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Studies demonstrate that low frequencies and syncopation can enhance groove—the pleasurable urge to move to music. This study examined the simultaneous effect of low-frequency amplitude and syncopation on groove by manipulating basslines in house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music (EDM). One hundred and seventy-nine participants listened to 20 novel house music clips in which basslines were manipulated across two levels of low-frequency amplitude and syncopation. Music and dance-related experience, as well as genre preferences, were also assessed. Groove perception was most pronounced for house tracks combining high low-frequency amplitude (LFA) and high syncopation, and least pronounced for tracks with low LFA, irrespective of syncopation. Exploratory correlation analysis revealed that groove perception is influenced by listeners' preferences for energetic and rhythmic music styles, their urge to dance, and their propensity to experience an emotional connection to music. Our findings reveal that the urge to move when listening to music is shaped by the interplay of rhythmic complexity and sonic texture, and is influenced by dance and music experiences and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to analyze the beginning of different dance tunes in connection with variously performed dance tunes. The purpose of this paper is also to draw attention to the need for micro-analysis, which has been neglected for a long time in instrumental folk music research, in order to better understand instrumental musical melody creation. The selected musical examples come from different (partly historical) eras and different geographical areas of Western Transdanubian and Transylvanian Hungarian folk music collections. Typical starting elements (fifth-forth changes, direction of moving of scales, etc.) are related to dance music with different names. The analysis ignores the evolution of tempo and variation throughout the piece, as well as the ensemble's "Primas" ornamentation, timbre, harmonies and unique solutions of the accompaniment. At the same time, the author paid attention to the form and structure of the entire piece in addition to the beginnings of the melody. The study was written in honor of the 100th birthday of Walter Deutsch, the creator of modern Austrian ethnomusicology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Engaging in dance of various styles confers health benefits among adults; however, additional studies on free-form dancing are needed to quantify its intensity and advance research on dance and health. This study characterized the absolute and relative physical activity (PA) intensities of solo, free-form dancing at self-determined moderate and vigorous intensities in adults. Method: Participants (N = 48) ages 18 to 83 years old, with 0 to 56 years of dance training experience, engaged in 5-minute free-form dance bouts at respectively self-determined moderate and vigorous intensities, both with and without music. Absolute intensity was measured during bouts using indirect calorimetry (metabolic equivalents; METs = V˙ O2 ml·kg-1·min-1/3.5). Relative intensity was measured by ratings of perceived exertion (Borg scale) and heart rate. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess the relationship between absolute and relative intensity metrics and model covariates. Results: On average, the relative intensity of self-determined moderate-to-vigorous intensity dancing, with and without music, was 76% of the age-predicted maximal heart rate; 74% of the heart rate reserve (HRR); and 13 on the Borg scale. By measure of %HRR, all adults reached at least a moderate PA intensity across all dance bouts. The mean absolute intensity of self-determined moderate intensity free-form dancing without music was 5.6 METs, and the presence of music (β = 0.6) and the intention to dance at a vigorous intensity (β = 1.1) were both significantly positively associated with METs, as participants engaged in free-form dance; METs were significantly inversely associated with age (β = -0.05) and BMI (β = -0.10). Conclusions: When characterized using HRR, engaging in free-form dance at self-determined moderate-to-vigorous PA intensities provided a sufficient stimulus for all adults to reach a moderate PA intensity, which provides evidence that dancing however one wishes at such perceived intensities may support adults in accumulating the recommended weekly dose of 3150 minutes of moderate intensity PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each commentary on my article raises important points and new ideas for research on rhythmic processing in humans and other species. Here I respond to points concerning the role of social factors in the ontogeny of beat synchronization, the neural connectivity underlying beat synchronization, the evolution of this connectivity, and the mechanisms by which evolutionary changes in the strength of one white matter tract (driven by natural selection) can have knock-on effects on the structure of an adjacent tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dancing to music is ancient and widespread in human cultures. While dance shows great cultural diversity, it often involves nonvocal rhythmic movements synchronized to musical beats in a predictive and tempo-flexible manner. To date, the only nonhuman animals known to spontaneously move to music in this way are parrots. This paper proposes that human-parrot similarities in movement to music and in the neurobiology of advanced vocal learning hold clues to the evolutionary foundations of human dance. The proposal draws on recent research on the neurobiology of parrot vocal learning by Jarvis and colleagues and on a recent cortical model for speech motor control by Hickock and colleagues. These two lines of work are synthesized to suggest that gene regulation changes associated with the evolution of a dorsal laryngeal pitch control pathway in ancestral humans fortuitously