The Neural and Social Bases of Creative Movement

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

The purpose of this workshop is to facilitate interdisciplinary discussions of the neural and social bases of movement and creative movement, that could stimulate new research directions and catalyze creative collaborations integrating the perspectives of scientists, engineers, and artists. The motivating scientific interest for this project is a recognition that the planning and control of movement recruit a broad array of sensory-motor circuits in the brain required for synchronization, improvisation, and coordination, not only within an individual, but also between ensembles of people. From a scientific perspective, creative movement offers a unique experimental paradigm within which a well-controlled set of actions can be examined to understand how the brain accomplishes expressive movements, how it learns them in the first place, how creative movements are coordinated with movements of others, and how such movements are supported by the underlying substrates of sensory-motor networks within the brain. The workshop’s broader goal is to foster collaborations among scientists, engineers, and artists in the study of creative movement in its many dimensions and contexts. It will advance a fundamental understanding of how the brain produces purposeful actions that are central to human well-being and quality of life. Broader impacts include the exploration of creative motion to advance therapeutic and health related goals. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.