.

Science.gov (United States)

Kunkel, Dorit; Robison, Judy; Fitton, Carolyn; Hulbert, Sophia; Roberts, Lisa; Wiles, Rose; Pickering, Ruth; Roberts, Helen; Ashburn, Ann

2018-08-01

To explore the views of people with Parkinson's and their dance partners on the influence and issues surrounding dancing with an able-bodied dance partner during partnered ball room dance classes. In depth, semi-structured interviews explored purposively selected participants' experiences and views about dance classes. Fourteen people with Parkinson's and their dance partners (six spouses, two friends/relatives, five volunteers) were interviewed within a month of completing the 10-week dance class program. Data were analyzed thematically. Generally, those partnered with a spouse or an experienced dancer, or when dance couples were able to develop good rapport, gained greater enjoyment and sense of achievement from dance classes in comparison to couples who did not enjoy dancing together or had clashing approaches to dance. Managing and negotiating who would "lead" in a dance was challenging for dance couples particularly among male people with Parkinson's. People with Parkinson's experience of the dance classes were influenced by the relationship and compatibility with their dance partner. Dance partnerships may impact on recruitment, enjoyment, outcome and continued participation in dance classes. Potential effects of partnerships should be analyzed and reported in studies evaluating the outcomes of dance classes. Implications for rehabilitation We recommend that health professionals consider involving spouses in Parkinson's dance classes as this may improve recruitment, adherence, enjoyment and overall outcome of the dance classes. If volunteers are needed, aim to recruit those who already have good dancing ability, convey a love of dancing and have the sensitivity and social skills to interact positively with the person with Parkinson's. Consider dance partnership issues when advertising and promoting dance classes. Address partnership issues through open communication and by changing partners if the dance partnership is not working well.

Work in Progress: The Bamaya Dance Suite, a Tale of Dagbamba ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ghana, dance is used by the people as one of their media for expressing social organization, validating institutions, perpetuating values and promoting group ... The performance of the dance reminds the people about a severe drought that befell the land, when in an attempt to find out the cause of the drought, the land gods ...

Stimulating the Potential: Creative Performance and Communication in Innovation Teams

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kratzer, Jan; Leenders, R.Th.A.J.; Engelen, Jo M.L.

2004-01-01

Creativity is essential to successful new product development efforts. Teams constitute the organizing principle in most modern innovation activities. Although creativity research has revealed many factors influencing individual creativity, little is known about how team-level creativity is

Chasing expertise: reappraising the role of intuitive process in creative decisionmaking

OpenAIRE

Melrose, Susan

2015-01-01

What are some of the implications for the ways we think about contemporary dance-making, today, if we start from the premise that while art-making is a mode of work, expertise in that mode of work is rarely thematised in Dance writing - even though that expertise is widely celebrated in the world or worlds of dance and performance? \\ud I asked in the early days of the 21stC why terms like “performance mastery”, “virtuosity” and “disciplinary expertise” figured so rarely in performance and dan...

Differential Effects of Tango Versus Dance for PD in Parkinson Disease

Science.gov (United States)

McNeely, Marie E.; Mai, Marina M.; Duncan, Ryan P.; Earhart, Gammon M.

2015-01-01

Over half of the general population does not achieve recommended daily levels of physical activity, and activity levels in people with Parkinson disease (PD) are lower than in healthy older adults. Dance can serve as an adjunct to traditional treatments to improve gait, balance, and quality of life in people with PD. This study directly compares a tango dance intervention and a dance intervention based on the Dance for PD model, which integrates multiple dance styles. Eleven people with PD participated in a community-based mixed styles dance intervention called Dance for Parkinson’s (D4PD). Participants in the D4PD group were matched to participants in an ongoing community-based exercise study who participated in tango dance. The groups received 12 weeks of intervention, attending 1-h group classes twice a week. Participants were evaluated off anti-PD medication before and after intervention. Measures of balance, repeated sit-to-stand performance and endurance (mini-balance evaluation systems test, four square step test, five times sit to stand, 6-min walk time) improved from pre to post similarly in both groups. Motor sign severity (movement disorders society unified Parkinson disease rating scale motor subsection) and functional mobility (timed up and go) improved in the tango group and worsened in the D4PD group. Gait velocity was not affected by either intervention. Direct comparisons of different interventions are ­critical for developing optimal exercise interventions designed to specifically target motor impairments in PD. Tango dance interventions may preferentially improve mobility and motor signs in people with PD, compared to D4PD. PMID:26733865

Shaping future directions for dance education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brown, Ann Kipling; Koff, Susan R.; Meiners, Jeff

2017-01-01

for the maintenance and implementation of dance curricula in our schools. In this paper, ideas and successes may provide a platform from which to support and guide dance experiences for young people. Firstly, an outline of the results of a survey questionnaire that was sent to dance educators in selected countries...

The Origins of the "Fanga" Dance

Science.gov (United States)

Damm, Robert J.

2015-01-01

The "fanga" is a dance taught throughout the United States to children in elementary music classes, students in African dance classes, teachers in multicultural workshops, and professional dancers in touring ensembles. Although the history of the fanga is a path overgrown with myth, this article offers information about the dance's…

[Dance/movement therapy in oncological rehabilitation].

Science.gov (United States)

Mannheim, Elana G; Helmes, Almut; Weis, Joachim

2013-01-01

Dance/movement therapy may be defined as a psychosocial and body-oriented art therapy, which uses dance for the expression of emotional and cognitive issues. Dance/movement therapy is an important intervention for cancer patients to enhance coping strategies. There are only few studies investigating dance therapy with cancer patients. The present study investigates effects of dance/movement therapy (n = 115) in the setting of inpatient rehabilitation based on a pre-post design with a control group as well as a follow-up 3 months later. Standardized questionnaires measuring quality of life, anxiety and depression, and self-concept (EORTC QLQ-C30, HADS, FSKN) were used. In addition, at the end of the inpatient rehabilitation program subjective expectations of the dance/movement therapy and the patients' subjective evaluation of the benefits of the intervention were measured by a new developed questionnaire. As process factors of dance/movement therapy, expression of emotions, enhancement of self-esteem, development of the personality, vitality, getting inner balance, and getting in touch with the body have been identified. In terms of quality of life and psychological well-being, the results showed significant improvements with medium to large effect sizes. Even though those effects may not be attributed to the intervention alone, the analysis of the data and the patients' subjective statements help to reveal therapeutic factors and process characteristics of dance/movement therapy within inpatient rehabilitation. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Dancing attraction: followers of honey bee tremble and waggle dances exhibit similar behaviors

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Calvin Lam

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The function of the honey bee tremble dance and how it attracts signal receivers is poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that tremble followers and waggle followers exhibit the same dance-following behavior. If correct, this could unify our understanding of dance following, provide insight into dance information transfer, and offer a way to identify the signal receivers of tremble dance information. Followers showed similar initial attraction to and tracking of dancers. However, waggle dancers were faster than tremble dancers, and follower-forward, -sideways, and -angular velocities were generally similar to the velocities of their respective dancers. Waggle dancers attracted followers from 1.3-fold greater distances away than tremble dancers. Both follower types were attracted to the lateral sides of dancers, but tremble followers were more attracted to the dancer's head, and waggle followers were more attracted to the dancer's abdomen. Tremble dancers engaged in 4-fold more brief food exchanges with their followers than waggle dancers. The behaviors of both follower types are therefore relatively conserved. Researchers can now take the next steps, observing tremble followers to determine their subsequent behaviors and testing the broader question of whether follower attraction and tracking is conserved in a wide range of social insects.

STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL MODEL OF FORMING FUTURE MUSIC TEACHER’S CREATIVE THINKING IN INSTRUMENTAL AND PERFORMING TRAINING

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Nadiia Lavrentieva

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In the article conceptual bases of forming students’ creative thinking in the instrumental and performing activities are revealed, taking current training trends into account. The contradictions between the requirements of society to create favorable conditions to realize future music teachers’ creative potential and current directions of a higher educational establishment to ‘a result”, which causes a specific system of promotion and support students’ value orientations and encourages students to master existing knowledge, algorithms, and performing models, depict the relevant problems of making out the system of the future music teachers’ instrumental and performing training that is aimed at developing their creative thinking. It is noted that while defining such phenomena as creative thinking and cognitive work a great number of scientists emphasizes on the word “create” which means finding and creating something that hasn’t been found in the previous individual or social experience. The aim of the article is to disclose the content and stages of implementing structural and functional model of forming future music teachers’ creative thinking The model is formed as an alternative to information and reproductive approach to training future specialists. The concept model is based on the target of forming future music teachers’ creative and methodological thinking, professional competence, activity and approaches to the students’ training to complete fulfillment of modern needs of professional and music education. The author specifies criteria of structural model of future music teachers’ creative thinking. They are value and motivational, cognitive and educational, action and technological, creative and modulating ones The effectiveness of the future music teachers’ creative thinking in instrumental and performing training depends on the level of forming clear science-based system that has a certain conceptual

Lawet dance and ebleg dance: the term analysis towards its movement qualities

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Djarot Heru Santosa

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study offers an insight of a research activity which focuses on art analysis, but lies its concern from the perspective of linguistics. This study is aiming at analyzing linguistic data that are related to traditional art activity to obtain further understanding beyond the existence of the art itself. Example of the activity is the linguistic analysis of terms used to label the kinds or qualities of dance movement from Central Java province, in this case are Lawet dance and Ebleg dance. Kebumen, as one of regency in Central Java, is chosen as the research location since it owns rich of typical traditional arts (local, both from the perspective of the art forms as well as the linguistic aspects. This research is analyzed by employing linguistic theory, especially the analysis of morphology and semantic. Implication of linguistic analysis done to the terms is a deep understanding towards the traditional dances being analyzed. It is further resulted in the form of identity affirmation to the traditional arts exist in the society’s environment.

Dance Dance Revolution: Usapin ng Laro at Sayaw sa Panahon ng Globalisasyon

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Jema M. Pamintuan

2001-06-01

Full Text Available The Dance Dance Revolution (DDR Machine is becoming a favorite game among the youth and even the not-so-young. While much has been written on the mechanics and popularity of the game, this essay aims to probe into the DDR phenomenon as a parallel tool and response to the changes brought about by technology and the age of globalization. The individual's relationship with the machine, with his audience, and with the larger society will be documented and juxtaposed with the activities of a global village. The cultural implications of the DDR will also be discussed, especially how the game itself revolutionized our traditional concept of game and dance.

Extreme Kinematics in Selected Hip Hop Dance Sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Bronner, Shaw; Ojofeitimi, Sheyi; Woo, Helen

2015-09-01

Hip hop dance has many styles including breakdance (breaking), house, popping and locking, funk, streetdance, krumping, Memphis jookin', and voguing. These movements combine the complexity of dance choreography with the challenges of gymnastics and acrobatic movements. Despite high injury rates in hip hop dance, particularly in breakdance, to date there are no published biomechanical studies in this population. The purpose of this study was to compare representative hip hop steps found in breakdance (toprock and breaking) and house and provide descriptive statistics of the angular displacements that occurred in these sequences. Six expert female hip hop dancers performed three choreographed dance sequences, top rock, breaking, and house, to standardized music-based tempos. Hip, knee, and ankle kinematics were collected during sequences that were 18 to 30 sec long. Hip, knee, and ankle three-dimensional peak joint angles were compared in repeated measures ANOVAs with post hoc tests where appropriate (pHip hop maximal joint angles exceeded reported activities of daily living and high injury sports such as gymnastics. Hip hop dancers work at weight-bearing joint end ranges where muscles are at a functional disadvantage. These results may explain why lower extremity injury rates are high in this population.

Cognitive benefits of social dancing and walking in old age: the Dancing Mind randomized controlled trial

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Dafna eMerom

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: A physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, yet the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. Dance is of special interest as it complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity with additional cognitive, social and affective dimensions. Objectives: to determine whether dance benefits executive function more than walking, an activity that is simple and functional. Methods: Two-arm randomised controlled trial among community-dwelling older adults. The intervention group received 1 hour of ballroom dancing twice weekly over 8 months (~69sessions in local community dance studios. The control group received a combination of a home walking program with a pedometer and optional biweekly group-based walking in local community park to facilitate socialisation. Main outcomes: Main outcomes: executive function tests: processing speed and task shift by the Trail Making Tests (TMT, response inhibition by the Stroop Colour-Word Test (SCWT, working memory by the Digit Span Backwards (DSB test, immediate and delayed verbal recall by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT and visuospatial recall by the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (BVST. Results: One hundred and fifteen adults (69.5 years, SD6.4 completed baseline and delayed baseline (3 weeks apart before being randomised to either dance (n=60 or walking (n=55. Of those randomized, 79 (68% completed the follow-up measurements (32 weeks from baseline. In the dance group only, ‘non-completers’ had significant lower baseline scores on all executive function tests than those completed the full program. Intention-to-treat analyses showed no group effect. In a random effects model including participants who completed all measurements, adjusted for baseline score and covariates (age, education, estimated verbal intelligence, community, a between group effect in favour of dance was noted only for BVST total learning (Cohen’s D Effect size

The Creative Soccer Platform

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johan Torp Rasmussen, Ludvig; Østergaard, Lars Domino

2016-01-01

Creativity is essential in soccer due to the unpredictable and complex situations occurring in the game, where stereotypical play gradually loses its efficiency. Further, creativity is an important psychological factor for the development of soccer expertise, and valuing creativity increases...... sessions where TSCP was implemented at a youth team indicate that the application of TCSP exercises establishes a playful, judgment-free and autonomy-supportive training environment, where soccer players are able to unfold their creative potential. The creative environment helped the youth players...... in the intervention engage in unfamiliar activities that they did not dare to do in normal training sessions (i.e., performed difficult, new and playful technical skills), which developed creative abilities important for game performance (i.e., idea generation abilities and not fearing mistakes)....

