Ind-E-Focus

Dance imagery requires dancers to use mental visualisation of their body's movements, in order to enhance their physical movement capabilities. Nisha Vyas' explores this technique in her investigation into the use and effectiveness of imagery in dance training and movement facilitation.

The dissertation undergoes a thorough study of how and why imagery is used in dance, from its origins to its current forms. The work studies, in detail, the theories of imagery in terms of their pioneers, looking how each has influenced each other or in terms of their similarities or differences in ideology. It was found that the various strands of imagery converge and diverge in various ways and are often used to supplement each other. This leads to an exploration of the various studies that have been conducted to support the theories and methods of imagery. This is presented in a formal analysis of each study in terms of how it supports certain theories of imagery and the strengths and shortcomings of each piece of research, referencing other studies and theories where applicable. It was found that there is a large amount of evidence to support the effectiveness of imagery in dance training. However, an amount of weaknesses in each methodology suggest that further research, beyond the confines of this dissertation, is required in order to definitively validate the practice of imagery. From this, the dissertation looks at the practice of imagery in contemporary dance, looking at a variety of dancers, choreographers and theorists that have used imagery in their own work. Examples of these include Doris Humphrey, André Bernard and Candoco. From this study of current practitioners, it was concluded that dance imagery, since its primary conception, has been adapted to a variety of practices that have assisted in facilitating movement, memory and correcting alignment.

Table of content

Introduction
Introduction to Imagery
Theories of the Effectiveness of Imagery
Scientific Evidence of the Effectiveness of Imagery
Examples of Imagery in Contemporary Dance
Conclusion
Bibliography