Development of the Movements Impressions Emotions Model: Evaluation of Movements and Impressions Related to the Perception of Emotions in Dance

The purpose of this study is to specify the characteristics that contribute to the perception of emotions expressed through dance movements and to develop an emotional model to show the relationships between impressions and the characteristics of expressive body movements. Six dancers expressed three different emotions through dance: joy, sadness, and anger. Observers (N = 192) rated both their impressions (33 dimensions) and the dance movements (26 characteristics) of 18 dance performances. The results showed that the observers could accurately perceive the emotional meanings expressed in the dances. The impressions of Dynamics, Expansion, and Stability—and the evaluated movements of Frequency and Velocity of Upward Extension, Frequency and Velocity of Downward Movements, Turning or Jumping, and Body Closing—were extracted via factor analysis as determinants of observers’ impressions of emotional expressions in dance. Additionally, covariance structure analysis and discriminant function analysis indicated that the emotional expressions of the dances expressing joy, sadness, and anger are each associated with particular factors. Through these analyses, we developed the Movements Impressions Emotions Model for dance.