Backwards and forwards in space and time: Recalling dance movement from long-term memory

Abstract

Recall of complex non-verbal motor sequences, such as contemporary dance, provides insights into the structure and mechanics of human memory -specifically, cues and associations in long-term memory (LTM). In this study, four dancers recalled material -eight exercises in the form of short dances -that they had not performed for between three and 31 years. The dancers initially recalled the exercises in silence, although each one had been learned to a particular piece of music. The exercises were recalled either immediately or after an unfilled delay and using self-motion or a mannequin. Recall rates were similar across immediate and delayed conditions; self versus mannequin motion had little impact on the length of material recalled. Qualitative data indicated that music and dancer movement were important cues to LTM; transitions were sometimes forgotten; images associated with movement recall were kinaesthetic, verbal, visual and auditory. The results are consistent with accounts of LTM for other temporal arts and suggest activation of multimodal associates and images.

Neurocognitive control in dance perception and performance

“…The dance experts' enhanced speed of visual processing suggests that they are adept at anticipating and processing dance material, possibly aided by acquired expectations in longterm memory concerning body and movement configurations. Contextual cues to long-term memory for dance movement, such as accompanying music, are being explored (Stevens, Ginsborg, & Lester, 2011;Stevens et al, 2009).…”

Visual Long-Term Memory Stores High-Fidelity Representations of Observed Actions

“…Alternatively, visual long-term memory might store many kinds of entities, including observed actions, with high fidelity. Preliminary support for this hypothesis has come from studies showing that humans can recognize their friends on the basis of how they move in point-light displays (Cutting & Kozlowski, 1977; see also Stevens, Ginsborg, & Lester, 2011).…”

Dancers’ Somatic of Musicality

“…It is worth stressing that this pilot experiment measured the execution of synchronization as embedded in a dancer’s long-term memory. Research has indicated that both learning and performance of dance sequences are enhanced when taught in the presence of music (Starkes et al, 1987; Stevens et al, 2011; see also Appendix). It has also been argued that music functions as contextual features, mental “landmarks,” that facilitate forming associations between the music and movement sequences.…”

“…It has also been argued that music functions as contextual features, mental “landmarks,” that facilitate forming associations between the music and movement sequences. The presence of the same music used while learning the movement sequence has been shown to cue the recall of the timing and dynamics of movements during execution (Starkes et al, 1987; Stevens et al, 2009, 2011; Bläsing et al, 2012). It remains unclear whether tagging the movement to the melodic line or to the rhythm of the music was part of the long-term memory process of the dance sequence, or whether the motor execution of the dance was linked to the dancers’ tendency to respond more to melody or rhythm.…”