Exploring Creative Decision-Making in Choreographic Practice: A Phenomenological Study of Situated Cognition

Candidate: Kristin Carlson
Type: Master of Science (MSc), School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Date: August 11, 2011
Senior Supervisor: Dr. Thecla Schiphorst
Thesis: Download Thesis Document

Abstract

     Contemporary choreography is the crafting of movement in space and time, to create an abstract temporal experience for an audience. Dance relies on extensive embodied knowledge and physical exploration which can cause compositional decisions to appear predominantly intuitive. This thesis studies choreographic knowledge to better understand the cognitive processes behind creative decisions. To investigate intuitive decisions a portion of the choreographic process is constrained, heightening awareness of the process of making decisions. Constraining a choreographer's process challenges creative problem-solving skills, guides attention to the experience and facilitates verbal articulation of the experience. In this research the process is constrained by using a computational tool (titled Scuddle) to generate 'catalysts' for movement, which are incomplete movement data that act as parameters to provoke movement development. As movement material and compositional structure is often intricately entwined, the incompleteness of this data facilitates creative exploration, enabling multiple solutions to be generated from a catalyst.
     Eight choreographers were asked to create a short work over the course of three studio sessions, using the movement vocabulary generated from Scuddle catalysts. Phenomenological interview methods were used to help choreographers identify and articulate their attention throughout their compositional process. Interview data was analyzed by using a grounded theory-inspired approach to create categories and developed a model of interaction between different forms of choreographic knowledge.  A deeper understanding of choreographic cognition can foster critical practice, encourage experimentation and extend teaching methods in movement and performance. Knowledge of how embodied, creative decisions are made and acted upon can be of benefit to a variety of researchers including those in creativity, human computer interaction, communication, education, cognition, kinesiology and psychology.