Factor structure of audiences’ physical experience when watching dance

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore factor structure of audiences’ physical experience and their related bodily sensations when watching dance choreographies. This study also includes the process of developing an instrument for measuring the observers’ physical experience of dance choreographies and their related kinesthetic responses to watching dance. In the main study, participants rated their physical experiences and kinesthetic responses when watching 16 different dance choreographies of various dance forms, including contemporary dance, jazz, tango, and hip-hop. Three factors of the observers’ physical experiences when watching dance were identified: Action Tendency, Arousal, and Relaxation. Furthermore, the results show that the structure of the observers’ kinesthetic responses when watching dance consisted of three factors: Focus, Excitement and Embodied Anticipation. The spectators’ physical experiences and bodily sensations in response to an observed dance are the result of their engagement in the dance, the pleasure they draw from the dance, the emotions provoked in them, and their admiration for the performance. These findings are in line with the concept of kinesthetic empathy, which can be understood as the experience of sharing a dancer’s movements.