strengthened auditory-parietal cortical connections that support beat-based rhythmic processing. More generally, the proposal aims to explain how and why the evolution of strong forebrain auditory-motor integration in the service of learned vocal control led to a capacity and proclivity to synchronize nonvocal movements to the beat. The proposal specifies cortical brain pathways implicated in the origins of human beat-based dancing and leads to testable predictions and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As gestures play an important role in human communication, there have been a number of service robots equipped with a pair of human-like arms for gesture-based human–robot interactions. However, the arms of most human companion robots are limited to slow and simple gestures due to the low maximum velocity of the arm actuators. In this work, we present the JF-2 robot, a mobile home service robot equipped with a pair of torque-controlled anthropomorphic arms. Thanks to the low inertia design of the arm, responsive Quasi-Direct Drive (QDD) actuators, and active compliant control of the joints, the robot can replicate fast human dance motions while being safe in the environment. In addition to the JF-2 robot, we also present the JF-mini robot, a scaled-down, low-cost version of the JF-2 robot mainly targeted for commercial use at kindergarten and childcare facilities. The suggested system is validated by performing three experiments, a safety test, teaching children how to dance along to the music, and bringing a requested item to a human subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decades, the focus of brain research has expanded from using strictly controlled stimuli towards understanding brain functioning in complex naturalistic contexts. Interest has increased in measuring brain processes in natural interaction, including classrooms, theatres, concerts and museums to understand the brain functions in the real world. Here, we examined how watching a live dance performance with music in a real‐world dance performance setting engages the brains of the spectators. Expertise in dance or music has been shown to modify brain functions, including when watching dance or listening to music. Therefore, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from an audience of dancers, musicians and novices as they watched the live dance performance and analysed their cortical oscillations. We compared intrabrain oscillations when participants watched the performance (with music) or listened to the music alone without the dance. We found that dancers have stronger fronto‐central and parieto‐occipital theta phase synchrony (4–8 Hz) than novices when watching dance, likely reflecting the effects of dance experience on motor imagery, multisensory and social interaction processes. Also, compared with novices, dancers had stronger delta phase synchrony (0.5–4 Hz) when listening to music, and musicians had stronger delta phase synchrony when watching dance, suggesting expertise in music and dance enhances sensitivity or attention to temporal regularities in movement and sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ciencia y Educación (2707-3378) is the property of Duanys Miguel Pena Lopez and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article explores the Sahelian practice of separating young children from their birth parents for work-related purposes. This occurred in the 1970s in certain elite Tuareg contexts, when alternative livelihood options were scarce; its impact was still being felt in 2010. The practice involves mostly those born into the lowest status group (iklan) , especially women. This research seeks to explain what the practice of child separation from parents is, how it is expressed, and how it has changed. With this aim, it analyses the link between this practice, ideas and assumptions about the family and close relationships through women, and collective female dance and music rituals. The article is based on qualitative research conducted in Niger between 1973–2010, a 2002 anti-slavery report, and court proceedings concerning separated children between 2003–2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of social networks, short videos have become a popular form of content, especially dance videos. In this context, research on automatically generating music for dance videos shows significant practical value. However, existing studies face challenges such as limited richness in music timbre and lack of synchronization with dance movements. In this paper, we propose Dance2Music-Diffusion, a novel framework for music generation from dance videos using latent diffusion models. Our approach includes a motion encoder module for extracting motion features and a music diffusion generation module for generating latent music representations. By integrating dance type monitoring and latent diffusion techniques, our framework outperforms existing methods in generating complex and rich dance music. We conducted objective and subjective evaluations of the results produced by various existing models on the AIST++ dataset. Our framework shows outstanding performance in terms of beat recall rate, consistency with GT beats, and coordination with dance movements. This work represents the state of the art in automatic music generation from dance videos, is easy to train, and has implications for enhancing entertainment experiences and inspiring innovative dance productions. Sample videos of our generated music and dance can be viewed at https://youtu.be/eCvLdLdkX-Y. The code is available at https://github.com/hellto/dance2music-diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the meaning of two acts of cultural production: the writing of novels and the acid house and dance music scenes as represented in Alan Warner’s 1995 novel Morvern Callar. Reading the novel against its 2002 adaptation by Lynne Ramsay, it historicizes the representation of working-class pleasure in relation to the developing discourses of the creative