Dance Is More Than Meets the Eye-How Can Dance Performance Be Made Accessible for a Non-sighted Audience?

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Arts and Humanities
• Dance Studies

Background:

• Dance is traditionally perceived as a visual art form, with its communication reliant on visual perception.
• Cognitive neuroscience investigates brain activation during visual dance perception, focusing on action observation, learning, expertise, and aesthetics.
• There is a growing movement to make dance accessible to individuals with visual impairments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of non-visual approaches to dance experiences.
• To strengthen cultural participation for visually impaired audiences.
• To expand dance as an artistic research laboratory and inspire new neuro-cognitive research.

Main Methods:

• Literature review across disciplines.
• Analysis of inclusive performance practices.
• Case study of an inclusive performance ('Sons of Sissy' by Simon Mayer).

Main Results:

• Non-visual sensory modalities (verbal, auditory, haptic) can support the experience of dance for visually impaired individuals.
• A non-exclusively visual approach can enrich cultural participation, artistic research, and neuro-cognitive studies.
• Inclusive performance offers a valuable model for expanding dance perception.

Conclusions:

• A non-exclusively visual approach to dance is promising for cultural inclusivity and artistic innovation.
• Further multidisciplinary research is needed to explore the neuro-cognitive and aesthetic implications of non-visual dance perception.
• Dance can be a rich field for exploring novel sensory experiences and broadening accessibility.