Dancing through the School Day: How Dance Catapults Learning in Elementary Education

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Kelly Mancini

2013-01-01

The necessity for engaging the body in learning, the need for students to move throughout the school day, and the positive effects that dance has on students' development are all good reasons for dance to be included in the elementary curriculum. There are many ways for teachers to integrate movement into the school day, using math, science,…

'Shall We Dance'? Older Adults' Perspectives on the Feasibility of a Dance Intervention for Cognitive Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Cecilie; Papathomas, Anthony; Foster, Jonathan; Quested, Eleanor; Ntoumanis, Nikos

2017-12-28

We explored perceptions of social dance as a possible intervention to improve cognitive functioning in older adults with subjective memory complaints. Thirty participants (19 female; M age = 72.6; SD=8.2) took part in the study. This included 21 participants who had self-reported subjective memory complaints and 9 spouses who noticed spousal memory loss. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three main themes were constructed: 1) dance seen as a means of promoting social interaction; 2) chronic illness as a barrier and facilitator to participation; 3) social dance representing nostalgic connections to the past. Overall, the participants were positive about the potential attractiveness of social dance to improve cognitive and social functioning and other aspects of health. It is important in future research to examine the feasibility of a social dance intervention among older adults with subjective memory complaints.

Dance/Movement Therapy. A Healing Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Fran J.

This book examines the field of dance therapy from its inception in the 1940's to the present. A detailed analysis is conducted of the theory and practice of the major pioneers. The book covers biographical reports and the influence of many dance therapy leaders. Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) is discussed as well as dance therapy in specific…

Dance for Older Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruett, Diane Milhan, Ed.; And Others

1983-01-01

Dance programs for older adults that encourage exercise and socializing are described in six articles. Program guidelines of the American Alliance Committee on Aging are explained, and other articles emphasize a movement education approach that may involve intergenerational contact. A dance program held in a worship setting is also discussed. (PP)

Music, Dance and the Total Art Work: Choreomusicology in Theory and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Mason, Paul H.

2012-01-01

Euro-American performance arts are exceptional among the world's cultures in that music and dance are separable and constitute independent disciplines. In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, a distinct consciousness emerged that demonstrated an awareness of the varying and protean relationships that music and dance can share. While…

Dance your way to fitness

Science.gov (United States)

... ency/patientinstructions/000809.htm Dance your way to fitness To use the sharing features on this page, ... to rhythm and music. Many health clubs and fitness centers offer dance workout classes, such as Zumba. ...

The Correlates of Dance Education among Adolescent Girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Vicario, Terra; Henninger, Erica; Chambliss, Catherine

This investigation extends previous research on the benefits of dance education, by further exploring the correlates of participation in dance classes for adolescent girls. The survey evaluated self-esteem, body image, dance ability, and perceived quality of peer and parent relationships. Students with greater dance experience were expected to…

The dancing plague: a public health conundrum.

Science.gov (United States)

Donaldson, L J; Cavanagh, J; Rankin, J

1997-07-01

The phenomenon of mass, frenzied dancing affected large populations in various parts of Europe from the thirteenth century and lasted, on and off, for three centuries. The exact aetiology of the Dancing Plague (or Dancing Mania) is still unclear. Retrospective historical review of this public health problem reveals claims for causative factors including demonic possession, epilepsy, the bite of a tarantula, ergot poisoning and social adversity. It seems unlikely that Dancing Mania resulted from a single cause but rather resulted from multiple factors combining with a predisposing cultural background and triggered by adverse social circumstances. Dancing Mania remains one of the unresolved mysteries of public health.

Tango or Waltz?: Putting Ballroom Dance Style into Tempo Detection

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Gerhard Rigoll

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Rhythmic information plays an important role in Music Information Retrieval. Example applications include automatically annotating large databases by genre, meter, ballroom dance style or tempo, fully automated D.J.-ing, and audio segmentation for further retrieval tasks such as automatic chord labeling. In this article, we therefore provide an introductory overview over basic and current principles of tempo detection. Subsequently, we show how to improve on these by inclusion of ballroom dance style recognition. We introduce a feature set of 82 rhythmic features for rhythm analysis on real audio. With this set, data-driven identification of the meter and ballroom dance style, employing support vector machines, is carried out in a first step. Next, this information is used to more robustly detect tempo. We evaluate the suggested method on a large public database containing 1.8 k titles of standard and Latin ballroom dance music. Following extensive test runs, a clear boost in performance can be reported.

DANCE FOR CHILDREN: A FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION FOR ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

children, to that neglected pillar of growth, the traditional dance, using dance for children ... Children are not left out of these emotional actions. They .... Teaching dance form among children (ages 6-12 years) will require the following steps or ...

DANCE FOR CHILDREN: A FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION FOR ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

the society and, to maintain growth and development of the child. Dance was ... expression in space through body movements and other dance elements to ... enjoy music and dancing just like their parents or the adults in the society. Children ...

The Buffering Effect of Mindfulness on Abusive Supervision and Creative Performance: A Social Cognitive Framework

OpenAIRE

Zheng, Xiaoming; Liu, Xin

2017-01-01

Our research draws upon social cognitive theory and incorporates a regulatory approach to investigate why and when abusive supervision influences employee creative performance. The analyses of data from multiple time points and multiple sources reveal that abusive supervision hampers employee self-efficacy at work, which in turn impairs employee creative performance. Further, employee mindfulness buffers the negative effects of abusive supervision on employee self-efficacy at work as well as ...

Meaning of dancing therapy in therapy of clients with psychological diseases

OpenAIRE

NĚMCOVÁ, Barbora

2010-01-01

Bachelor thesis deals with meaning and effects of Dance therapy in frame of medical therapy of clients with psychical disease. Theoretical part defines words like dance, movement and Dance therapy. This part also describes history of dance, meaning and aims of Dance therapy, its school, aims and divisions. Mensioned are person of dance therapist, personalities connected with dance and Dance therapy, target groups of clients suitable for Dance therapy, importance of Dance therapy for clients w...

Intra-dance variation among waggle runs and the design of efficient protocols for honey bee dance decoding

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Margaret J. Couvillon

2012-03-01

Noise is universal in information transfer. In animal communication, this presents a challenge not only for intended signal receivers, but also to biologists studying the system. In honey bees, a forager communicates to nestmates the location of an important resource via the waggle dance. This vibrational signal is composed of repeating units (waggle runs that are then averaged by nestmates to derive a single vector. Manual dance decoding is a powerful tool for studying bee foraging ecology, although the process is time-consuming: a forager may repeat the waggle run 1- >100 times within a dance. It is impractical to decode all of these to obtain the vector; however, intra-dance waggle runs vary, so it is important to decode enough to obtain a good average. Here we examine the variation among waggle runs made by foraging bees to devise a method of dance decoding. The first and last waggle runs within a dance are significantly more variable than the middle run. There was no trend in variation for the middle waggle runs. We recommend that any four consecutive waggle runs, not including the first and last runs, may be decoded, and we show that this methodology is suitable by demonstrating the goodness-of-fit between the decoded vectors from our subsamples with the vectors from the entire dances.

The Effect of Creative Drama Activities Performed at the “Design Studies-1” Studio on Development of Creative Thinking Skills of Architecture Students

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Levent ARIDAĞ

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this research is determining the effectiveness of teaching methods based on creative drama activities performed at the “Design Studies-1” studio on creative thinking and design skills. The research’s work group consisted of 67 students who attended the 15-week Design Studies-1 studio (45 female, 22 male. The research is a one-group pretest-posttest experimental design. The theoretical basis of the research is cognitive creativity. The practices stimulating the imagination and flexible thinking skills with the basis of creative drama were used as the creativity-improving techniques. Based on the assumption that creative thinking is teachable, the hypothesis that the “Design Studies-1” program conducted by the first researcher will improve the students’ creative thinking skills was accepted. The data were collected through Creative Thinking Tests (Form A and B, which was developed by Torrance (1974 and 1984 and whose Turkish version was composed by Aslan (1999, 2006. For the data analysis, SPSS 13 program was used. In data analysis, related group t-test and Mann-Whitney U statistical test were applied. The pretest and posttest scores mean of the students were compared and significant positive results were found in favor of posttest between the means of figural fluency, figural originality, abstractness of the titles, expressiveness of the titles, intrinsic visualization, liveliness of imagery, richness of imagery, fantasy, verbal fluency, verbal flexibility and verbal originality.

Merging the arts of song and dance: New methodical options for teaching students within the disciplines of song and dance

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Johanne Karen Hagen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To learn, acquire knowledge, and develop skills is an embodied process. In this article, the authors argue that merging the fields of song and dance is dependent on a deeper understanding of how the mind and the body interact, and they utilize the concept of enactive cognition to explain these processes. The authors maintain that students need insight into these processes in order to improve their learning and, consequently, their performance. Retrospective examples taken from three educational situations within the musical theatre context elucidate the discussion of the concepts of alignment and breathing. These frequently used concepts are often a source of confusion and misunderstanding for the student. To alleviate this, a stronger, interdisciplinary dialogue among the singing and dance teachers who are involved in the genre of musical theatre needs to be developed. The authors suggest collaborative teaching as a means to develop the teaching methods and as the pathway to attaining a common base when integrating the skills of singing and dancing.

How leader displays of happiness and sadness influence follower performance: Emotional contagion and creative versus analytical performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, V.A.; van Knippenberg, D.; van Kleef, G.A.; Wisse, B.

2013-01-01

Previous studies have found mixed results regarding the influence of positive and negative leader affect on follower performance. We propose that both leader happiness and leader sadness can be beneficial for follower performance contingent on whether the task concerns creative or analytical

How leader displays of happiness and sadness influence follower performance : Emotional contagion and creative versus analytical performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, Victoria A.; van Knippenberg, Daan; van Kleef, Gerben A.; Wisse, Barbara

Previous studies have found mixed results regarding the influence of positive and negative leader affect on follower performance. We propose that both leader happiness and leader sadness can be beneficial for follower performance contingent on whether the task concerns creative or analytical

Cognitive Benefits of Social Dancing and Walking in Old Age: The Dancing Mind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Merom, Dafna; Grunseit, Anne; Eramudugolla, Ranmalee; Jefferis, Barbara; Mcneill, Jade; Anstey, Kaarin J

2016-01-01

A physically active lifestyle has the potential to prevent cognitive decline and dementia, yet the optimal type of physical activity/exercise remains unclear. Dance is of special interest as it complex sensorimotor rhythmic activity with additional cognitive, social, and affective dimensions. To determine whether dance benefits executive function more than walking, an activity that is simple and functional. Two-arm randomized controlled trial among community-dwelling older adults. The intervention group received 1 h of ballroom dancing twice weekly over 8 months (~69 sessions) in local community dance studios. The control group received a combination of a home walking program with a pedometer and optional biweekly group-based walking in local community park to facilitate socialization. Executive function tests: processing speed and task shift by the Trail Making Tests, response inhibition by the Stroop Color-Word Test, working memory by the Digit Span Backwards test, immediate and delayed verbal recall by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, and visuospatial recall by the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test (BVST). One hundred and fifteen adults (mean 69.5 years, SD 6.4) completed baseline and delayed baseline (3 weeks apart) before being randomized to either dance (n = 60) or walking (n = 55). Of those randomized, 79 (68%) completed the follow-up measurements (32 weeks from baseline). In the dance group only, "non-completers" had significantly lower baseline scores on all executive function tests than those who completed the full program. Intention-to-treat analyses showed no group effect. In a random effects model including participants who completed all measurements, adjusted for baseline score and covariates (age, education, estimated verbal intelligence, and community), a between-group effect in favor of dance was noted only for BVST total learning (Cohen's D Effect size 0.29, p = 0.07) and delayed recall (Cohen's D Effect size = 0

The Honeybee Dance-Language Controversy

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

some sceptics who believe that the dance that the foragers do perform may have no ... is often credited with being the prime mover in making humans what they are. ... of naive workers from its colony to a newly found source of food. After decades of .... a mechanical "robot" bee that talks to the real bees through a computer ...

Bounded Creativity: Understanding the Restrictions on Creative Work in Advertising Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Anderson Romeiro

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The theme of creativity has gained prominence among practitioners and academics, and the emergence of creative industries, which combine creativity and commercial logic, has rendered the topic even more relevant. Creativity is frequently associated with the existence of flexible organizational structures and organizational cultures that favor autonomy and freedom of action. However, organizations commonly impose limits on the actions of creative professionals because of the timescales, budgets, and business and customer demands inherent to the organizational context. Knowledge of creativity in academia has advanced considerably in recent decades. However, empirical studies investigating the restrictions imposed on creative work in organizations are lacking. This study addresses this gap in the literature. Our objective was to investigate creativity within advertising agencies, a creative industry sector. The results reveal that creativity in such environments is marked by collective work, conditioned by time pressures for performing tasks, and influenced by the tension that originates from the interaction between two dimensions: the search for originality and the need for acceptance. On the basis of this research, we propose the concept of bounded creativity, which reflects the weakening of the creative experience in organizations.

