Neuroaesthetics of dance

1. Neuroaesthetics of dance Patrick HaggardInstitute of Cognitive Neuroscience University College London Funding: Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, EU, Wellcome Trust, ESRC Colleagues: Beatriz Calvo, Daniel Glaser, Corinne Jola, Dick Passingham, Deborah Bull, Emma Maguire, Tom Sapsford, Shantel Ehrenberg, Elena Daprati, Marco Iosa, Paolo D’Oto

2. Disclaimer 1: Observer Approach • Dance requires: • Performer • Observer • (Possible other stuff)

3. Disclaimer 1: Observer Approach • Dance requires: • Performer • Observer I will focus here! • (Possible other stuff)

4. Advantages Simplify Measure Explain Predict Disadvantages More than sum of parts Misses the subjective element, what “I” feel Culture-bound Disclaimer 2: Scientific Approach Observe, clarify, hypothesise, but also appreciate Reduce, but also respect

5. Aesthetics: Definition • Study of something’s: • Artistic or potential artistic value: • Beauty • Ability to induce a range of mental states, including pleasure, various emotions, awe etc.

6. Aesthetics: Definition • Study of something’s: • Artistic or potential artistic value: Definition by practice • BeautyDefinition by objective properties • Ability to induce a range of mental states, including pleasure, various emotions, awe etc.Definition by mental effects

7. Roadmap • Aesthetic preference • Brain basis of aesthetic judgement • Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

8. Roadmap • Aesthetic preference • Brain basis of aesthetic judgement • Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

9. 1. Aesthetic preference • Objectivist/Platonist aesthetics • Intrinsic aesthetic value • Aesthetics is a property of things • Subjectivist/relativist aesthetics • No intrinsic aesthetic value • Only personal liking • Aesthetics is not a property of things, but of how we see things

10. 1. Aesthetic preference • Aesthetic preference: Which do you like most? • Universal application, high face validity • Low explanatory value and efficiency:does not say why you like it? • Subjectivists: express personal aesthetic taste • Objectivists: find universal preferences

11. 1. Aesthetic preference • Preference judgements give experimental control

12. Golden section: 1.618 : 1 1. Aesthetic preference • Preference judgements give experimental control

13. Aesthetic preference: balance • “Balance” • Aesthetic value depends on configurations, relations between parts and wholes

14. Balance(McManus et al., 1985)

15. Balance Group A Group B

16.   Balance Group A Group B

17.   Balance   Group A Group B

19. Balance Some body configurations may be especially pleasing Dance aesthetics may reflect a structured visual pattern Dance may exploit basic brain mechanisms of pattern perception

20. Aesthetic Preference: “Mere exposure” • Familiar things are preferred to unfamiliar • Basis of aesthetic subjectivity: • Different previous experience, different evaluation • Basis of cultural relativism aestheticism • Exploration vs. exploitation • Challenge for artists

21. Ballet Capoeira Subjects Non-expert Ballet dancers Expert Non-expert Capoeira dancers Expert Non-expert Non-expert Non-expert controls Calvo-Merino et al., Cerebral Cortex, 2005

22. Ballet Capoeira Subjects Non-expert Ballet dancers Expert Non-expert Capoeira dancers Expert Non-expert Non-expert Non-expert controls Aesthetic preference for dance movesCalvo-Merino et al., Consciousness and Cognition, in review

23. Bilateral Visual • Right premotor • “embodied”aesthetics? Neural correlates of liking • 6 naïve subjects, retested after brain scanning • 24 ballet and capoiera moves • “How much do you like this move?” (1-5) • Which brain areas correlate with average liking?

24. “Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space • People liked this, right premotor cortex active • People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

25. “Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space • People liked this, right premotor cortex active • People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

26. “Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space • People liked this, right premotor cortex active • People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

27. Aesthetic preferences: conclusion • Neural correlates of average preferences • Key parameters for liking: • Overall amount of movement • Jumping • Future work: • More people, more brain areas • Other aesthetic dimensions beyond liking • Neural correlates of liking in experts?

28. Roadmap • Aesthetic preference • Brain basis of aesthetic judgement • Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

29. Brain basis of aesthetic judgement • Pure dance movement stimuli • Point-light display • Sequence of two dance moves • Aesthetic preference task • “Which move do you prefer?

31. “Same or different?” “Which one do you prefer?” Brain basis of aesthetic judgement Aesthetic Evaluation Visual Perception

32. “Same or different?” “Which one do you prefer?” Brain basis of aesthetic judgement Aesthetic Evaluation Visual Perception • What brain circuits underlie aesthetic evaluation?

33. “Same or different?” “Which one do you prefer?” Brain basis of aesthetic judgement Naïve subjects Expertdancers Aesthetic Evaluation Visual Perception • What brain circuits underlie aesthetic evaluation? • Are these circuits influenced by experience?

34. Results Aesthetic preference -Visual discrimination A L&R parietal: Attention? Mirror system? Sensory cortex? Naïve subjects R temporal: Memory? Expert dancers B

35. Results Aesthetic preference -Visual discrimination A L&R parietal: Attention? Mirror system? Sensory cortex? Naïve subjects R temporal: Memory? Expert dancers B

36. Conclusions • Aesthetic network: • attention and embodied feeling (SI) • Clear expertise effects • dancers’ aesthetic judgements are based on reference memory • internal stored representation of a perfect pirouette?

37. Implications • Aesthetic appreciation can be learned, and taught • Brain basis for ‘connoisseurship’ • Explains effects of culture and familiarity

38. Roadmap • Aesthetic preference • Brain basis of aesthetic judgement • Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

39. Aesthetic geometry • Balance and pattern central to aesthetic preference • Body ‘line’ in dance may be an aesthetic pattern • Historical evolution of body line • Royal Ballet archive 1942-2004 • Fixed position in choreography • Developpe, arabesque etc • Rose Adagio, Sleeping beauty

41. ANATOMICAL REFERENCES AND DERIVED STIMULI A. Location of markers and segments finger tip wrist forehead nose elbow + shoulder sternum navel hip knee ankle tip of the toes B. Schematic Figures Right finger tip Left finger tip Left toe Right Toe

42. ANATOMICAL REFERENCES AND DERIVED STIMULI A. Location of markers and segments finger tip wrist forehead nose elbow + shoulder sternum navel hip knee ankle tip of the toes B. Schematic Figures Right finger tip Left finger tip Left toe Right Toe

43. r=0.8306 190 170 150 Leg Elevation (deg) 130 110 90 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 Years ARABESQUE PENCHEE 1962 1979 1996 2003  B DEVELOPPE A LA SECONDE 1962 1979 1996 2003 r=0.7793 r=0.7877 

44. r=0.8306 190 170 150 Leg Elevation (deg) 130 110 90 1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 Years ARABESQUE PENCHEE 1962 1979 1996 2003  B DEVELOPPE A LA SECONDE 1962 1979 1996 2003 r=0.7793 r=0.7877 

45. Results • Body line becoming more vertical • Why?

46. Results • Body line becoming more vertical • Why? • 1. Dancer fitness? • But, both easy/supported and hard/unsupported show similar trend towards vertical

47. Results • Body line becoming more vertical • Why? • 1. Dancer fitness? • But, both easy/supported and hard/unsupported show similar trend towards vertical • 2. Evolution of aesthetic value? • Standardise stick figures • Aesthetic preference testing, 12 naïve subjects

48. Schematic Figures

49. Outline polygon Schematic Figures Right finger tip Right finger tip Left finger tip Left finger tip Left toe Left Toe Right Toe Right Toe

50. Stick figures Polygons p=0.004, r=0.400 p=0.006, r=0.387