Dance and Theater as Pathways to Embodied Meaning-Making
Method Stream: Literature Review
ECs: Only 14 EC (standard, no new/own data collection. Applicable in case of a clinical internship)
Description:
Dance and theater are powerful mediums for psychological transformation, emotional expression, and meaning making. In well-being research, these art forms are increasingly recognized for their potential to foster wellbeing, identity development, creativity, and embodied self-awareness (Pohjola et al., 2021; Frith et al. 2020). Embodied cognition—a framework suggesting that cognitive processes are shaped by bodily interactions with the environment—offers a compelling lens to explore how movement, gesture, and physical presence contribute to meaning making in ways that go beyond the purely cognitive/rational (Ticini et al., 2014; Welch, 2022; Cox & van Klaveren, 2025; Schino et al., 2025).
In this thesis project, you will conduct an integrative literature review of empirical and/or theoretical studies on embodied cognition and meaning making in either dance or theater. The review could synthesize findings across psychology, cognitive science, and arts therapy, and propose future research directions relevant to clinical applications.
Suggested Research Questions
- How does embodied cognition facilitate meaning making in dance or theater performance?
- What role does bodily movement play in meaning making by dance or theater performers?
- How do therapeutic dance/theater practices support wellbeing through embodied meaning making?
References
Cox, R. F. A., & Van Klaveren, L.-M. (2025). The embodied experience of abstract art: Moving across the 20th century. Perception, 54(6), 431-440. https://doi.org/10.1177/03010066251329918
Frith, E., Miller, S., & Loprinzi, P. D. (2020). A review of experimental research on embodied creativity: Revisiting the mind–body connection. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 54(4), 767–798.
Pohjola, H., Hänninen, V., Vartiainen, P., Karjalainen, P. A., Tolmunen, T., & Lehto, S. M. (2021). Young women’s embodied inner narratives of desired future in mild-to-moderate depression. Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, 13(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1386/jdsp_00002_1
Schino, G., Van Klaveren, L.-M., Van Dorsten, T., Pathare, S., Van Heusden, B., & Cox, R. F. A. (2025). Experiencing art together: integrating affect and semiosis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16: 1544901. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1544901
Ticini, L. F., Urgesi, C., & Calvo-Merino, B. (2014). Embodied aesthetics: Insight from cognitive neuroscience of performing arts. In T. P. Kaschak & M. H. Fischer (Eds.), Aesthetics and the embodied mind: Beyond art theory and the Cartesian mind-body dichotomy (pp. 103–115). Springer.
Welch, S. (2022). Dancing: Phenomenology and embodied cognition. In Choreography as embodied critical inquiry (pp. 1–33). Springer.
What to we offer?
Your review will be directly relevant for a research project on how the performing arts can support adaptive meaning-making in times of crisis. This project is a collaboration between an art academy, two universities, and theater and dance companies in the Netherlands.