Occupational therapy's dance with diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Roxie M

2002-01-01

As the demographics of the United States continue to change and we become a more pluralistic society, the increased diversity of the occupational therapy workforce and our consumers calls for an examination of the profession's stance on multiculturalism and diversity. Using the metaphor of dance, this article identifies the dance partners as the organization's leaders and its members. A historical review of the profession from the 1940s to the present traces the partners' steps to determine which led the dance of diversity during the profession's development. In this review, I discovered that the period when the profession most effectively and productively explored issues of diversity was during the early- to mid-1990s--a time when the organization and its members worked in harmony. At that time, occupational therapy's dance with diversity flowed with rhythm and synchronicity.

THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CREATIVITY ON TEAM PERFORMANCE BY MEDIATING ROLE OF SELF ORGANIZATION AND TEAM PERCEPTION IN SMES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nimet Eryigit

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Self evaluation of the employees and teams do not just support to increase their knowledge about their work; but also make them produce creative ideas indirectly through increasing their intrinsic motivation. Results of the empirical surveys show that working environment and intrinsic motivation have mediation effects on the relationship between the creativity of the employees and teams with their performance. Previous studies remark that self evaluation of the employees has positive effects on company and small firm (SME’s performance; but creativity is another part of the company performance and the influences on company performance and creativity are different. This study, aim of which is to understand the mediating factors in the positive effects of creativity on company performance includes theoretical and empirical findings. Results of the study reveal that team perception and self organization have different mediating effects in the relationship between creativity and team performance. There are strong and positive relationships between organizational creativity and team perception and self-organization. These variables also affect team performance in the organizations positively. The positive effect of organizational creativity on team performance and self organization reflect to the team performance positively.

"We've Got Creative Differences": The Effects of Task Conflict and Participative Safety on Team Creative Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fairchild, Joshua; Hunter, Samuel T.

2014-01-01

Although both participative safety and team task conflict are widely thought to be related to team creative performance, the nature of this relationship is still not well understood, and prior studies have frequently yielded conflicting results. This study examines the ambiguity in the extant literature and proposes that "both"…

[Analysis and evaluation of occupational accidents in dancers of the dance theatre].

Science.gov (United States)

Wanke, E M; Groneberg, D A; Quarcoo, D

2011-03-01

The dance theatre is an autonomous form of presentation within the performing arts. It is a combination of dance, drama, singing and speaking. As the actors are usually professional dancers the dance theatre is associated with the professional dance. Compared with other dance styles there is an enhanced usage of props, costumes or décor to intensify the production and the expressiveness. In contrast to the defined professional dance technique the range of movements is unlimited. There has not yet been done any research on the influence of props as well as décor in terms of exogenous factors potentially favouring injuries. Aim of this study is to characterize specific injury patterns, as well as their causes and to suggest basic approaches to prevent injuries in the dance theatre. The data of this evaluation comprise occupational accident reports, accident reports of various Berlin theatres as well as case records of all Berlin State Theatres (n = 1106) of the Berlin State Accident Insurance over a 9-year period. 103 occupational accidents are accounted for the dance theatre. 44.6 % of the accidents happen during rehearsals, 42.4 % during performances, 76.7 % on stage and adjoining areas and 10.7 % in the ballet studio. Second most common movement resulting in an injury are jumps with 25.4 %. Altogether 69.7 % of the accidents have a uniquely defined exogenous cause with 30.5 % by props, 12.7 % by the floor and 17.2 % by the dance partner. 30.3 % of the accidents have multifactorial causes (e. g. the social situation, state of training and nutrition). 61 % of all accidents happen within three hours after starting work with an increase of occupational accidents between 11:00 - 12:00 hrs and 08:00- 09:00 hrs. The lower extremity is the most affected location (53.3 %), followed by the head/neck area (21.4 %) and the upper extremity (17.5 %). Contusions (26.2 %), distortions (17.5 %), muscular strains (19.4 %) and wounds (13.6 %) are the most frequent types of

Dance Dynamics. Athletes & Dancers Training & Moving Together.

Science.gov (United States)

Pruett, Diane Milhan, Ed.; And Others

1981-01-01

This series of articles explores the various ways in which training procedures in both dance and athletics are compatible. Topics include: traditional and adapted dance class structures and materials; the inclusion of dance in the physical education curriculum; and the physical fitness of dancers as compared to athletes. (JN)

Environmental consultancy: dancing bee bioindicators to evaluate landscape health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret Jane Couvillon

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Here we explore how waggle dance decoding may be applied as a tool for ecology by evaluating the benefits and limitations of the methodology compared to other existing ways to evaluate the honey bees’ use of the landscape. The honey bee foragers sample and report back on large areas (c. 100km2. Because honey bees perform dances only for the most profitable resources, these data provide spatial information about the availability of good quality forage for any given time. We argue that dance decoding provides information for a wide range of ecological, conservation, and land management issues. In this way, one species and methodology gives us a novel measure of a landscape’s profitability and health that may be widely relevant, not just for honey bees, but for other flower-visiting insects as well.

Verbal Auditory Cueing of Improvisational Dance: A Proposed Method for Training Agency in Parkinson’s Disease

Science.gov (United States)

Batson, Glenna; Hugenschmidt, Christina E.; Soriano, Christina T.

2016-01-01

Dance is a non-pharmacological intervention that helps maintain functional independence and quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease (PPD). Results from controlled studies on group-delivered dance for people with mild-to-moderate stage Parkinson’s have shown statistically and clinically significant improvements in gait, balance, and psychosocial factors. Tested interventions include non-partnered dance forms (ballet and modern dance) and partnered (tango). In all of these dance forms, specific movement patterns initially are learned through repetition and performed in time-to-music. Once the basic steps are mastered, students may be encouraged to improvise on the learned steps as they perform them in rhythm with the music. Here, we summarize a method of teaching improvisational dance that advances previous reported benefits of dance for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The method relies primarily on improvisational verbal auditory cueing with less emphasis on directed movement instruction. This method builds on the idea that daily living requires flexible, adaptive responses to real-life challenges. In PD, movement disorders not only limit mobility but also impair spontaneity of thought and action. Dance improvisation demands open and immediate interpretation of verbally delivered movement cues, potentially fostering the formation of spontaneous movement strategies. Here, we present an introduction to a proposed method, detailing its methodological specifics, and pointing to future directions. The viewpoint advances an embodied cognitive approach that has eco-validity in helping PPD meet the changing demands of daily living. PMID:26925029

Developmental Trends in the Dance Performance of Children Age Six to Nine

Science.gov (United States)

Little, Stephanie Lane

2011-01-01

Quality elementary physical education programs recognize the changing development and movement abilities of children (NASPE, 2007). Educational dance within these programs provides opportunities to engage in developmentally appropriate rhythmic activities. Research to date provides modest information for physical educators regarding what rhythmic…

The effect of observational learning on students' performance, processes, and motivation in two creative domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Groenendijk, Talita; Janssen, Tanja; Rijlaarsdam, Gert; van den Bergh, Huub

2013-03-01

Previous research has shown that observation can be effective for learning in various domains, for example, argumentative writing and mathematics. The question in this paper is whether observational learning can also be beneficial when learning to perform creative tasks in visual and verbal arts. We hypothesized that observation has a positive effect on performance, process, and motivation. We expected similarity in competence between the model and the observer to influence the effectiveness of observation. Sample.  A total of 131 Dutch students (10(th) grade, 15 years old) participated. Two experiments were carried out (one for visual and one for verbal arts). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions; two observational learning conditions and a control condition (learning by practising). The observational learning conditions differed in instructional focus (on the weaker or the more competent model of a pair to be observed). We found positive effects of observation on creative products, creative processes, and motivation in the visual domain. In the verbal domain, observation seemed to affect the creative process, but not the other variables. The model similarity hypothesis was not confirmed. Results suggest that observation may foster learning in creative domains, especially in the visual arts. © 2011 The British Psychological Society.

SSRI Facilitated Crack Dancing

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Ravi Doobay

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Choreoathetoid movement secondary to cocaine use is a well-documented phenomenon better known as “crack dancing.” It consists of uncontrolled writhing movements secondary to excess dopamine from cocaine use. We present a 32-year-old male who had been using cocaine for many years and was recently started on paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI for worsening depression four weeks before presentation. He had been doing cocaine every 2 weeks for the last three years and had never “crack danced” before this episode. The authors have conducted a thorough literature review and cited studies that suggest “crack dancing” is associated with excess dopamine. There has never been a documented case report of an SSRI being linked with “crack dancing.” The authors propose that the excess dopaminergic effect of the SSRI lowered the dopamine threshold for “crack dancing.” There is a communication with the Raphe Nucleus and the Substantia Nigra, which explains how the SSRI increases dopamine levels. This is the first documented case of an SSRI facilitating the “crack dance.”

Making Sense of Collective Events: The Co-creation of a Research-based Dance

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Katherine M. Boydell

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A symbolic interaction (BLUMER, 1969; MEAD, 1934; PRUS, 1996; PRUS & GRILLS, 2003 approach was taken to study the collective event (PRUS, 1997 of creating a research-based dance on pathways to care in first episode psychosis. Viewing the co-creation of a research-based dance as collective activity attends to the processual aspects of an individual's experiences. It allowed us to study the process of the creation of the dance and its capacity to convert abstract research into concrete form and to produce generalizable abstract knowledge from the empirical research findings. Thus, through the techniques of movement, metaphor, voice-over, and music, the characterization of experience through dance was personal and generic, individual and collective, particular and trans-situational. The dance performance allowed us to address the visceral, emotional, and visual aspects of our research which are frequently invisible in traditional academia. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs110155

Beyond health and well-being: transformation, memory and the virtual in older people's music and dance

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Kate Wakeling

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Research exploring older people and the participatory arts has tended to focus on notions of biomedical impact, often coupled with appeals to evasive notions of "well-being." Rather than suggesting such approaches are invalid, this article proposes the need for their extension and proposes an alternative, critical approach to analysing older people's experience of arts participation. Based on ethnographic participant observation and intensive consultation with a cohort of older people engaged in a programme of creative music and dance, we explore the complex processes and possibilities of transformation that the participatory arts can initiate, examining how performance can create intriguing linkages between past, present and future experiences. Taking a phenomenological approach to the study of memory, recollection, reminiscence and future anticipation, we discuss how arts participation can "actualise" potential memories in older participants, examining how and why this kind of expressive activity animates the idea of "virtual" selves (after Bergson.

Costume and Music-Specific Dance: A Structure for Experimentation with Process and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Nathan; Dasen, Ann; Trommer-Beardslee, Heather

2016-01-01

This article describes how the authors completed a project at Central Michigan University (CMU) with undergraduate theater majors and minors and dance minors as part of the annual mainstage dance concert. Although the concert is predominantly choreographed and designed by CMU faculty, students are engaged in every step of the performance and…

Eating disorders in ballet dancing students: problems and risk factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Toro, Josep; Guerrero, Marta; Sentis, Joan; Castro, Josefina; Puértolas, Carles

2009-01-01

To study the prevalence of symptoms of eating disorders and risk eating behaviours and the relationship between life at a dance school and the risk of developing an eating disorder (ED) in an adolescent population of Spanish dance students. Questionnaires were used to assess attitudes to eating, cultural influences on the body shape model, eating disorders (DSM-IV) and risk factors for eating disorders in 76 adolescent dance students (age 12-17 years) at the Barcelona Theatre Institute. Subjects were compared with a community sample of 453 female adolescents. To study the relationship between ED and characteristics of this particular school, an original questionnaire was administered to 105 students at the school aged from 12 to 21 years. The prevalence of eating disorders and several risk attitudes and behaviours were similar in the dance students and the female adolescents from the general population. Students at risk of eating disorders perceived greater pressure from coaches concerning eating, appearance, weight and artistic performance; they felt less satisfied with their weight and weighed themselves more often; they avoided performing so as not to exhibit their body in public, disliked comparing their body with their peers and believed that audiences paid a great deal of attention to their bodies. In contrast, Body Mass Index (BMI) had hardly any influence on these experiences. Depressive symptoms were associated almost exclusively with experience of stressors and aversive situations. Dance school students do not necessarily present a greater risk of ED than other girls of the same age. The risk of ED may be associated with greater pressure from coaches, with attitudes related to the ED itself, or with depressive symptoms, rather than with the BMI.

The aesthetic interpretation on Wooden Drum Dancing of Wa people

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Youfeng Wang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The Wa nationality, a typical ethnic group in Yunnan province, is an ancient one lives across Yunnan. The main residences of it are border area beside northern Yunnan and the Wa States in Burma. Among all the Wa dances, Wooden Drum Dancing leads a vital position, and it is also a symbolic dancing in the culture of Wa people. The feature of Wooden Drum Dancing is that every action expending by the beats of wooden drum, namely, first the wooden drum, then the Wooden Drum Dancing. Dancing is an important content in the life of Wa people, and the aesthetics of life comes from dancing, so they present their value on worship by the form of dancing. This article is going to interpret the aesthetic standard on Wa people’s Wooden Drum Dancing by the view of aesthetics, and come into a conclude that the inspiration of such dancing came from practice and their worship to nature and ancestor. The Wooden Drum Dancing displays totally the tough air and solidarity of Wa people, which also presents the fair society of them. The Wooden Drum Dancing is an enriched art that Wa People took from particle life, so dancing of Wa is often classified into the aesthetic area of plain. The information of people’s living situation displayed by Wa dancing also conveys their rich emotions. The sense of beauty within Wooden Drum Dancing will give others a solemn feeling. The formal beauty is displayed by the rhythm of upper part of body, and the power beauty is displayed by the rhythm of the lower part of body.

