Neuroaesthetics of dance

Patrick HaggardInstitute of Cognitive Neuroscience

University College London

Funding: Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, EU, Wellcome Trust, ESRCColleagues: Beatriz Calvo, Daniel Glaser, Corinne Jola, Dick Passingham, Deborah

Bull, Emma Maguire, Tom Sapsford, Shantel Ehrenberg, Elena Daprati, Marco Iosa, Paolo D’Oto

Dance requires:

• Performer

• Observer

• (Possible other stuff)

Disclaimer 1: Observer Approach

Dance requires:

• Performer

• Observer I will focus here!

• (Possible other stuff)

Disclaimer 1: Observer Approach

Disclaimer 2: Scientific Approach

Advantages

• Simplify• Measure• Explain• Predict

Disadvantages

• More than sum of parts• Misses the subjective

element, what “I” feel• Culture-bound

Observe, clarify, hypothesise, but also appreciateReduce, but also respect

Study of something’s:

• Artistic or potential artistic value:

• Beauty

• Ability to induce a range of mental states, including pleasure, various emotions, awe etc.

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

Aesthetics: Definition

1. Aesthetic preference

2. Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

3. Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

Roadmap

1. Aesthetic preference

2. Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

3. Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

Roadmap

• 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

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

1. Aesthetic preference

1. Aesthetic preference

• Preference judgements give experimental control

• Preference judgements give experimental control

1. Aesthetic preference

Golden section:1.618 : 1

• “Balance”

• Aesthetic value depends on configurations, relations between parts and wholes

Aesthetic preference: balance

Balance(McManus et al., 1985)

GroupA

GroupB

Balance

GroupA

GroupB

Balance

GroupA

GroupB

Balance

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

• 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

Aesthetic Preference: “Mere exposure”

Ballet Capoeira

Non-expert

Non-expertSubjects

Ballet dancers

Capoeira dancers

Expert

Expert

Non-expert controls Non-expert Non-expert

Calvo-Merino et al., Cerebral Cortex, 2005

Ballet Capoeira

Aesthetic preference for dance movesCalvo-Merino et al., Consciousness and Cognition, in review

Non-expert

Non-expertSubjects

Ballet dancers

Capoeira dancers

Expert

Expert

Non-expert controls Non-expert Non-expert

• 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?

Neural correlates of liking

a b• Bilateral Visual• Right premotor

• “embodied”aesthetics?

“Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space

• People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

• People liked this, right premotor cortex active

“Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space

• People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

• People liked this, right premotor cortex active

“Neurotargeting”- Project neuroaesthetic activations back into stimulus space

• People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

• People liked this, right premotor cortex active

• 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?

Aesthetic preferences: conclusion

1. Aesthetic preference

2. Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

3. Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

Roadmap

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?

Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

Vis

ual P

erce

ptio

nA

esth

etic

E

valu

atio

n

“Same or different?”

“Which one do you prefer?”

Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

Vis

ual P

erce

ptio

nA

esth

etic

E

valu

atio

n

“Same or different?”

“Which one do you prefer?”

• What brain circuits underlie aesthetic evaluation?

Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

Vis

ual P

erce

ptio

nA

esth

etic

E

valu

atio

n

“Same or different?”

“Which one do you prefer?”

• What brain circuits underlie aesthetic evaluation?• Are these circuits influenced by experience?

Naïve subjects Expertdancers

Results

Aesthetic preference -Visual discrimination

BExpert dancers

Naïve subjects

A

L&R parietal:Attention?Mirror system?Sensory cortex?

R temporal:Memory?

Results

Aesthetic preference -Visual discrimination

BExpert dancers

Naïve subjects

A

L&R parietal:Attention?Mirror system?Sensory cortex?

R temporal:Memory?

• 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?

Conclusions

• Aesthetic appreciation can be learned, and taught

• Brain basis for ‘connoisseurship’

• Explains effects of culture and familiarity

Implications

1. Aesthetic preference

2. Brain basis of aesthetic judgement

3. Aesthetic drivers of artistic change

Roadmap

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

ANATOMICAL REFERENCES AND DERIVED STIMULI

B. Schematic Figures

Right finger tip

Right Toe

Left finger tip

Left toe

A. Location of markers and segments

+

finger tip

wrist

elbowshoulder

sternum

navel

forehead

nose

hip

knee

ankle

tip of the toes

ANATOMICAL REFERENCES AND DERIVED STIMULI

B. Schematic Figures

Right finger tip

Right Toe

Left finger tip

Left toe

A. Location of markers and segments

+

finger tip

wrist

elbowshoulder

sternum

navel

forehead

nose

hip

knee

ankle

tip of the toes

ARABESQUE PENCHEE

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Le

g E

lev

ati

on

(d

eg

)

