The Body Doesn’t Lie: Psychophysiological Study of Dancers

The current study conducted at the Graduate Student and Faculty Dance Concert held at California State University, Northridge illustrated that dancers demonstrate a significantly high awareness of their generally physiological states and are able to regulate those states if unbalanced. Empirical results illustrated that dancers are autotelic (Autotelic is used to describe people who are internally driven, and as such may exhibit a sense of purpose and curiosity. This determination is an exclusive difference from being externally driven, where things such as comfort, money, power, or fame are the motivating force,) and considered intrinsically rewarded by dance and performance. . Further, the results from the Adult Attachment Interview provided evidence that dancers from this sample had coherent states of mind regarding attachment, loss and trauma experiences. Their coherence of mind supported the notion that dancers have flexible attentional abilities and enhanced integration of cognitive-emotional processes. This can be seen in their portrayal of emotionally charged characters.