Metodika výuky moderního tanečního stylu street dance

OpenAIRE

Štěpánková, Lucie

2011-01-01

My dissertation is mainly targeted to all street dance lectors and teachers but is also for another people who are concerned about street dance education. Dissertation is writting about a street style history and is focused on creation of my own methodology proposal for an education of this style. Kids are really enjoying a lessons of street dance and the kind and level of this emjoyment is done by their age and level of performance.

Embodied Subjectivities: Nine Young Women Talking Dance

Science.gov (United States)

O'Flynn, Gabrielle; Pryor, Zoe; Gray, Tonia

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to examine nine Australian young women's embodied experiences of dance. The young women were all amateur dancers involved in weekly jazz, tap, and ballet dance classes at the same dance studio. In this paper, embodiment is defined as multidimensional (Burkitt 1999). The authors explore the ways the corporeal and the…

Sharing the dance -

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Jing; Ravn, Susanne

2018-01-01

In his recent works on daily face-to-face encounters, Zahavi claims that the phenomenon of sharing involves reciprocity. Following Zahavi’s line of thought, we wonder what exactly reciprocity amounts to and how the shared experience emerges from the dynamic process of interaction. By turning...... to the highly specialized field of elite sports dance, we aim at exploring the way in which reciprocity unfolds in intensive deliberate practices of movement. In our analysis, we specifically argue that the ongoing dynamics of two separate flows of movement constitute a shared experience of dancing together...

Risk Factors for Lower-Extremity Injuries Among Contemporary Dance Students.

Science.gov (United States)

van Seters, Christine; van Rijn, Rogier M; van Middelkoop, Marienke; Stubbe, Janine H

2017-10-10

To determine whether student characteristics, lower-extremity kinematics, and strength are risk factors for sustaining lower-extremity injuries in preprofessional contemporary dancers. Prospective cohort study. Codarts University of the Arts. Forty-five first-year students of Bachelor Dance and Bachelor Dance Teacher. At the beginning of the academic year, the injury history (only lower-extremity) and student characteristics (age, sex, educational program) were assessed using a questionnaire. Besides, lower-extremity kinematics [single-leg squat (SLS)], strength (countermovement jump) and height and weight (body mass index) were measured during a physical performance test. Substantial lower-extremity injuries during the academic year were defined as any problems leading to moderate or severe reductions in training volume or in performance, or complete inability to participate in dance at least once during follow-up as measured with the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) Questionnaire on Health Problems. Injuries were recorded on a monthly basis using a questionnaire. Analyses on leg-level were performed using generalized estimating equations to test the associations between substantial lower-extremity injuries and potential risk factors. The 1-year incidence of lower-extremity injuries was 82.2%. Of these, 51.4% was a substantial lower-extremity injury. Multivariate analyses identified that ankle dorsiflexion during the SLS (OR 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.52) was a risk factor for a substantial lower-extremity injury. The findings indicate that contemporary dance students are at high risk for lower-extremity injuries. Therefore, the identified risk factor (ankle dorsiflexion) should be considered for prevention purposes.

Dance as a Road to Science

Science.gov (United States)

Laws, Kenneth

2009-05-01

One of the challenges facing the science community is finding ways of demonstrating for non-scientists the logic and appeal of understanding how science applies to familiar phenomena. Dance movement involves many examples of physical principles that allow dancers and observers of dance to deepen their understanding of the natural world. To demonstrate the connection between science and art, we will observe a ballet dancer performing several movements which we can then analyze to illustrate why the movements are shaped the way they are and how dancers can improve their effectiveness through such analysis. One example is the tour jet'e, a half turn in the air during a vertical jump. The dancer's intent is to create the illusion of going up facing one direction, suddenly reversing direction while aloft, then landing. Good dancers recognize that they can most effectively create that illusion if they understand how the closeness of their legs determines their moment of inertia and hence rate of rotation. Another intriguing movement is a ``whip turn,'' a partnered pirouette in which the woman's leg is used to store angular momentum while her partner continues to increase that momentum by applying forces to her waist. This storing of angular momentum in a leg is a principle also used in fouett'e turns, a common repeated pirouette sequence. These examples, and others, many of which involve a broader range of motion than just rotation, provide the basis for observers and performers to understand how some dance movements can be carried out so effectively and beautifully!

Coordinated Interpersonal Behaviour in Collective Dance Improvisation: The Aesthetics of Kinaesthetic Togetherness.

Science.gov (United States)

Himberg, Tommi; Laroche, Julien; Bigé, Romain; Buchkowski, Megan; Bachrach, Asaf

2018-02-09

Collective dance improvisation (e.g., traditional and social dancing, contact improvisation) is a participatory, relational and embodied art form which eschews standard concepts in aesthetics. We present our ongoing research into the mechanisms underlying the lived experience of "togetherness" associated with such practices. Togetherness in collective dance improvisation is kinaesthetic (based on movement and its perception), and so can be simultaneously addressed from the perspective of the performers and the spectators, and be measured. We utilise these multiple levels of description: the first-person, phenomenological level of personal experiences, the third-person description of brain and body activity, and the level of interpersonal dynamics. Here, we describe two of our protocols: a four-person mirror game and a 'rhythm battle' dance improvisation score. Using an interpersonal closeness measure after the practice, we correlate subjective sense of individual/group connectedness and observed levels of in-group temporal synchronization. We propose that kinaesthetic togetherness, or interpersonal resonance, is integral to the aesthetic pleasure of the participants and spectators, and that embodied feeling of togetherness might play a role more generally in aesthetic experience in the performing arts.

Coordinated Interpersonal Behaviour in Collective Dance Improvisation: The Aesthetics of Kinaesthetic Togetherness

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Tommi Himberg

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Collective dance improvisation (e.g., traditional and social dancing, contact improvisation is a participatory, relational and embodied art form which eschews standard concepts in aesthetics. We present our ongoing research into the mechanisms underlying the lived experience of “togetherness” associated with such practices. Togetherness in collective dance improvisation is kinaesthetic (based on movement and its perception, and so can be simultaneously addressed from the perspective of the performers and the spectators, and be measured. We utilise these multiple levels of description: the first-person, phenomenological level of personal experiences, the third-person description of brain and body activity, and the level of interpersonal dynamics. Here, we describe two of our protocols: a four-person mirror game and a ‘rhythm battle’ dance improvisation score. Using an interpersonal closeness measure after the practice, we correlate subjective sense of individual/group connectedness and observed levels of in-group temporal synchronization. We propose that kinaesthetic togetherness, or interpersonal resonance, is integral to the aesthetic pleasure of the participants and spectators, and that embodied feeling of togetherness might play a role more generally in aesthetic experience in the performing arts.

The effect of dance on depressive symptoms in nursing home residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Vankova, Hana; Holmerova, Iva; Machacova, Katerina; Volicer, Ladislav; Veleta, Petr; Celko, Alexander Martin

2014-08-01

To evaluate the effect of a dance-based therapy on depressive symptoms among institutionalized older adults. Randomized controlled trial. Nursing homes. Older adults (60 years or older) permanently living in a nursing home. Exercise Dance for Seniors (EXDASE) Program designed for the use in long-term care settings performed once a week for 60 minutes for 3 months. Baseline measures included sociodemographic characteristics, ability to perform basic as well as instrumental activities of daily living, basic mobility, self-rated health, and cognitive status. Outcome measures were collected before and after the intervention and included assessment of depressive symptoms using the geriatric depression scale (GDS). Comparison of participants with MMSE of 15 or higher showed that GDS scores in the intervention group significantly improved (P = .005), whereas the control group had a trend of further worsening of depressive symptoms (P = .081). GLM analysis documented highly statistically significant effect of dance therapy (P = .001) that was not influenced by controlling for intake of antidepressants and nursing home location. Dance therapy may have decreased depressive symptoms even in participants with MMSE lower than 15 and resulted in more discontinuations and fewer prescriptions of antidepressants in the intervention group than in the control group. This study provides evidence that dance-based exercise can reduce the amount of depressive symptoms in nursing home residents. In general, this form of exercise seems to be very suitable and beneficial for this population. Copyright © 2014 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Dance To Integrate Exceptionalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Geraldine A.; Launi, Barbara A.

This conference presentation handout describes a program which uses dance therapy to integrate special education students with various disabilities. The 6-week program at a middle school involved having a professional dancer teach students traditional and modern dance methods as a means of expressing emotions, followed by teams of students…

The Jerusarema Dance of Zimbabwe.

Science.gov (United States)

Asante, Kariamu Welsh

1985-01-01

Traces the historical development of the Jerusarema, a traditional dance of the Shona of Zimbabwe, from its origins as a form of military defense to its present role in recreation and ceremony. Describes the Jerusarema, classifies it in relation to other African dance forms, and discusses how it is learned. (KH)

Authorships of habitual bodies dancing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Susanne

Dance is a mandatory part of physical education in Denmark and in this context imitation and improvisation are often used as if they are to be understood as dichotomies. In this paper I focus on analyzing how the students’ experience of the authorships of their dance-movements – whether improvise...

Recognizing Induced Emotions of Happiness and Sadness from Dance Movement

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dyck, Edith; Vansteenkiste, Pieter; Lenoir, Matthieu; Lesaffre, Micheline; Leman, Marc

2014-01-01

Recent research revealed that emotional content can be successfully decoded from human dance movement. Most previous studies made use of videos of actors or dancers portraying emotions through choreography. The current study applies emotion induction techniques and free movement in order to examine the recognition of emotional content from dance. Observers (N = 30) watched a set of silent videos showing depersonalized avatars of dancers moving to an emotionally neutral musical stimulus after emotions of either sadness or happiness had been induced. Each of the video clips consisted of two dance performances which were presented side-by-side and were played simultaneously; one of a dancer in the happy condition and one of the same individual in the sad condition. After every film clip, the observers were asked to make forced-choices concerning the emotional state of the dancer. Results revealed that observers were able to identify the emotional state of the dancers with a high degree of accuracy. Moreover, emotions were more often recognized for female dancers than for their male counterparts. In addition, the results of eye tracking measurements unveiled that observers primarily focus on movements of the chest when decoding emotional information from dance movement. The findings of our study show that not merely portrayed emotions, but also induced emotions can be successfully recognized from free dance movement. PMID:24587026

Dance for Physically Disabled Persons: A Manual for Teaching Ballroom, Square, and Folk Dances to Users of Wheelchairs and Crutches.

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Kathleen

The final booklet in a series on physical education and sports for the handicapped presents ideas for teaching dance to the physically disabled. Introductory sections consider the rehabilitation role of dance, physiological and psychological benefits, and facilities for dance instruction. Step-by-step suggestions are given for teaching ballroom…

Dance notations and robot motion

CERN Document Server

Abe, Naoko

2016-01-01

How and why to write a movement? Who is the writer? Who is the reader? They may be choreographers working with dancers. They may be roboticists programming robots. They may be artists designing cartoons in computer animation. In all such fields the purpose is to express an intention about a dance, a specific motion or an action to perform, in terms of intelligible sequences of elementary movements, as a music score that would be devoted to motion representation. Unfortunately there is no universal language to write a motion. Motion languages live together in a Babel tower populated by biomechanists, dance notators, neuroscientists, computer scientists, choreographers, roboticists. Each community handles its own concepts and speaks its own language. The book accounts for this diversity. Its origin is a unique workshop held at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse in 2014. Worldwide representatives of various communities met there. Their challenge was to reach a mutual understanding allowing a choreographer to access robotics ...

Traces across the body: influence of music-dance synchrony on the observation of dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Woolhouse, Matthew Harold; Lai, Rosemary

2014-01-01

In previous studies investigating entrainment and person perception, synchronized movements were found to enhance memory for incidental person attributes. Although this effect is robust, including in dance, the process by which it is actuated are less well understood. In this study, two hypotheses are investigated: that enhanced memory for person attributes is the result of (1) increased gaze time between in-tempo dancers; and/or (2) greater attentional focus between in-tempo dancers. To explore these possible mechanisms in the context of observing dance, an eye-tracking study was conducted in which subjects watched videos of pairs of laterally positioned dancers; only one of the dancers was synchronized with the music, the other being asynchronous. The results were consistent with the first hypothesis-music-dance synchrony gives rise to increased visual inspection times. In addition, there was a preference for upper-body fixations over lower-body fixations across both synchronous and asynchronous conditions. A subsequent, single-dancer eye-tracking study investigated fixations across different body regions, including head, torso, legs and feet. Significantly greater dwell times were recorded for head than torso and legs; feet attracted significantly less dwell time than any other body region. Lastly, the study sought to identify dance gestures responsible for torso- and head-directed fixations. Specifically we asked whether there are features in dance that are specially designed to direct an observer's gaze towards the face-the main "communicative portal" with respect to the transmission of intent, affect and empathy.

Kinematic parameters that influence the aesthetic perception of beauty in contemporary dance.

