Thinking with the Dancing Brain: Embodying Neuroscience

As seasoned dancers and dance educators, Minton and Faber approach brain function from inside the body as embodiment of thought. Their collection of neurological research about the thought processes in learning and performing dance encompasses a vision of dance as creative art, communication, education, and life. The book informs neuroscientists, educators, and dancers about the complex interdependence of brain localities and networking of human neurology through an integration of physiology, cognition, and the art of dance.

Chapters address observation, engagement, critical thought, emotion, memory, imagery and imagination, learning, problem solving, and 21st century skills. Finer components are explored through neurological networks, classroom pedagogy, dance, and movement experiences that provide:

Description of the thought processes, their components, and their neurological functional needs.The neurological physiology that has been discovered in the cognitive process.How brain function can be applied to the educational classroom.Applications of the neurological research to dance education, the choreographic process, and dance performance.Movement explorations for readers to experience the thought processes through dance with neurological knowledge in mind.

Sandra Minton, PhD, has written a number of dance education texts, including Choreography: ABasic Approach Using Improvisation, has published her research in juried journals, and has presented at national and international conferences. She was a dance major at UCLA where she studied with Alma Hawkins and Valerie Hunt who initiated her interest in the mind/body connection, has taught dance in public schools, and she earned her doctorate in dance/kinesiology. Minton is currently the co-coordinator of the Dance Education MA at the University of Northern Colorado.

Rima Faber, PhD, trained with Anna Sokolow, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham and has pursued a career as a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. While a dance major at Bennington College, Faber also focused on intensive study of cognition, with research in child development and neurological functioning through dance. Upon receipt of a doctorate in education, she became the founding president of the National Dance Education Organization where she worked for thirteen years.