The evolutionary biology of dance without frills

• Published in: Current biology 2016-10, Vol.26 (19), p.R878-R879
• Main Authors: Ravignani, Andrea, Cook, Peter F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agonistic Behavior; Animals; Biological Evolution; Cooperative Behavior; Dancing; Humans
• ISSN: 0960-9822; 1879-0445
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.076

Recently psychologists have taken up the question of whether dance is reliant on unique human adaptations, or whether it is rooted in neural and cognitive mechanisms shared with other species [1,2]. In its full cultural complexity, human dance clearly has no direct analog in animal behavior. Most definitions of dance include the consistent production of movement sequences timed to an external rhythm. While not sufficient for dance, modes of auditory-motor timing, such as synchronization and entrainment, are experimentally tractable constructs that may be analyzed and compared between species. In an effort to assess the evolutionary precursors to entrainment and social features of human dance, Laland and colleagues [2] have suggested that dance may be an incidental byproduct of adaptations supporting vocal or motor imitation — referred to here as the ‘imitation and sequencing’ hypothesis. In support of this hypothesis, Laland and colleagues rely on four convergent lines of evidence drawn from behavioral and neurobiological research on dance behavior in humans and rhythmic behavior in other animals. Here, we propose a less cognitive, more parsimonious account for the evolution of dance. Our ‘timing and interaction’ hypothesis suggests that dance is scaffolded off of broadly conserved timing mechanisms allowing both cooperative and antagonistic social coordination. What are the evolutionary origins of human dance? Ravignani & Cook propose a ‘timing & interaction’ framework that roots dance in broadly conserved faculties supporting coordinated movement. The evolutionary roots of human dance may be exposed through study of species as diverse as frogs, crabs, and marine mammals.