Science.gov (United States)

Torrents, Carlota; Castañer, Marta; Jofre, Toni; Morey, Gaspar; Reverter, Ferran

2013-01-01

Some experiments have stablished that certain kinematic parameters can influence the subjective aesthetic perception of the dance audience. Neave, McCarty, Freynik, Caplan, Hönekopp, and Fink (2010, Biology Letters 7 221-224) reported eleven movement parameters in non-expert male dancers, showing a significant positive correlation with perceived dance quality. We aim to identify some of the kinematic parameters of expert dancers' movements that influence the subjective aesthetic perception of observers in relation to specific skills of contemporary dance. Four experienced contemporary dancers performed three repetitions of four dance-related motor skills. Motion was captured by a VICON-MX system. The resulting 48 animations were viewed by 108 observers. The observers judged beauty using a semantic differential. The data were then subjected to multiple factor analysis. The results suggested that there were strong associations between higher beauty scores and certain kinematic parameters, especially those related to amplitude of movement.

Genic control of honey bee dance language dialect.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinderer, T E; Beaman, L D

1995-10-01

Behavioural genetic analysis of honey bee dance language shows simple Mendelian genic control over certain dance dialect differences. Worker honey bees of one parent colony (yellow) changed from round to transition dances for foraging distances of 20 m and from transition to waggle dances at 40 m. Worker bees of the other parent colony (black) made these shifts at 30 m and 90 m, respectively. F1 colonies behaved identically to their yellow parent, suggesting dominance. Progeny of backcrossing between the F1 generation and the putative recessive black parent assorted to four classes, indicating that the dialect differences studied are regulated by genes at two unlinked loci, each having two alleles. Honey bee dance communication is complex and highly integrated behaviour. Nonetheless, analysis of a small element of this behaviour, variation in response to distance, suggests that dance communication is regulated by subsets consisting of simple genic systems.

Dancing on Thin Ice: The Journey of Two Male Teacher Candidates Emerging as Professionals within a Teacher Education Dance Program

Science.gov (United States)

Kalyn, Brenda; Campbell, Eric; McAvoy, Alekcei; Weimer, Michelle

2015-01-01

Teacher candidates entering the world of curricula face the realities of teaching a variety of subjects, some more conceptually foreign than others. One challenging area for teacher candidates, particularly males, is in dance education (Gard, 2008; Kiley, 2010). A teacher's former dance experience, beliefs about who dances and why, personal…

Effects of kinesthetic versus visual imagery practice on two technical dance movements: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Girón, Elizabeth Coker; McIsaac, Tara; Nilsen, Dawn

2012-03-01

Motor imagery is a type of mental practice that involves imagining the body performing a movement in the absence of motor output. Dance training traditionally incorporates mental practice techniques, but quantitative effects of motor imagery on the performance of dance movements are largely unknown. This pilot study compared the effects of two different imagery modalities, external visual imagery and kinesthetic imagery, on pelvis and hip kinematics during two technical dance movements, plié and sauté. Each of three female dance students (mean age = 19.7 years, mean years of training = 10.7) was assigned to use a type of imagery practice: visual imagery, kinesthetic imagery, or no imagery. Effects of motor imagery on peak external hip rotation varied by both modality and task. Kinesthetic imagery increased peak external hip rotation for pliés, while visual imagery increased peak external hip rotation for sautés. Findings suggest that the success of motor imagery in improving performance may be task-specific. Dancers may benefit from matching imagery modality to technical tasks in order to improve alignment and thereby avoid chronic injury.

[Kapoera--popular dance or martial art?].

Science.gov (United States)

Kluger, Y; Ravid, A; Ben Avraham, R; Soffer, D; Aladgem, D

1997-01-15

Kapoera, a combination of acrobatics and coordinated athletic movement, is believed to have been introduced to South America during the 19th century by transported African slaves. The dance does not involve intentional physical contact, but during 6 months, 3 patients were admitted here for injuries induced by the forceful movements of this dance. 2 underwent exploratory laparotomy that revealed bowel perforations and 1 suffered a comminuted nasal bone fracture. Medical personnel should be familiar with the potential hazards of this dance and martial art.

Creativity and development of creativity

OpenAIRE

Nebřenská, Dagmar

2011-01-01

The purpose of my Bachelor's degree thesis is to analyse creativity and possibilities of development of creativity. The thesis is composed of nine chapters, each of them dealing with different aspect of creativity. Introductory chapter defines term creativity from different points of view as well problems connected with its defining. Then is provided an outline of historical concepts of creativity. Next part of text examines creative personality, deals with concept of creative personality, Gu...

Group Creativity: Mapping the Creative Process of a Cappella Choirs in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom Using the Musical Creativities Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Wai Chen, Jason Chi

2018-01-01

A cappella is a musical performance genre with a long history. Although many people compose and arrange a cappella works, the connection between a cappella and musical creativity has not yet been considered. This study examines the background of the musical creativities framework [Burnard, P. 2012. "Musical Creativities in Practice."…

SCHOOL CONTEXT AND DANCE IN COLLECTIVE: CASE STUDY IN STATE COLLEGE MACHADO DE ASSIS

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Tainã Silva Oliveira

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This research of a case study in State College Machado de Assis - CEMA, in order to analyze the school context and the reality of this dance school. The research is linked to the Institutional Program Initiation Purse in Teaching - PIBID, performed by scholarship students of the Bachelor's Degree in Dance at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology -IFG Goiás, Campus Aparecida de Goiânia - Goiás. From analysis of diagnostic, highlighted the need to investigate and analyze a project of this school, that it is the creation and actions of a dance group called Danç'art. The methodology of the research, theoretical and field, permeated by the study authors and researchers that supported and provoked reflections. Brings inherent notes related to the school context which helps to think about the dance by the bias of a critical overview. For greater understanding of the school context were made questionnaires for students, for dance teacher, teachers of other subjects besides the director and coordinators. These studies validate and enable greater understanding of the need for experience and expansion looks about the dance school. From the field research through observations and interviews applied by scholars, we can see a devaluation by managers and teachers from other areas, which unfolds into challenges and contradictions, so that actions aimed at dance to expand and efetivem critically and consistently. Another objective is to cause a provocation and investigate the reality of dance in this context, from the following questions: what prompted the dance teacher to create the group and what look professional regarding the teaching of dance? What is the perception and interest of students to participate and be part of the group? What is an interactive dance and what is its importance in the perspective of a group of dance? How to give the processes of teaching, creation and testing of the group? Understanding the design of this

The Bawdy, Brawling, Boisterous World of Korean Mask Dance Dramas: A Brief Essay to Accompany Photographs

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CedarBough Saeji

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Korean mask dance dramas are captivating and entrancing. Comedy, tragedy, and social commentary meld with energetic dance, distinctive masks, and lively music. These dramas are often colloquially and incorrectly referred to as talchum (“mask dance” in Korean—in fact, talchum is one of the major variants of mask dance drama from Hwanghae Province in present-day North Korea. Performers of other variants have long objected to the broad application of the term (akin to calling all in-line skates “Rollerblades” or all MP3 players “iPods”. Only in the late 1990s did academia catch on, when two highly respected midcareer mask dance drama scholars, Bak Jintae (Daegu University and Jeon Kyungwook (Korea University, began to use the terminology talnoli (“mask play” and gamyeon-geuk (“mask drama” in their publications.I needed to watch only one performance, in 1997, to fall in love with the mask dance dramas, but at first the many forms of the genre melded together in my mind. It took repeated exposure and study over more than a dozen years for me to see the profound similarities and differences among all of Korea’s mask dance dramas...

Narratives of pitch: darkness and shadow in the cinema and in the dance

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Flaviana Sampaio

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Black-and-white films and dance performances have similarities in terms of the interplays of the light and the dark. Both arts explore lighting to create specific visual narratives. In this regard, concepts of night tend to express an environment outside ‘reality’. This paper examines the films Nosferatu (1922 and L’avventura (1964, and the dance performances La Sylphide (1832, and Triz (2013 taking into consideration ideas of night emphasized in the exchanges conception of darkness and shadows.

PHYSIQUE AND BODY COMPOSITION OF GIRLS PRACTISING CONTEMPORARY DANCE

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Przednowek Karolina H.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Physique and body composition are often explored in sport-related research. This is due to the fact that morphological features can be useful for determining a person’s predispositions for practising a given type of physical activity. Dance, as any other sports discipline, has an impact on the physique and motor skills of those who practise it. Most research concerning the physique and body composition of dancers conducted so far has focused on persons practising ballet or competitive ballroom dancing. Investigating these issues in contemporary dancers is a new field of study. The aim of the current study was to examine the physique and body composition of girls aged 14-17 years practising contemporary dance. Material and methods. The study involved 23 girls who trained contemporary dance twice a week for 2 hours. The participants of the study had been training since the age of six. Basic anthropometric measurements were performed. Body composition was analysed based on parameters measured using a Tanita body composition analyser. Conclusions. The analysis found that girls training contemporary dance were characterised by a leptosomatic physique. BMI values in both younger and older contemporary dancers indicated that their weight was normal. Compared to girls who did not practise any particular type of sport, contemporary dancers had a lower weight, a lower body water percentage, and a lower body fat percentage. The dancers were also characterised by a greater circumference of the waist, hips, arm, and chest compared to untrained peers.

The Eco-Innovation Variables which Influence the Performance of Creative Industries Center of Natural Stone Crafts

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Murti Astuti

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the eco-innovation variable which has the significant effecton creative industries center’s performance of marble and natural stone craft sector in Tulungagung, Indonesia. The object of the study is the creative industries center with the non-renewable raw material. Mostly, the companies are in form of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs which is ‘passive eco-innovator’ and their eco-innovation variables have not been investigated before in terms of their influenceon their performance. The respondents were 81 craftsmen taken from the population. The data were collected through questionnaires which were tested, processed and analyzed by using Consistent Partial Least Square (PLSc. The eco-innovation variables which significantly effecton innovative performance are eco-organizational innovation and eco-product innovation. Eco-process innovation and eco-marketing innovation don’t directly affecton innovative performance, but its significant effecton eco-product innovation may influence innovative performance. Improving innovative performance will impact on financial performance through improvement of production performance, but market performance does not significantly affect financial performance. The findings of this study could be a reference for creative industries center’s of marble and natural stone craft sector to prioritize which type of eco-innovation should be improved so that its impact on performance is more significant

Students’ Aesthetics Experience, Creative Self-Efficacy and Creativity: Is Creativity Instruction Effective?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan-Cheng Chang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Based on creativity component theory, creativity system theory and creative self-efficacy theory, this study aims to explore the influence of college students’ aesthetics experience and creative self-efficacy on their creativity and the role of creativity instruction as a mediator variable. The participants were 338 college design majors in 50 teams who were working on their graduation exhibitions, and 50 advising professors from departments related to design. Hierarchical Linear Models were applied for analysis. The result showed that instruction on enhancing students’ creative intention positively affect students’ aesthetics experience. Students’ aesthetics experience affects their creativity and creative self-efficacy. Creativity instruction with focus on creativity skills by means of promoting aesthetic attitude, aesthetic understanding, and offering complete experiences had a moderating effect on students’ perception toward creative product. However, there was a negative moderating effect of creative instruction on perceived aesthetic pleasure and students’ perception toward creative product. There was no moderating effect of creative instruction on the relationship between students’ creative self-efficacy and creativity. Accordingly, the study concluded that in order to enhance students’ creativity, universities should stress on the development of students’ aesthetics experiences and re-evaluation of approaches to creativity instruction.

Schools Integrate Dance into Lessons

Science.gov (United States)

Robelen, Erik W.

