Changes in temporal cognition as a measure of "bodymind" contagion between dancers and spectators

International audienceThe co-presence of bodies in intersubjective situations can give rise to processes of kinesthetic empathy and physiological synchronisation, especially in the contexts of dance: the body and attention of the spectators are oriented towards the dancers. We investigate the processes of “bodymind’s states” contagion between dancers and spectators and its relation to subjective measures of attention. In the Labodanse project we worked closely with the French choreographer Myriam Gourfink who develops a unique movement based on slower breathing of the dancers, generating an extremely slow movement without rhythmic ruptures. Phenomenological studies of her work report changes in temporal perception (TP), and changes in bodily attentional states. In order to quantify this change in TP we had 12 spectators perform two TP protocols (Spontaneous Tempo Production - STP - and Apparent Motion effect - AM - tasks) Before and after a 40-min live performance. We performed a control experiment with a choreography of a distinctly different quality of movement (14 subjects). Subjective reports were collected at the end of the performance. Physiological data was recorded during the performance. Post-performance, we observed a significant slowing down of STP, while AM was reported with longer temporal intervals. Neither of these effects was observed in the control condition. Correlations with subjective reports show a link between paying attention to the breath of the dancer and the change in the perception of AM. Correlations with physiological data are analyzed. The results suggest an expansion of the “specious present” (Wittmann). The absence of similar results in the control condition argues that 1) these effects were due to the specificity of Gourfink’s choreography; 2) changes in TP is a working proxy to study contagion of body-mind states; 3) the role of conscious attention to the breathing of the other enhances intersubjective processes as "body-mind" contagion