r=0.8306

1962 1979 1996 2003

DEVELOPPE A LA SECONDE

r=0.7793

90

110

130

150

170

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Leg

Ele

vati

on

(d

eg)

r=0.7877

1962 1979 1996 2003

B

ARABESQUE PENCHEE

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Le

g E

lev

ati

on

(d

eg

)

r=0.8306

1962 1979 1996 2003

DEVELOPPE A LA SECONDE

r=0.7793

90

110

130

150

170

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Leg

Ele

vati

on

(d

eg)

r=0.7877

1962 1979 1996 2003

B

• Body line becoming more vertical

• Why?

Results

• Body line becoming more vertical

• Why?

1. Dancer fitness?– But, both easy/supported and hard/unsupported

show similar trend towards vertical

Results

• Body line becoming more vertical

• Why?

1. Dancer fitness?– But, both easy/supported and hard/unsupported

show similar trend towards vertical2. Evolution of aesthetic value?

– Standardise stick figures– Aesthetic preference testing, 12 naïve subjects

Results

Schematic Figures

Schematic Figures

Right finger tip

Right Toe

Left finger tip

Left toe

Right Toe

Right finger tip

Left finger tip

Left Toe

Outline polygon

Stick figuresp=0.004, r=0.400

Polygonsp=0.006, r=0.387

Stick figuresp=0.004, r=0.400

Polygonsp=0.006, r=0.387

Conclusions

• Gradual aesthetic evolution within an art form• Socio-aesthetic feedback loop

Artist(Choreographer,

Dancer)

ObserverEvaluative Feedback

1. Aesthetic experience can be studied scientifically

2. Aesthetic experience has neural correlates

3. Brain network for aesthetic evaluation

4. Aesthetic appreciation can be learned/taught

5. Aesthetics is part of rich socio-cultural exchange

Overall Conclusions

End

1. Seeing body postures

1. Seeing body configuration

EBA V1 SPL vPMcInvers

ion e

ffect

(% a

ccura

cy d

iffere

nce

)

• Dance postures are configurations of the body• The human brain sees dance as ‘visual wholes’

• The premotor cortex underlies this way of seeing• Configural vision may be learned

1. Seeing body configuration

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

Naïve subjects Expert Dancers

Groups

Bo

dy

inv

ers

ion

eff

ec

t:

up

rig

ht-

inv

ert

ed

(m

s)

Ballet postures

Asian dance postures

1. Seeing body postures

2. Liking body movements

3. Evolving aesthetics?

Roadmap

Ballet Capoeira

2. Liking body movements

Non-expert

Non-expertSubjects

Ballet dancers

Capoeira dancers

Expert

Expert

Non-expert controls Non-expert Non-expert

Expert - non-expert

• Expert dancers see dance differently from non-experts• Because they have stronger sensorimotor responses to

watching dance

Experts show more sensorimotor brain activity than non-experts

Mirror neuron areas

Ballet Capoeira

2. Sensorimotor Liking

Non-expert

Non-expertSubjects

Ballet dancers

Capoeira dancers

Expert

Expert

Non-expert controls Non-expert Non-expert

• 6 naïve subjects, retested after brain scanning• 24 ballet and capoiera moves• “How much do you like this move?” (1-5)• Find brain areas that correlate with liking?

2. Sensorimotor Liking

a b• Visual areas• Right premotor

“Neurotargeting”

• People disliked this, right premotor cortex inactive

• People liked this, right premotor cortex active

• Aesthetic evaluation of dance has measurable neural correlates

• Dance may be aesthetically successful because of specific effects on the brain:

‘All visual art must obey the laws of the visual system’ (Zeki and Lamb, 1994)

• But, note the problems– Average of 6 subjects, not universal– ‘Liking’ is not aesthetically rich: other aesthetics?

2. Sensorimotor Liking

1. Seeing body postures

2. Liking body movements

3. Evolving aesthetics?

Roadmap

• Does dance change over time? How? Why?• Same choreography

– Different dancers– Different aesthetics– Different communicative messages

• Rose Adagio, Sleeping Beauty• 1946-2003. Royal Opera House Archive

3. Evolving aesthetics

ARABESQUE PENCHEE

120

130

140

150

160

170

180

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Le

g E

lev

ati

on

(d

eg

)

r=0.8348

DEVELOPPE A LA SECONDE

r=0.779390

110

130

150

170

190

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

Years

Leg

Ele

vati

on

(d

eg)

r=0.7793

1962 1979 1996 2003

A

B

1962 1979 1996 2003

• Physical fitness or Aesthetic evolution?