2010-01-01

Photosynthesis may be an unlikely topic to inspire an opera or ballet, but in a 2nd grade classroom in Pikesville, Maryland, the children were asked to use dance to help them learn about that process. Small groups of pupils in this class at Fort Garrison Elementary School brainstormed to come up with dance movements to convey elements of…

Creative Arts Therapies as Temporary Home for Refugees: Insights from Literature and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebekka Dieterich-Hartwell

2017-10-01

Full Text Available One of the frequently overlooked psychosocial problems of refugees is the phenomenon of homesickness. Being forced into exile and unable to return home may cause natural feelings of nostalgia but may also result in emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physical adversities. According to the literature, the creative arts therapies with their attention to preverbal language—music, imagery, dance, role play, and movement—are able to reach individuals through the senses and promote successive integration, which can lead to transformation and therapeutic change. These forms of therapy can be a temporary home for refugees in the acculturation process, by serving as a safe and enactive transitional space. More specifically, working with dance and movement can foster the experience of the body as a home and thus provide a safe starting place, from which to regulate arousal, increase interoception, and symbolize trauma- and resource-related processes. Hearing, playing, and singing music from the home culture may assist individuals in maintaining their cultural and personal individuality. Creating drawings, paintings, or sculpturing around the topics of houses and environments from the past can help refugees to retain their identity through art, creating safe spaces for the future helps to look ahead, retain resources, and regain control. This article provides a literature review related to home and homesickness, and the role the arts therapies can play for refugees in transition. It further reports selected interview data on adverse life events and burdens in the host country from a German study. We propose that the creative arts therapies are not only a container that offers a temporary home, but can also serve as a bridge that gently guides refugees to a stepwise integration in the host country. Several clinical and research examples are presented suggesting that the support and affirmation through the creative arts can strengthen individuals in

Traces across the body: influence of music-dance synchrony on the observation of dance

Science.gov (United States)

Woolhouse, Matthew Harold; Lai, Rosemary

2014-01-01

In previous studies investigating entrainment and person perception, synchronized movements were found to enhance memory for incidental person attributes. Although this effect is robust, including in dance, the process by which it is actuated are less well understood. In this study, two hypotheses are investigated: that enhanced memory for person attributes is the result of (1) increased gaze time between in-tempo dancers; and/or (2) greater attentional focus between in-tempo dancers. To explore these possible mechanisms in the context of observing dance, an eye-tracking study was conducted in which subjects watched videos of pairs of laterally positioned dancers; only one of the dancers was synchronized with the music, the other being asynchronous. The results were consistent with the first hypothesis—music-dance synchrony gives rise to increased visual inspection times. In addition, there was a preference for upper-body fixations over lower-body fixations across both synchronous and asynchronous conditions. A subsequent, single-dancer eye-tracking study investigated fixations across different body regions, including head, torso, legs and feet. Significantly greater dwell times were recorded for head than torso and legs; feet attracted significantly less dwell time than any other body region. Lastly, the study sought to identify dance gestures responsible for torso- and head-directed fixations. Specifically we asked whether there are features in dance that are specially designed to direct an observer’s gaze towards the face—the main “communicative portal” with respect to the transmission of intent, affect and empathy. PMID:25520641

Conscious Augmentation of Creative State Enhances "Real" Creativity in Open-Ended Analogical Reasoning.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adam B Weinberger

Full Text Available Humans have an impressive ability to augment their creative state (i.e., to consciously try and succeed at thinking more creatively. Though this "thinking cap" phenomenon is commonly experienced, the range of its potential has not been fully explored by creativity research, which has often focused instead on creativity as a trait. A key question concerns the extent to which conscious augmentation of state creativity can improve creative reasoning. Although artistic creativity is also of great interest, it is creative reasoning that frequently leads to innovative advances in science and industry. Here, we studied state creativity in analogical reasoning, a form of relational reasoning that spans the conceptual divide between intelligence and creativity and is a core mechanism for creative innovation. Participants performed a novel Analogy Finding Task paradigm in which they sought valid analogical connections in a matrix of word-pairs. An explicit creativity cue elicited formation of substantially more creative analogical connections (measured via latent semantic analysis. Critically, the increase in creative analogy formation was not due to a generally more liberal criterion for analogy formation (that is, it appeared to reflect "real" creativity rather than divergence at the expense of appropriateness. The use of an online sample provided evidence that state creativity augmentation can be successfully elicited by remote cuing in an online environment. Analysis of an intelligence measure provided preliminary indication that the influential "threshold hypothesis," which has been proposed to characterize the relationship between intelligence and trait creativity, may be extensible to the new domain of state creativity.

Conscious Augmentation of Creative State Enhances "Real" Creativity in Open-Ended Analogical Reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Adam B; Iyer, Hari; Green, Adam E

2016-01-01

Humans have an impressive ability to augment their creative state (i.e., to consciously try and succeed at thinking more creatively). Though this "thinking cap" phenomenon is commonly experienced, the range of its potential has not been fully explored by creativity research, which has often focused instead on creativity as a trait. A key question concerns the extent to which conscious augmentation of state creativity can improve creative reasoning. Although artistic creativity is also of great interest, it is creative reasoning that frequently leads to innovative advances in science and industry. Here, we studied state creativity in analogical reasoning, a form of relational reasoning that spans the conceptual divide between intelligence and creativity and is a core mechanism for creative innovation. Participants performed a novel Analogy Finding Task paradigm in which they sought valid analogical connections in a matrix of word-pairs. An explicit creativity cue elicited formation of substantially more creative analogical connections (measured via latent semantic analysis). Critically, the increase in creative analogy formation was not due to a generally more liberal criterion for analogy formation (that is, it appeared to reflect "real" creativity rather than divergence at the expense of appropriateness). The use of an online sample provided evidence that state creativity augmentation can be successfully elicited by remote cuing in an online environment. Analysis of an intelligence measure provided preliminary indication that the influential "threshold hypothesis," which has been proposed to characterize the relationship between intelligence and trait creativity, may be extensible to the new domain of state creativity.

Schizotypal traits in painters: Relations with intelligence, creativity and creative productivity

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Međedović Janko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the present research we explored the presence of schizotypal traits in painters. Furthermore, the relations of schizotypy and creativity-related variables (intelligence, creativity and creative productivity were analyzed. Study participants were divided into the criterion (132 students of art academy and art high school and control group (119 psychology students and members of grammar school. Two hypotheses were set: 1 schizotypal traits are more pronounced in painters than in control group; 2 schizotypy is more closely associated with the creativitylinked variables in the criterion than in control group. Schizotypy was operationalized by Disintegration construct and measured via DELTA 10 inventory. Intelligence was assessed by Advanced Progressive Matrices-18; creativity was measured by the same labeled scale from HEXACO-PI-R inventory and creative productivity was explored by a set of questions regarding the frequency of creative behavior. Results showed that Magical thinking, Enhanced awareness, Somatoform Dysregulation, Perceptual distortions and Social anhedonia were the schizotypal traits which were more pronounced in painters as compared to the control group. Factor analyses performed in each group separately revealed a latent component loaded both with schizotypal traits, creativity and creative productivity, but only in the group of painters: schizotypy and creativity were not so closely related in the control group. Thus, the study hypotheses were largely confirmed. Results provide a more detailed understanding of the relations between schizotypy and creativity.

Moving Social Justice: Challenges, Fears and Possibilities in Dance Education

Science.gov (United States)

Risner, Doug; Stinson, Susan W.

2010-01-01

This essay explores social justice commitments in dance pedagogy and dance education teacher preparation in the USA as developed through a series of conversations between two dance educators and former administrators in higher education. The authors examine the history of multiculturalism, multicultural practices in postsecondary dance, their…

Engaging Youth through African-Derived Dance and Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Franklin, Kikora

2013-01-01

This article provides a brief history of African and African-derived dance and culture and highlights the physical health, dance education, historical, and cultural benefits of a school-based program that incorporates African dance as its core component. The article also includes the phases of the programming and brings attention to potential…

MAGA MAGAZINOVIC: THE MAIN CONCEPTS OF MODERN DANCE

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Milos Marijan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Marija Maga Magazinovic (Užice,1882- Belgrade, 1968, a choreographer, dancer, modern dance theorist, philosopher, feminist, librarian and journalist, was the founder of modern dance in Serbia. In her efforts to introduce modern dance, Magazinovic demanded emancipation of art, “pure” dance, a beauty of simple movements, which had no need for story, scenography, costume, even music, nothing but naked dancer’s body. Maga, who graduated philosophy at the Belgrade University in 1904, and was a journalist by vocation, working as the first woman journalist in the daily newspaper “Politica” as a columnist, also fought for women’s rights and emancipation. By bringing modern artistic view into the patriarchal Serbian society, she contributed to the social and cultural development, and to the understanding and adopting of the modern dance at the very time when it was developed and brought on stage in the West. Stemmed from the schools of Max Reinhardt and ballet school of Isadora Duncan, she brought their views and pedagogical methods to Serbia when she returned from Berlin and Munich to Belgrade, where she opened the first school of modern dance in 1910. She was the first to advocate for the necessity of female education, particularly of engaging girls in doing rhythmic gymnastics and dance as a form of bodily and spiritual education. Given that Marija Maga Magazinovic was the first who opened the door for the progress and changes in the fields of dance and women’s rights by bringing concepts of those movements, in which she directly participated, to Serbia, these concepts had to be explained. Therefore, the main goal of the paper is to examine these concepts, such as modern dance, rhythmic gymnastic, body culture, Ausdruckstanz, expressionism, and women emancipation, which is crucial if we want to understand early period of modern dance development, and to understand Magazinovic’s efforts and achievements and her place and historical

Core Knowledge Employee Creativity and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Riskiness Orientation, Firm Size, and Realized Absorptive Capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Yaping; Zhou, Jing; Chang, Song

2013-01-01

In this study, we examine when creativity is positively or negatively related to firm performance. Building on the creation-implementation tension theorized in the literature and the attention capacity perspective, we argue that the relationship between creativity and firm performance is contingent on riskiness orientation, firm size, and realized…

Social Dancing and Incidence of Falls in Older Adults: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Merom, Dafna; Mathieu, Erin; Cerin, Ester; Morton, Rachael L; Simpson, Judy M; Rissel, Chris; Anstey, Kaarin J; Sherrington, Catherine; Lord, Stephen R; Cumming, Robert G

2016-08-01

The prevention of falls among older people is a major public health challenge. Exercises that challenge balance are recognized as an efficacious fall prevention strategy. Given that small-scale trials have indicated that diverse dance styles can improve balance and gait of older adults, two of the strongest risk factors for falls in older people, this study aimed to determine whether social dance is effective in i) reducing the number of falls and ii) improving physical and cognitive fall-related risk factors. A parallel two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken in 23 self-care retirement villages (clusters) around Sydney, Australia. Eligible villages had to have an appropriate hall for dancing, house at least 60 residents, and not be currently offering dance as a village activity. Retirement villages were randomised using a computer generated randomisation method, constrained using minimisation. Eligible participants had to be a resident of the village, be able to walk at least 50 m, and agree to undergo physical and cognitive testing without cognitive impairment. Residents of intervention villages (12 clusters) were offered twice weekly one-hour social dancing classes (folk or ballroom dancing) over 12 mo (80 h in total). Programs were standardized across villages and were delivered by eight dance teachers. Participants in the control villages (11 clusters) were advised to continue with their regular activities. falls during the 12 mo trial and Trail Making Tests. The Physiological Performance Assessment (i.e., postural sway, proprioception, reaction time, leg strength) and the Short Physical Performance Battery; health-related physical and mental quality of life from the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) Survey. Data on falls were obtained from 522 of 530 (98%) randomised participants (mean age 78 y, 85% women) and 424 (80%) attended the 12-mo reassessment, which was lower among folk dance participants (71%) than ballroom dancing (82%) or control

Social Dancing and Incidence of Falls in Older Adults: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dafna Merom

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The prevention of falls among older people is a major public health challenge. Exercises that challenge balance are recognized as an efficacious fall prevention strategy. Given that small-scale trials have indicated that diverse dance styles can improve balance and gait of older adults, two of the strongest risk factors for falls in older people, this study aimed to determine whether social dance is effective in i reducing the number of falls and ii improving physical and cognitive fall-related risk factors.A parallel two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was undertaken in 23 self-care retirement villages (clusters around Sydney, Australia. Eligible villages had to have an appropriate hall for dancing, house at least 60 residents, and not be currently offering dance as a village activity. Retirement villages were randomised using a computer generated randomisation method, constrained using minimisation. Eligible participants had to be a resident of the village, be able to walk at least 50 m, and agree to undergo physical and cognitive testing without cognitive impairment. Residents of intervention villages (12 clusters were offered twice weekly one-hour social dancing classes (folk or ballroom dancing over 12 mo (80 h in total. Programs were standardized across villages and were delivered by eight dance teachers. Participants in the control villages (11 clusters were advised to continue with their regular activities.falls during the 12 mo trial and Trail Making Tests.The Physiological Performance Assessment (i.e., postural sway, proprioception, reaction time, leg strength and the Short Physical Performance Battery; health-related physical and mental quality of life from the Short-Form 12 (SF-12 Survey. Data on falls were obtained from 522 of 530 (98% randomised participants (mean age 78 y, 85% women and 424 (80% attended the 12-mo reassessment, which was lower among folk dance participants (71% than ballroom dancing (82% or control

Learning to Learn: A Hidden Dimension within Community Dance Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Barr, Sherrie

2013-01-01

This article explores ways of learning experienced by university dance students participating in a community dance project. The students were unfamiliar with community-based practices and found themselves needing to remediate held attitudes about dance. How the students came to approach their learning within the dance-making process drew on…

Dancing to "groovy" music enhances the experience of flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernardi, Nicolò F; Bellemare-Pepin, Antoine; Peretz, Isabelle

2018-05-06

We investigated whether dancing influences the emotional response to music, compared to when music is listened to in the absence of movement. Forty participants without previous dance training listened to "groovy" and "nongroovy" music excerpts while either dancing or refraining from movement. Participants were also tested while imitating their own dance movements, but in the absence of music as a control condition. Emotion ratings and ratings of flow were collected following each condition. Dance movements were recorded using motion capture. We found that the state of flow was increased specifically during spontaneous dance to groovy excerpts, compared with both still listening and motor imitation. Emotions in the realms of vitality (such as joy and power) and sublimity (such as wonder and nostalgia) were evoked by music in general, whether participants moved or not. Significant correlations were found between the emotional and flow responses to music and whole-body acceleration profiles. Thus, the results highlight a distinct state of flow when dancing, which may be of use to promote well-being and to address certain clinical conditions. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Sensation, Perception, and Choice in the Dance Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Henley, Matthew

2014-01-01

There are many reasons to teach dance as part of the broader curriculum. This article focuses on using dance as a way to foster critical thinking. In this conceptual article, I draw from the National Standards goals that were in line with my own framework of dance as uniquely engaging the three different sensory systems of exteroception,…

Shake It Out! Belly Dance in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Marquis, Jenée; Gurvitch, Rachel

2015-01-01

Belly dance is a folk dance with a history that can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization. It is a form of expression and movement that has been used for hundreds of years in religious ceremonies, birthing rituals, and social and familial gatherings in the Middle East. Students of belly dance can increase their muscular strength and…

Benefits of Implementing a Dance Unit in Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Bajek, Mary; Richards, K. Andrew R.; Ressler, James

2015-01-01

This article discusses the benefits of participating in a dance curriculum, as well as how dance relates to the National Standards. It also provides insight into how physical educators can overcome the barriers to teaching dance in their programs.

