Abstract:
What does it mean to be creative in dance? Cognitive psychologists have studied creativity for over fifty years, yet little has focused on dance. This chapter offers a review of existing research on creativity in contemporary dance choreography. After offering a selection of creativity models previously applied to dance, it presents findings from the Unspoken Knowledges project, studies supporting social theories of creativity, research stemming from Wayne McGregor|Random Dance, and some perspectives from somatics. Drawing from this nexus of research, this chapter illustrates the strides made in choreographic creativity research and highlights some areas in need of further attention.