The Neurocognition of Dance ─ Mind, Movement and Motor Skills

Dance has always been an important aspect of all human cultures, and the study of human movement and action has become a topic of increasing relevance over the last decade, bringing dance into the focus of the cognitive sciences. This book discusses the wide range of interrelations between body postures and body movements as conceptualised in dance with perception, mental processing and action planning.

The volume brings together cognitive scientists, psychologists, neuroscientists, choreographers, and ballet teachers, to discuss important issues regarding dance and cognition. First, scientists introduce ideas that offer different perspectives on human movement. Professionals from the world of dance then go on to report how their creative and pedagogical work relates to cognition and learning. Finally, researchers with personal links to the dance world demonstrate how neurocognitive methods are applied to studying different aspects related to dance.

This book is suitable for students and professionals from the fields of neuropsychology, cognitive psychology, sport psychology and sport science, movement science, motor control and development, kinesiology, cognitive robotics, dance, choreography, dance education and therapy.

Bettina Blasing is a research scientist at the Neurocognition and Action Research Group at Bielefeld University, responsible investigator at the Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), and member of the Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab). Her main research interests are the control and learning of complex movements, mental representations of the body, movement, actions and skills and neurocognitive aspects and expertise in dance.

Martin Puttke was formerly a dancer, headmaster and artistic director of the State Ballet School Berlin. He was also the ballet director of the State Opera Ballet Company Berlin and of the Aalto Ballett Theater Essen. He is a renowned ballet pedagogue. In 1988 he became a Professor at the Hochschule fur Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch" Berlin. His main interest is the renewal of the school of classical dance by his new system DANAMOS.

Thomas Schack is Professor and head of the Neurocognition and Action Research Group at Bielefeld University. He is principal investigator at the Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC) and member of the Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics (CoR-Lab). His main research interests concern mental movement representation, mental training, cognitive robotics and the neurocognitive basis of complex movement.