The effect of dance therapy on the balance of women over 60 years of age: The influence of dance therapy for the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Filar-Mierzwa, Katarzyna; Długosz, Małgorzata; Marchewka, Anna; Dąbrowski, Zbigniew; Poznańska, Anna

2017-01-01

Dance therapy is a physical activity that can lead to balance improvement in older adults. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of dance therapy on balance and risk of falls in older women. Twenty-four older women (mean age 66.4 years old) attended dance sessions for three months. Pretest/posttests were completed using the Postural Stability Test, the Limits of Stability Test, and the Fall Risk Test M-CTSIB. Results showed the Limits of Stability Test was significantly higher (17.5%) after dance classes. Regular use of dance therapy shows promise in improving balance by increasing the limits of stability.

A letter about Water and Sensing & Dancing - an architect reflecting upon Fortuny and Wagner - Wagnerism in the visual arts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fisker, Anna Marie

2013-01-01

Contribution to symposium catalogue - presenting the vision for a future dance performance devoted to sensing and water. Published at the final symposium for the artistic research project "Sense & Dance"....

Musical meaning and social significance : techno triggers for dancing

OpenAIRE

Gadir, Tami Ester

2014-01-01

Electronically-produced dance music has only recently achieved as much visibility in the global pop music industry as ‘live’ or instrumental pop. Yet the fascination of cultural scholars and sociologists with dance music predates its rise as a product of mass culture. Much of this interest derives from early associations of dance music with marginalised groups and oppositional ideologies. It therefore follows that many explorations of dance music focus on the ways in which tech...

Applying anodal tDCS during tango dancing in a patient with Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaski, D; Allum, J H; Bronstein, A M; Dominguez, R O

2014-05-07

Gait disturbance in patients with Parkinson's disease remains a therapeutic challenge, given its poor response to levodopa. Dance therapy is of recognised benefit in these patients, particularly partnered dance forms such as the tango. In parallel, non-invasive brain stimulation has begun to show promise for the rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's disease, although effects on gait, compared to upper limbs, have been less well defined. We applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in a 79 year old male patient with moderate Parkinson's disease during tango dancing to assess its effect on trunk motion and balance. The patient performed a total of four dances over two days, two 'tango+tDCS' and two 'tango+sham' in a randomised double-blind fashion. In a separate experimental session we also assessed the isolated effect of tDCS (and sham) on gait without tango dancing. For the dance session, trunk peak velocity during tango was significantly greater during tDCS compared to sham stimulation. In the gait experiments we observed a modest but significant reduction in the time taken to complete the 3m 'timed up and go' and 6m walk, and an increase in overall gait velocity and peak pitch trunk velocity with tDCS compared to sham. Our findings suggest that tDCS may be a useful adjunct to gait rehabilitation for patients with PD, although studies in a larger group of patients are needed to evaluate the therapeutic use of non-invasive brain stimulation during dance therapy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

French Society Abroad: The Popularization of French Dance throughout Europe, 1600-1750

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Adam Paul Rinehart

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the dissemination of French dance, dance notation, and dance music throughout Europe, and it explains the reasons why French culture had such an influence on other European societies from 1600-1750. First, the paper seeks to prove that King Louis XIV played a significant role in the outpour of French dance and the arts. Next, the paper discusses prominent French writers of dance notation who influenced the spread of French dance literature and training throughout Europe. Finally, the paper delineates European composers and their involvement in the development and production of French dance music. Using academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and other scholarly sources, this paper seeks to accurately present the information in an orderly fashion. The paper contains visual evidence of dance and music notation to assist the reader in understanding the subject matter. Additionally, theories of contemporary authors as well as authors from the time period are discussed to present concrete evidence. The two main types of dance discussed in the paper are ballroom and court dances, which were prominent within the French royal court. One major finding of the research is the fact that French court and ballroom dances were specifically designed to communicate the power and prestige of King Louis XIV; consequently, other European countries were influenced to strive for similar prestige. Another finding is that many forms of French dance notation were translated and published in other countries, which increased the use of French dance throughout Europe. Musically, European composers such as Handel and Mozart included elements of French dance music in their compositions, and thus played a significant role in prevalence of French dance music throughout Europe. Overall, this paper proves that French dance received wide recognition due to political influence, availability of dance notation, and the involvement of prominent composers.

Moving the School and Dancing Education: Case Study Research of K-5 Students' Experiences in a Dance Residency

Science.gov (United States)

Leonard, Alison E.

2012-01-01

This dissertation chronicles the qualitative case study of a dance artist-in-residence at a diverse and inclusive K-5 school in an urban district, integrating science, social studies, physical education, music, and visual arts school curriculum and culminating in two public performances. This study focused on how students made meaning through this…

Effects of dancing on the risk of falling related factors of healthy older adults: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Argüelles, Esther López; Rodríguez-Mansilla, Juan; Antunez, Luis Espejo; Garrido-Ardila, Elisa María; Muñoz, Rafael Perez

2015-01-01

Deficits of balance or postural control in persons of advanced age are one of the factors that influence the risk of falling. The most appropriate treatment approaches and their benefits are still unknown. The aim of this article is to systematically review the scientific literature to identify the therapeutic effects of dancing as a physical exercise modality on balance, flexibility, gait, muscle strength and physical performance in older adults. A systematic search of Pubmed, Cochrane Library Plus, PEDro, Science Direct, Dialnet and Academic Search Complete using the search terms "dance", "older", "dance therapy", "elderly", "balance", "gait" and "motor skills". The eligibility criteria were: studies written in English and Spanish, published from January 2000 to January 2013, studies which analyzed the effects of dance (ballroom dance and/or dance based exercise) in older adults over 60 years of age with no disabling disease and included the following variables of study: balance, gait, risk of falls, strength, functionality, flexibility and quality of life. 123 articles were found in the literature. A final selection of seven articles was used for the present manuscript. Although the selected studies showed positive effects on the risk of falling related to factors (balance, gait and dynamic mobility, strength and physical performance), there were some aspects of the studies such as the methodological quality, the small sample size, the lack of homogeneity in relation to the variables and the measurement tools, and the existing diversity regarding the study design and the type of dance, that do not enable us to confirm that dance has significant benefits on these factors based on the scientific evidence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Creative collisions between body and mind

CERN Multimedia

Joannah Caborn Wengler

2012-01-01

Gilles Jobin, an internationally renowned dancer and choreographer from Geneva, is just starting his three-month residency at CERN. It’s the Organization’s first Collide@CERN dance and performance residency and is funded by the City and Canton of Geneva. Freshly installed in his new office, he’s just starting to get to grips with the combination of dance and high energy physics.   Jobin's 2011 piece "Spider Galaxies" was in part inspired by a visit to CERN and its music incorporated LHC data. © Cie Gilles Jobin 2011 – Photograph: Grégory Batardon. “I’m really in an exploratory phase of what I’m calling “The Metaphor Dance Project” at the moment,” Gilles Jobin explains. “And I’m learning so much. For example, I didn’t know that gravity is one of the weakest forces, and that the force which holds matter together and the...

The Influence of Proactive Green Innovation and Reactive Green Innovation on Green Product Development Performance: The Mediation Role of Green Creativity

OpenAIRE

Yu-Shan Chen; Tai-Wei Chang; Chun-Yu Lin; Pi-Yu Lai; Kuan-Hung Wang

2016-01-01

This study fills the research gap in the exploration of the relationships between both proactive and reactive green innovations and green product development performance, and examines the mediating effect of green creativity. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is utilized to test the hypotheses. From the sample of 146 valid respondents, the results show that proactive green innovation positively affects green creativity and green product development performance, and green creativity positivel...

Excerpts from the Dances of Haiti: Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Dunham, Katherine

1985-01-01

Analyzes the sociological and psychological functions of the different forms of traditional Haitian dance. Describes uses of dances for recreation and play, social solidarity, externalization of emotions or sexuality, worship, and artistic expression. (KH)

Traces Across the Body: The Influence of Music-Dance Synchrony on the Observation of Dance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew Harold Woolhouse

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In previous studies investigating entrainment and person perception, synchronized movements were found to enhance memory for incidental person attributes. Although this effect is robust, including in dance, the process by which it is actuated are less well understood. In this study, two hypotheses are investigated: that enhanced memory for person attributes is the result of (1 increased gaze time between in-tempo dancers, and/or (2 greater attentional focus between in-tempo dancers. To explore these possible mechanisms in the context of observing dance, an eye-tracking study was conducted in which subjects watched videos of pairs of laterally positioned dancers; only one of the dancers was synchronized with the music, the other being asynchronous. The results were consistent with the first hypothesis—music-dance synchrony gives rise to increased visual inspection times. In addition, there was a preference for upper-body fixations over lower-body fixations across both synchronous and asynchronous conditions. A subsequent, single-dancer eye-tracking study investigated fixations across different body regions, including head, torso, legs and feet. Significantly greater dwell times were recorded for head than torso and legs; feet attracted significantly less dwell time than any other body region. Lastly, the study sought to identify dance gestures responsible for torso- and head-directed fixations. Specifically we asked whether there are features in dance that are specially designed to direct an observer’s gaze towards the face—the main communicative portal with respect to the transmission of intent, affect and empathy.

Student Experiences of "Soul Healing" in Music and Dance Performance Courses at The University of California, Los Angeles

OpenAIRE

Rann, Lara Diane

2015-01-01

This dissertation illuminates students’ experiences of “soul healing” through the cultivation of spirituality, self-love/ self-knowledge, mentorship, and community in the context of two UCLA courses: the Music and Dance of Ghana World Music Performance Ensemble, taught by master drummer Kobla Ladzekpo of the Anlo-Ewe ethnic group in Ghana, West Africa, and “Advanced Hip Hop,” taught by “street dance” pioneer and choreographer Rennie Harris, of Philadelphia, PA. My definition of soul healing ...

Conscious Augmentation of Creative State Enhances “Real” Creativity in Open-Ended Analogical Reasoning

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Adam B.; Iyer, Hari; Green, Adam E.

2016-01-01

Humans have an impressive ability to augment their creative state (i.e., to consciously try and succeed at thinking more creatively). Though this “thinking cap” phenomenon is commonly experienced, the range of its potential has not been fully explored by creativity research, which has often focused instead on creativity as a trait. A key question concerns the extent to which conscious augmentation of state creativity can improve creative reasoning. Although artistic creativity is also of great interest, it is creative reasoning that frequently leads to innovative advances in science and industry. Here, we studied state creativity in analogical reasoning, a form of relational reasoning that spans the conceptual divide between intelligence and creativity and is a core mechanism for creative innovation. Participants performed a novel Analogy Finding Task paradigm in which they sought valid analogical connections in a matrix of word-pairs. An explicit creativity cue elicited formation of substantially more creative analogical connections (measured via latent semantic analysis). Critically, the increase in creative analogy formation was not due to a generally more liberal criterion for analogy formation (that is, it appeared to reflect “real” creativity rather than divergence at the expense of appropriateness). The use of an online sample provided evidence that state creativity augmentation can be successfully elicited by remote cuing in an online environment. Analysis of an intelligence measure provided preliminary indication that the influential “threshold hypothesis,” which has been proposed to characterize the relationship between intelligence and trait creativity, may be extensible to the new domain of state creativity. PMID:26959821

Dance Theatre of Harlem--Theater Activity Packet.

Science.gov (United States)

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.

Intended to complement the New York City communication arts curriculum, this packet introduces young students, guided by the classroom teacher, to a dress rehearsal performance of the Dance Theatre of Harlem ballet company. The packet is one of a series in the "Early Stages" program, a joint effort of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theater…

Dance Experience and Associations with Cortical Gray Matter Thickness in the Aging Population

OpenAIRE

Porat, Shai; Goukasian, Naira; Hwang, Kristy S.; Zanto, Theodore; Do, Triet; Pierce, Jonathan; Joshi, Shantanu; Woo, Ellen; Apostolova, Liana G.

2016-01-01

Introduction: We investigated the effect dance experience may have on cortical gray matter thickness and cognitive performance in elderly participants with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: 39 cognitively normal and 48 MCI elderly participants completed a questionnaire regarding their lifetime experience with music, dance, and song. Participants identified themselves as either dancers or nondancers. All participants received structural 1.5-tesla MRI scans and detailed clin...

Hunter College Dance Therapy Masters Program.

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Schmais, Claire; White, Elissa Q.

Described is development of the Hunter College dance therapy 18-month 30-credit masters program involving 33 adult students, (in two classes beginning in 1971 and 1972), an educational model, internship in psychiatric institutions, and preparation of instructional materials. The dance therapist is said to incorporate the psychiatric patient's…

Festival Works to Save Pioneering Dances by Black Choreographers.

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Biemiller, Lawrence

1988-01-01

The American Dance Festival has begun a three-year effort to encourage scholars to delve into the history and influences of black modern dance, and the Ford Foundation has promised $300,000 to the project. Some express concern about separating black choreography from other American dance. (MSE)

Creating Cultures of Teaching and Learning: Conveying Dance and Somatic Education Pedagogy

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Dragon, Donna A.