3. Evolving aesthetics

• Aesthetic judgement12 naïve observers50 stick figures

• 50 boundary shapes

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005

YearsL

eg

Ele

va

tio

n (

de

g)

r=0.6473

ARABESQUE

1962 1979 1996 2003

C

• Does dance change over time? How? Why

• Interpretations of a single choreographic moment have changed

– Dancer fitness– Artistic interpretation– Aesthetic effect

3. Evolving aesthetics

• Performing art is looking at bodies in motion(plus many other aspects not yet studied)

• Dance uses special ‘ways of seeing’ in the brain

• Identified visual and motor brain systems for dance

• These systems contribute to aesthetic experience

Overall conclusion

• End

1. Seeing body postures

1. Seeing body postures

• Are dance postures also seen as configurations?– Or as individual body parts?

• Which brain areas underlie configural vision?

1. Seeing body postures

V1

Configural System

Body part System

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

X

Reduced body inversion effect

V1

Configural System

Local System

V1

Configural System

Local System

V1

Configural System

Local System

V1

Configural System

Local System

V1

Configural System

Local System

V1

Configural System

Local System

Inversion Effect

Upright > Inverted

NoInversion Effect

Upright = Inverted

IncreasedInversion Effect

Upright >> Inverted

X

X

X

Upright Inverted Predicted effect

Scientific Approach

Advantages

• Simplify• Measure• Explain• Predict

Disadvantages

• More than sum of parts• Misses the subjective

element, what “I” feel• Culture-bound

Observe, clarify, hypothesise, but appreciateReduce, but also respect

Proprioception:

Sensory information about the state of the body

Receptor neurons in:MusclesSkinJoints

Sensations from muscles

• Key role in maintaining posture

• Can be trained, superior in dancers

• Gives a coherent sense of body– Primary level: muscle length/joint angle– Secondary level: spatial configuration of

the whole body (body scheme)

Proprioception

Coherent sense of bodyDe Vignemont, Ehrsson & Haggard (2005)

ControlBiceps Triceps

x

y

Where is my hand?Jola, Davis & Haggard (in prep.)

Where is my hand?Jola, Davis & Haggard (in prep.)

Proprioceptive:Proprioceptive

Matching(PP)

Visual:Proprioceptive

Matching(VP)

VisuoProprioceptive:Proprioceptive

Matching(VPP)

PP VP VPP

PP VP VPP PP VP VPP

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-10 0 10 20 30 40 50

PP VP VPP

Exp

ert

Dan

cers

Nor

mal

su

bjec

ts

Conclusions

• Proprioception is superior in dancers– Lower matching error

• Coherent body image: Secondary Proprioception– Dancers have a less fragmented body image

– Common egocentre, “core stability”

• Future directions…– Proprioceptive representation of leg position?

– Stability of proprioceptive representation over time?

Doing dance:internal sensation1. Proprioception(2. Motor prediction)

Watching dance:external sensation3. Motor simulation4. Neuro-aesthetics

Premotor cortex: “Mirror” neurons

• Does a similar brain system exist in man?• We understand the actions of others by simulation

Active when a monkey performs a specific action

Or watches another person doing the action

Non-expert

Non-expert

Sensorimotor responses to dance:Watching actions you can do or can’t do…

Subjects

Ballet dancers

Capoeira dancers

Dance videosBallet Capoeira

Expert

Expert

Expert - non-expert

• Expert dancers see dance differently from non-experts

• Because they are better able to simulate what they see

• Strong sensorimotor responses to watching dance

Experts show more sensorimotor brain activity than non-experts

Mirror neuron areas

Visual vs. motor experience in acquired skills

Set of gender-specific ballet moves

Subjects

Female dancers

Female moves

Male dancers

Male moves

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Motor familiarity

Motor familiarity

Fem

ale

Female

Mal

e

Male

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Motor familiarity

Motor familiarity

Su

bje

cts

Gender specific actions

=

Pure motor expertise effect

Inte

ract

ion:

Motor expertise+ gender congruence

gender congruence

MaleFemale

Gender-common actions

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Visual familiarity

Motor familiarity

Motor familiarity

Motor familiarity

Motor familiarity

Pure motor expertise effect: mirror system

SPM t: interactions: gender-specific – gender-common

1. Left IPS: -42, 57, 48

2. Left dPMC: -48, 6, 45

Conclusions

• A strong motor component to watching dance

• Watching dance activates the same brain structures as performing the corresponding dance moves

• Potential application in dance training/rehabilitation?

