City Research Online

Abstract

Dance provides a rich context for examining how the motor system adapts to changing constraints, with movement variability functioning as a driver of adaptive skill rather than a performance error. This study proposes a framework for motor creativity grounded in constraint-led exploration and examines whether the Three-Constraints System practice can enhance embodied cognitive flexibility. In a pilot intervention with 11 professional dancers, tasks were structured around bodily, cognitive, and sensory constraints across a 10-hour guided practice. Quantitative questionnaire data and qualitative reflections were collected. Findings showed reductions in cognitive rigidity, psychological tension, fear of error or judgment, and automatisms, alongside increased openness, awareness, and movement fluidity. These preliminary results suggest that the Three-Constraints System practice may positively influence embodied aspects of cognitive flexibility, with potential applications beyond dance settings.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords:	Dance, Cognitive flexibility, Motor creativity, Embodied cognition
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology M Music and Books on Music > M Music R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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