IADMS London 2003   [back to the Category]

A review of neuromotor research in dance and recommendations for future directions   [read the french version]

Author :   Steven J. Chatfield, PhD

A review of neuromotor research in dance and recommendations for future directions

Steven J. Chatfield, PhD
Dept. of Dance, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA


The variability of neuromotor measures collected during voluntary human movement is a reflection of the extreme versatility of our neuromuscular responses. No two performances of a dance skill are the same. If this variability is not accounted for in neuromotor research it can present a fatal threat to validity. Neuromotor research in dance holds promise for significant contributions to the applied practices of educating, training, and rehabilitating dancers. However, to date, published research in this area has created more questions than it has answered. To illuminate the difficulties encountered in existing work, this presentation will begin with a review of selected neuromotor research in dance.

To follow-up, recommendations from methodologists in related fields will be explored for options to enhance future work in dance. Difficulties interpreting results from existing studies stem predominantly from intrasubject and intersubject performance variability. Intrasubject variability refers to the range of trial-to-trial performance scores for an individual. If not accounted for, intrasubject variability threatens the representativeness of sampling from an individual. If a measurement procedure does not yield a representative value of the performance it is intended to measure, it is at best, not useful, and at worst, it can create error. Intersubject variability refers to a difference found between subjects.

In group analysis, individual differences within a group threaten the design’s ability to accurately represent a group (or worse, to misrepresent it) or to accurately compare across groups. When variability exists it should be accounted for on every level of the research process. Specially adapted designs, data collection procedures, and methods of analysis can be utilized to meet the challenges of intrasubject and intersubject variability in neuromotor measures used in dance.

As recommendations to enhance the explanatory power of neuromotor research in dance, time series and mixed between/within multifactorial designs will be explored. To account for performance variability, repeated measures data collection strategies and ensemble analysis procedures will be discussed. Limitations to research employing these adapted designs and analyses will also be examined, including discussion of reduced predictive generalizability and the absence of normative data sets as standards of comparison.