Preference for Aesthetic Principles in Dance

Abstract

In this study aesthetic preference in dance is investigated from the perspectiveof dancers and non-dancers. Aesthetic principles were sought out that, when applied to a choreography, generatea positive experience for the audience, and it was investigated whether the experience depends on the artistic qualification of the spectators. Based on the literature, we assumed that the preference for the goldenratio, good continuation and symmetry has an advantage over works that do not have embedded aesthetic principles, and that this preference would be mostly general and not dependent on the viewer's level of education. Photographs and video clips were used in the present study, some of which had an embedded aesthetic principle and some of which did not. As a measurement tool, a questionnaire was used to gauge participants' opinions along the dimensions of liking, impact and excitement. The results suggest that people do indeed like it more when they perceive these aesthetic principles in dance than when they do not, and that the quality of the responses does not depend on artistic qualifications. Furthermore, it turns out that if the goal is the greater impact or excitement, it is more appropriate to incorporate the golden ratio into the choreography. Good continuity and symmetry are more likely to cause a sense of pleasure than impact or excitement in the audience.

Keywords

• good continuation
• symmetry
• golden ratio
• aesthetic experience
• dance