What Good Will It Do To Watch Someone Else Dance My Part?

You learn something every day if you pay attention.  ~Ray LeBlond

         Dance is a physical activity, and, like most physical activities, is taught through a teacher modeling the steps while the students imitate the movements.  Kinesthetic learning is extremely effective, and research has documented that motor skills are acquired faster and more accurately via this method than any other. (2)

         In last week’s post about using mental rehearsal, I wrote about a new motor pathway being created in the nervous system each time a new physical activity is learned.  Each time the learned activity is repeated, a specific region of the brain is activated. A study conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara found that this same region, appropriately called the action observation network, is activated when dancers watch someone else performing the learned activity. (1)

         It is for this reason that observation can and should be used as a tool in dance education.  When the action observation network is activated, blood flow to the brain increases, motor pathways that were created when learning the activity are reinforced, and muscle reaction time improves.

         There are many times in dance classes and rehearsals when dancers are not active, but scientific research indicates that those times can be used to improve through observation.  This evidence is exciting for the educator who may teach a young child that often refuses to participate in class.  That student is benefitting and learning simply by observing from the perimeter of the room.  The activation of the brain and nervous system also means that the student who arrives late to class, misses a substantial portion of the warm-up, and is not allowed to participate is also learning by actively watching his or her peers plié, jump and turn across the space.

         There are times during a dance class when the students are placed into groups and spend time waiting to take their turns.  Teachers need to find ways to ensure that those students are actively watching their peers perform.  By doing so, the group that is waiting will be working on skills without even realizing it.  Moreover, dancers are often double cast in roles.  The research suggests that being present and watching his or her alternate rehearse and perform the role will aid in improving the dancer’s performance.

         Dance educators have always believed that dancers could benefit from watching others, and now there is scientific research that not only supports this belief but also makes observing others a requirement if a dancer wants to improve.

         

(1) Grafton, S. & Cross, E. (2008) Dance and the brain. Learning, Arts, and the Brain.  The Dana Foundation, 71-9.

(2) Mattar, A.A., & Gribble, P.L. (2005) Motor learning by observing.  Neuron 46:153-60.

Envisioning Sugarplums - Using Psychology to Improve Dance Performance

“If you want to dance seriously, do. You must think about it day and night, dream about it.” -Christa Justus

         Dancers dance.  They learn by doing.  They rehearse pieces over and over again, and when they are tired and their bodies are fatigued, they push themselves to dance the piece one more time because that is the only way the dance will improve, or is it?

         There are scientific theories and studies which suggest that envisioning yourself performing a dance piece, or mentally rehearsing it, can also improve the performance.

         When a dance or any type of physical activity is learned, motor pathways are created between the nervous system and muscular system.  Each time that movement is repeated, the motor pathway is reinforced until the movement becomes almost automatic.  This phenomenon is often referred to as muscle memory and was discussed in an earlier post on Dance, Muscle Memory & Neural Pathways.  The widely accepted Psychoneuromuscular Theory suggests that the same messages are sent through the pathway when we envision ourselves performing a dance as when we physically perform it, thereby further reinforcing the motor pathway.

         Envisioning a perfect performance can help even more.  The Self-Efficacy Theory is a psychological theory based upon the connection between imagining a perfect performance and expecting one.  If a performer believes he or she will perform well, personal expectations are raised, and he or she will.  Conversely, if a performer expects to do poorly, he or she will perform poorly.

         Studies have also determined that mentally rehearsing an activity can produce positive results.  A 1992 study of trampolinists showed that those who practiced a skill and then envisioned themselves performing that skill showed more improvement than those who only engaged in physical practice. (1)  A study done on 7-10 year olds determined that children who used mental rehearsal improved their shots in table tennis. (2)

         Mental rehearsal can be beneficial for all dancers, especially at this time of year when Nutcracker rehearsals and performances place stressful demands upon the body.  It would be worthwhile to encourage dancers to mentally rehearse their parts.  While mental rehearsal cannot replace physical rehearsal since it will not strengthen muscles, it will reinforce the motor pathways that are being used.  At this point in the season, muscular strength should be established, and the goals should simply be physical maintenance (see my post on Periodization Training in Dance), and an improved performance.  If dancers spend some time each day, both before and after rehearsals, with their eyes closed, envisioning themselves delivering a flawless performance, that may be just what the audience gets to see as well.

(1) Isaac, A. R. (1992). Mental Practice- Does it Work in the Field? The Sport Psychologist,
 6, 192-198.
(2) Orlick, T., Zitzelsberger, L., LI-Wei, Z., & Qi-wei, M. (1992). The Effect of 
 Mental-Imagery Training on Performance Enhancement With 7-10-Year-Old
 Children. The Sports Psychologist, 6, 230-241.