Children's Interpretations of Dance Expressions

Abstract

Nine emotional themes were presented in dance expressions by a group of three professional dance students. In a first experiment these dance expressions were presented to children in the age groups of five-, eight-, ten-, and twelve-year-olds. Children's free response interpretations were analyzed for adequacy, conceptual level, and complexity of response. Clear age trends emerged, especially differentiating the five-year-olds from the other groups. In a second experiment a multiple choice response format was used. The same age trends were found. In a third experiment children with and without dance experience were compared. Experienced children used more emotional labels in interpreting the dance items. In the discussion it is suggested that, in the medium of dance, emotional interpretations gradually emerge from a preceding stage in which movements are imbued with action tendencies.