• Depressing for the rest of us?

Doing dance:internal sensation1. Proprioception(2. Motor prediction)

Watching dance:external sensation3. Motor simulation4. Neuro-aesthetics

• 3 aspects of aesthetic response

Why does dance have aesthetic appeal?

• Dance is universal in human culture• Aesthetic appeal of dance may exploit natural

patterns of brain activity

• Visual• Emotional

• Sensorimotor

simple-complex

dull-interesting

dislike

-like

weak-powerful

lowest rated highest rated

Visual form

Sensorimotor entrainment

7 naïve subjects

Consensus ratings

Aesthetic dimensions

(Berlyne, 1970)

Strongly Liked

a2.

a1.

b2.

b1.

Strongly Disliked

Consensus ratings

Neural correlates of aesthetic judgement

a. b.

Best

Worst

Best

Worst

Vis

ual

Mot

or

Premotor cortex tuning

Best

Worstb.

a.

Visual cortex tuning

Best

Worstb.

a.

Conclusions

• Not so depressing for the rest of us…

• Premotor cortex activity correlates with aesthetic evaluation

• Degree of movement has strong influence on aesthetic evaluation

• Strong motor component to dance aesthetics

Aesthetics as visual balance(McManus et al., 1985)

GroupA

GroupB

GroupA

GroupB

GroupA

GroupB

Aesthetic balance

Some body configurationsare especially pleasing

Aesthetics may reflect abalanced visual whole

Do dance postures exploitbasic visual brain mechanisms?

“Line”

What brain areas correlatewith aesthetic evaluations?

Aesthetic geometry

• Body ‘line’ as aesthetic pattern

• Historical evolution of line

• Fixed position in choreography– Developpe from Rose Adagio, Sleeping beauty– Thanks to ROH archive

• How and why has this position changed in 75 years?

Aesthetic geometry

Angle L defined by the two legs, fit line based

[the larger the angle, the higher goes the dynamic leg]

90

105

120

135

150

165

180

1956-1979 1986-1996 2002-2004

deg

judge1 judge2 judge3

Aesthetic geometry

Conclusions

• Body geometry changes, even for fixed choreography– Dancer fitness?

– Evolution towards more aesthetic position?

• ‘Line’ may be getting more vertical

• Future directions:– Are some body lines aesthetically preferred?

– Do these preferences reflect tuning of specific brain areas?

• Thank you

Viewing wholes

Different!(EASY)

Er, Different!(Much Harder)

Inversion Effect:Reaction Time Difference

Viewing wholes

Different!(EASY)

Er, Different?(Much Harder)Inversion Effect:Reaction Time DifferenceLarger for bodies/faces thanNon-biological stimuli

0 500 600 1100 Response:“Same” or“Different”

ms

Visual form: Inversion Effect

0 500 600 1100ms

Visual form: Inversion Effect

Response:“Same” or“Different”

Inverted bodies:- judgement is harder, slower- body processed as an overall visual form

Dance postures & control stimuli

Next step: making “Pseudopostures”

Ballet posture

Bharata Natyam posture

Top BNBottom Ballet

Questions:

Has choreography evolved to prefer ‘global’ body positions?

Does looking globally make things look aesthetically better?

3. The paradox of vision

• Vision is the key sense for the audience• Vision raises several computational problems for

the dancer’s brain:

1. Too slow to contribute to movement control 2. No clear relation to motor commands3. Over-rides proprioception

• Helpful for reinforcement, not for online control• How should dancers use mirrors?

2. Prediction

When we move fast, the brain can’t wait for the body to detect and respond to an error

The problem of feedback delays

Sensory delay: 25 ms

Motor delay: 25 ms

The brain’s solution:Predict the consequences of our movements as we make them- don’t wait for sensory feedback

• Brain sends command to leg muscles

• Cerebellum receives copy of command

• … predicts how the body will move

• … asks for a corrected command

• Total time < 20 ms !

Prediction is important for:

• Speed of movement• Accuracy and coordination

• Learning depends on changing connections in the cerebellum

• Genetic factors limit predictive learning ability?

Doing ballet1. Proprioception2. Motor prediction

Watching ballet3. Motor simulation4. Neuro-aesthetics

Background

• Cortical facilitation during action observation– Fadiga (1995), Strafella & Paus, Aziz-Zadeh– Action understanding vs low-level resonance?

• All studies assume derivative simulation– Predict effects for viewing others’ actions are a reduced version of effects for viewing one’s own actions– (Patuzzo et al., Maeda et al.)

• Self/other comparison generally involves several visual confounds