2015-01-01

Often in teaching dance, methods of teaching and learning are silently embedded into dance classroom experiences. Unidentified and undisclosed pedagogic information has impacted the content of dance history; the perpetuation of authoritarian teaching practices within dance technique classes and in some dance classes deemed "somatics";…

Creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Ludvig Johan Torp; Østergaard, Lars Domino; Glaveanu, Vlad Petre

2018-01-01

The multidimensional concept of creativity has a much wider scope of application than disclosed by prevailing research on sporting creativity. In this area, creativity is mostly perceived, praised, and approached for its performative, in-game benefits. Pointing to the belief that creativity...... and nuance practical and scholastic dialogues, the purpose of this paper is to conceptualize creativity as a developmental resource in sport training activities. This is accomplished by building on and articulating Shilling's (2005) body-sociology, Glăveanu's (2012). socio-cultural notions about creativity...... requires well-developed technical skills, this phenomenon is often treated as a performative end. When targeting creative match performances, the developmental and experiential benefits of creative activities may be neglected, and creativity may be reserved for the best offensive players. To nourish...

Neuroanatomy of Creativity

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Jung, Rex E.; Segall, Judith M.; Bockholt, H. Jeremy; Flores, Ranee A.; Smith, Shirley M.; Chavez, Robert S.; Haier, Richard J.

2009-01-01

Creativity has long been a construct of interest to philosophers, psychologists and, more recently, neuroscientists. Recent efforts have focused on cognitive processes likely to be important to the manifestation of novelty and usefulness within a given social context. One such cognitive process – divergent thinking – is the process by which one extrapolates many possible answers to an initial stimulus or target data set. We sought to link well established measures of divergent thinking and creative achievement (Creative Achievement Questionnaire – CAQ) to cortical thickness in a cohort of young (23.7 ± 4.2 years), healthy subjects. Three independent judges ranked the creative products of each subject using the consensual assessment technique (Amabile, 1982) from which a “composite creativity index” (CCI) was derived. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was obtained at 1.5 Tesla Siemens scanner. Cortical reconstruction and volumetric segmentation were performed with the FreeSurfer image analysis suite. A region within the lingual gyrus was negatively correlated with CCI; the right posterior cingulate correlated positively with the CCI. For the CAQ, lower left lateral orbitofrontal volume correlated with higher creative achievement; higher cortical thickness was related to higher scores on the CAQ in the right angular gyrus. This is the first study to link cortical thickness measures to psychometric measures of creativity. The distribution of brain regions, associated with both divergent thinking and creative achievement, suggests that cognitive control of information flow among brain areas may be critical to understanding creative cognition. PMID:19722171

Tangled roots: Kalenda and other neo-African dances in the circum-Caribbean

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julian Gerstin

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Investigates descriptions of Afro-Caribbean dances in early chronicles and historical material. Author focuses on choreography, as well as on musical instruments and their use. He pays special attention to descriptions of the Martinican kalenda dance. He discusses descriptions from the 18th c. of black Caribbean dance in French and other colonies, by priests and others, of the kalenda as a couple dance within a ring, and descriptions of other widespread early dances in the Caribbean, such as chica. Author notes that in these early descriptions the authors focus obsessively on eroticism, thus simplifying and exaggerating the dances as sexual, and ignoring their variety. Further, he analyses early chronicles on other widespread dances in the circum-Caribbean, such as stick-fighting dances, bamboula, djouba, and belair, comparing with present-day Caribbean dances, and on "challenge dancing" involving a dance soloist "challenged" by a lead drummer, found, for instance, in kalenda and rumba. In addition, the author focuses on the dances' musical accompaniment by drums, and the drum types and methods, specifically transverse drumming and drumming with sticks on the side of the drum, found today in kalenda, and other Caribbean styles. He points at the inaccuracy of some chronicles, mixing up dance names, and recurring superficiality and stereotypes. He nonetheless concludes from them that slaves from the Congo/Angola region probably played a crucial role in forming these early dance styles, and that their spread was connected with French colonialism and slavery and migrations from (once French colonies. He describes probable Congolese/Angolan influences, such as pelvic isolation, challenge dances, couple dancing within a circle, and transverse drumming, but indicates that these are over time combined with other African and other influences.

The contribution of dance to daily physical activity among adolescent girls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hooker Steven P

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Structured physical activity (PA programs are well positioned to promote PA among youth, however, little is known about these programs, particularly dance classes. The aims of this study were to: 1 describe PA levels of girls enrolled in dance classes, 2 determine the contribution of dance classes to total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA, and 3 compare PA between days with a dance class (program days and days without a dance class (non-program days. Methods Participants were 149 girls (11-18 years enrolled in dance classes in 11 dance studios. Overall PA was assessed with accelerometry for 8 consecutive days, and girls reported when they attended dance classes during those days. The percent contribution of dance classes to total MVPA was calculated, and data were reduced to compare PA on program days to non-program days. Data were analyzed using mixed models, adjusting for total monitoring time. Results Girls engaged in 25.0 ± 0.9 minutes/day of MVPA. Dance classes contributed 28.7% (95% CI: 25.9%-31.6% to girls' total MVPA. Girls accumulated more MVPA on program (28.7 ± 1.4 minutes/day than non-program days (16.4 ± 1.5 minutes/day (p Conclusions Dance classes contributed a substantial proportion (29% to girls' total MVPA, and girls accumulated 70% more MVPA and 8% less sedentary behavior on program days than on non-program days. Dance classes can make an important contribution to girls' total physical activity.

Alienation and Transformation: An International Education in Contemporary Dance

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Martin, Rosemary

2013-01-01

This research investigates experiences of an international education in dance. Through the narratives of seven female dance practitioners from the southern Mediterranean region, who have trained in contemporary dance in Western cultural contexts, a multiplicity of encounters are illustrated. Two key findings emerged from the dancers' experiences.…

The practice of pole dance as a leisure activity in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Andorra Lynn

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore the how pole dance is practiced as a form of leisure activity in Denmark. The methodical approach is qualitative and inspired by ethnography. I have conducted a field study where I have observed and participated in the pole dance culture in Copenhagen from May ...... addresses the difference between a focus on dance and a focus on tricks in pole dancing as well as it examines the different opinions pole studio owners have concerning ‘sexiness’ in pole dance and how this affects the way pole dance is practiced....

A (Creative) Portrait of the Uncertain Individual: Self-Uncertainty and Individualism Enhance Creative Generation.

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Rios, Kimberly; Markman, Keith D; Schroeder, Juliana; Dyczewski, Elizabeth A

2014-08-01

Building on findings that self-uncertainty motivates attempts to restore certainty about the self, particularly in ways that highlight one's distinctiveness from others, we show that self-uncertainty, relative to uncertainty in general, increases creative generation among individualists. In Studies 1 to 3, high (but not low) individualists performed better on a creative generation task after being primed with self-uncertainty as opposed to general uncertainty. In Study 4, this effect emerged only among those who were told that the task measured creative as opposed to analytical thinking, suggesting that the positive effects of self-uncertainty on performance are specific to tasks that bolster perceptions of uniqueness. In Study 5, self-uncertain individualists experienced a restoration of self-clarity after being induced to think about themselves as more (vs. less) creative. Implications for compensatory responses to self-uncertainty and factors that influence creativity are discussed. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Projecting Nigerian Image through the Globalization of Her Dances ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The historical methodology is employed. The findings of this paper is that Nigerian dances have not benefited from globalization because, many of our dances and dance patterns have been stolen and repackaged to us as Western Euro-America cultural products. The paper therefore posits that Nigerians should take their ...

Quantitative Assessment of Dance Therapy Infulence on the Parkinson’s Disease Patients’ Lower Limb Biomechanics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donatas Lukšys

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Parkinson’s disease – progressive neurologic disorder that damages a variety of motor function and reduces the quality of life. Patients with PD are subject to various physical therapy exercises, but recently is applied more often the dance – music therapy. This study aims assessing the therapeutic effect of the modified Lindy Hop dance therapy on lower extremity biomechanics. The experimental study was performed using inertial sensors that registered lower extremity biomechanical parameters during gait. Several spatio-temporal parameters of lower limb were calculated and were found statistically significant between groups, which allows quantifying the influence of dance therapy.

Affective factors which relate to dance on secondary school level ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation. Journal Home · ABOUT ... Motivation, stress, anxiety and self-concept are affective variables which may relate to dance performance. An empirical investigation ...

Dance Experience and Associations with Cortical Gray Matter Thickness in the Aging Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Porat, Shai; Goukasian, Naira; Hwang, Kristy S; Zanto, Theodore; Do, Triet; Pierce, Jonathan; Joshi, Shantanu; Woo, Ellen; Apostolova, Liana G

2016-01-01

We investigated the effect dance experience may have on cortical gray matter thickness and cognitive performance in elderly participants with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI). 39 cognitively normal and 48 MCI elderly participants completed a questionnaire regarding their lifetime experience with music, dance, and song. Participants identified themselves as either dancers or nondancers. All participants received structural 1.5-tesla MRI scans and detailed clinical and neuropsychological evaluations. An advanced 3D cortical mapping technique was then applied to calculate cortical thickness. Despite having a trend-level significantly thinner cortex, dancers performed better in cognitive tasks involving learning and memory, such as the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) short delay free recall (p = 0.004), the CVLT-II long delay free recall (p = 0.003), and the CVLT-II learning over trials 1-5 (p = 0.001). Together, these results suggest that dance may result in an enhancement of cognitive reserve in aging, which may help avert or delay MCI.

Dancing Literacy: Expanding Children's and Teachers' Literacy Repertoires through Embodied Knowing

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Leonard, Alison E.; Hall, Anna H.; Herro, Danielle

2016-01-01

This paper explores dance as literacy. Specifically, it examines qualitative case study research findings and student examples from a dance artist-in-residence that explored curricular content using dance as its primary mode of enquiry and expression. Throughout the residency, students constructed meaning through their dance experiences in dynamic…

Effects of line dancing on physical function and perceived limitation in older adults with self-reported mobility limitations.

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Bennett, Crystal G; Hackney, Madeleine E

2018-06-01

Older adults with mobility limitations are at greater risk for aging-related declines in physical function. Line dancing is a popular form of exercise that can be modified, and is thus feasible for older adults with mobility limitations. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of 8 weeks of line dancing on balance, muscle strength, lower extremity function, endurance, gait speed, and perceived mobility limitations. An experimental design randomly assigned older adults to either an 8-week line dancing or usual care group. The convenience sample consisted of 23 participants with mobility limitations (age range: 65-93 years). The intervention used simple routines from novice line dance classes. At baseline and at 8 weeks, balance, knee muscle strength, lower extremity function, endurance, gait speed, and mobility limitations were measured. ANCOVA tests were conducted on each dependent variable to assess the effects of the intervention over time. Results found significant positive differences for the intervention group in lower extremity function (p dancing significantly improved physical function and reduced self-reported mobility limitations in these individuals. Line dancing could be recommended by clinicians as a potential adjunct therapy that addresses mobility limitations. Implications for Rehabilitation Line dancing may be an alternative exercise for older adults who need modifications due to mobility limitations. Line dancing incorporates cognitive and motor control. Line dancing can be performed alone or in a group setting. Dancing improves balance which can reduce risk of falls.

Creativity, Psychopathology, and Emotion Processing: A Liberal Response Bias for Remembering Negative Information Is Associated with Higher Creativity

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Drus, Marina; Kozbelt, Aaron; Hughes, Robert R.

2014-01-01

To what extent do more creative people process emotional information differently than less creative people? This study examined the role of emotion processing in creativity and its implications for the creativity-psychopathology association. A total of 117 participants performed a memory recognition task for negative, positive, and neutral words;…

Emotions and Feelings in a Collaborative Dance-Making Process

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Rouhiainen, Leena; Hamalainen, Soili

2013-01-01

This paper looks into the significance emotions and feelings can have in a collaborative dance-making process. This is done by introducing a narrative based on a dance pedagogy student's writings. They contain observations of her experiences on being the facilitating choreographer in a dance-making process involving a cross-artistic group of…

Brain and Creativity

Science.gov (United States)

Oliverio, A.

Creativity can be considered from different points of view. Afirst possibility is to trace its natural history in mammals, mostly in non human primates. A second one is to consider mental processes, such as analogies, that may result in creative associations as evident in many fields, from arts to sciences. These two approaches lead to a better understanding of cognitive systems at the roots of creative behaviour. A third strategy relies on an analysis of primary and secondary states of mind characterizing flow and creativity. Flow, the mental state of operation in which a person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, typical of intense problem solving activities, has been explained in terms of reduced prefrontal activity. While it is not difficult to carry out tests of problem solving activity, creativity is much more elusive and it is not easy to measure it. Thus, flow has often been simplistically assimilated to creativity and it has been assumed that also creati ve performance depends on low prefrontal activity. It is instead proposed that creativity involves two consecutive steps: 1. Generation of novelty, mostly in the ventral striatum. 2. Analysis of novelty by the prefrontal cortex that transforms it into creative behaviour. The emergence of creativity has been explained through a Darwinian process based upon the classic variation-selection procedure. Thus, basal ganglia, with their implicit strategies and memories, may be regarded as a mechanism that continuously generates novelty (variation) while the prefrontal cortex, possibly its dorsolateral areas, may be considered as the computational mechanism that transforms novelty (selection) into explicit creative behaviours.

The Dancing Manias: Psychogenic Illness as a Social Phenomenon.