industries propounded by Tony Blair’s New Labour. Drawing a link between the concept of the creative industries and the well-established conversation linking “cultural independence” and devolution in Scotland, it argues that Warner’s novel represents acid house as a moment in which working-class pleasure and cultural production was a significant threat to establishment cultural values. By contrast, Ramsay’s film presents Morvern’s desire to party as indicative of a traumatized subjectivity which can be healed by the rejection of her working-class background and the embracing of a middle-class lifestyle informed by literature and travel. In this respect, Ramsay’s film is unable to metabolize the transcendent potential of partying and pleasure, instead mobilizing well-worn tropes of acid house’s meaningless hedonism to represent Morvern as an exceptional individual whose inborn distinction allows her to escape her background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines ethical complexities of sustaining and safeguarding intangible cultural practices. Could safeguarding efforts violate human rights? In what circumstances could allowing a practice to die out be more ethically defensible than seeking to sustain it? And when, if ever, might it be ethically defensible to attempt to ‘kill’ a cultural practice? Presenting and employing a conceptual matrix to theorise the relationships between cultural sustainability and human rights, we examine two contrasting and counterintuitive contemporary cases where sustaining or safeguarding a cultural practice and acting ethically are not, or not necessarily, coincident: the Nigerian Igbo pot drum dance Avu Udu, and white-power music. These cases underscore the breadth and ethical complexities of the links between cultural sustainability and human rights, raise ethically consequential questions for safeguarding policy and practice, and offer insights that could help cultural stakeholders make more ethical decisions about safeguarding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an interview with DJ and dance music producer Ian Friday, who discusses his experiences in the New York City music scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Friday talks about his multicultural upbringing in Brooklyn and the diverse musical influences that shaped his love for music. He also discusses the impact of clubs like the Paradise Garage and Club Shelter on the music scene, as well as his own creation of the Tea Party event. The article also explores the transition from vinyl records to digital formats in DJing and the effects it had on the industry and the DJ experience. Friday reflects on the importance of vinyl records in building community and the challenges of adapting to new technologies. The interviewee also discusses their perspective on technology in music production, emphasizing the importance of human spirit and creativity in utilizing technology to create music that feels alive and expresses their cultural background. They acknowledge the advancements in technology that have made music production more accessible and the abundance of music available today, and believe that technology can enhance music creation when used artfully and with authenticity. [Extracted from the article]

Issue 36.3 of the Journal of Popular Music Studies focuses on various conversations surrounding human/tech relations in popular music performance. The Field Notes section includes interviews with rock drummer Stan Lynch, DJ Ian Friday, Lauren Alex O'Hagan, and musician and mathematician Project.JDM, exploring the impact of technology on music and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The peer-reviewed articles cover topics such as punk memoirs, the role of music journalism in categorizing "indie rap," the hardcore punk powerviolence scene in Southern California, and the wealth gap between Afrobeats artists Burna Boy and Tiwa Savage. The issue concludes with book reviews on Bob Dylan's The Philosophy of Modern Song, Shana Goldin-Perschbacher's Queer Country, Joshua Clover's Roadrunner, Francesca Royster's Black Country Music, and LJ Müller's Hearing Sexism. [Extracted from the article]

Background/Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, children in Japan were restricted from sports and outdoor activities. Regular physical activity is essential for healthy growth and development in children, with recommendations advocating for activities such as strength training. However, the long-term effects of the restrictions have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an "exercise class", specifically a dance program, designed to improve motor function in elementary school children affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have compromised their motor function. Methods: The dance program was developed by a sports science teacher, a professional dancer, and a physical therapist, and it was evaluated in a community-based participatory study. Trained dance instructors conducted one-hour dance sessions in a medical center, held once a week for two months from June to August 2023. A physical therapist and dance instructors led the elementary school children. Outcome measures included grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, back muscle strength, dynamic balance function during movement, physical activity time, and body fat percentages. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Results: Twenty-four children aged 6–9 years participated in the exercise class over a two-month period. Improvement was observed in grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, and dynamic balance function during movement. However, physical activity time, body fat percentages, and back muscle strength did not change. Conclusions: The results indicated a significant improvement in motor skills. Dance is an inexpensive program that elementary school children can enjoy while improving their motor skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dance-driven music generation aims to generate musical pieces conditioned on dance videos. Previous works focus on monophonic or raw audio generation, while the multi-instrument scenario is under-explored. The challenges associated with dance-driven multi-instrument music (MIDI) generation are twofold: (i) lack of a publicly available multi-instrument MIDI and video paired dataset and (ii) the weak correlation between music and video. To tackle these challenges, we have built the first multi-instrument MIDI and dance paired dataset (D2MIDI). Based on this dataset, we introduce a multi-instrument MIDI generation framework (Dance2MIDI) conditioned on dance video. Firstly, to capture the relationship between dance and music, we employ a graph convolutional network to encode the dance motion. This allows us to extract features related to dance movement and dance style. Secondly, to generate a harmonious rhythm, we utilize a transformer model to decode the drum track sequence, leveraging a cross-attention mechanism. Thirdly, we model the task of generating the remaining tracks based on the drum track as a sequence understanding and completion task. A BERT-like model is employed to comprehend the context of the entire music piece through self-supervised learning. We evaluate the music generated by our framework trained on the D2MIDI dataset and demonstrate that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and complex neurodegenerative disorder. Conventional pharmacological or surgical therapies alone are often insufficient at adequately alleviating disability. Moreover, there is an increasing shift toward person-centered care, emphasizing the concept of "living well". In this context, arts-based interventions offer great promise, functioning as platforms for creative expression that could provide novel mechanisms to promote quality of life. Here we present a qualitative review of arts-based interventions for PD, including music, dance, drama, visual arts, and creative writing. For each, we discuss their applications to PD, proposed mechanisms, evidence from prior studies, and upcoming research. We also provide examples of community-based projects. Studies to date have had relatively small sample sizes, but their findings suggest that arts-based interventions have the potential to reduce motor and non-motor symptoms. They may also empower people with PD and thereby address issues of self-esteem, foster personal problem-solving, and augment holistic well-being. However, there is a paucity of research determining optimal dosage and symptom-specific benefits of these therapies. If art were a drug, we would have to perform appropriately powered studies to provide these data before incorporating it into routine patient care. We therefore call for further research with properly designed studies to offer more rigorous and evidence-based support for what we intuitively think is a highly promising approach to support individuals living with PD. Given the possible positive impact on people's lives, arts-based approaches merit further development and, if proven to be effective, systematic inclusion within integrated management plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the foundational element of sports dance, music serves as its quintessential "soul," profoundly influencing the artistic allure and evolutionary trajectory of the discipline. Frequently, it unveils the distinctive charisma of sports dance to global audiences through its intricate rhythmic patterns, melodious compositions, and fervent and uninhibited style. Given the imperative of harmoniously integrating sports dance technique with musical artistry to enhance its expressive capacities, this research endeavours to scrutinize the impact of piano accompaniment music on the psychology and expressive dimensions of sports dancers. Experimental findings substantiate the noteworthy influence of piano accompaniment music training on the expressive prowess exhibited by sports dance athletes. This investigation systematically scrutinized the expressive capacity inherent in sports dance art through the lens of music. By methodically analysing pertinent factors encompassing music training and the expressive capabilities inherent in sports dance art, the pivotal role of music training in augmenting the expressive potency of sports dance art was validated. To corroborate this assertion, a pedagogical experiment employing a single-factor comparative analysis was adopted, elucidating the artistic manifestation within sports dance from an empirical vantage point. Following the experimental intervention, the measurement scores of students within the experimental cohort exhibited a statistically significant elevation in comparison to those of the control group (P < 0.05). These outcomes underscore the pronounced impact of music training on the rhythmic acuity and coordination of sports dancers. Moreover, post-experiment performance in sports skills demonstrated a notable enhancement within the experimental cohort relative to the control group (P < 0.05), further affirming the beneficial effects of music training on sports performance. By honing the rhythmic sensibility instilled through dance music, mastering sequences of movements, grasping the intricacies of dance music, and undergoing collaborative training integrating music with choreographed routines, the artistic expression of dance athletes can be significantly enhanced. Facilitating the fusion of artistry and athleticism, policymakers are encouraged to advocate for the amalgamation of art and sports, thereby fostering an environment conducive to the development of sports dance. This entails provisioning of enhanced artistic resources and training opportunities tailored specifically for sports dance athletes, including guidance and collaboration in musical accompaniment. Provision of professional accompaniment teams is recommended, with policymakers contemplating the establishment of dedicated piano accompaniment teams for sports dance athletes to ensure the calibre and adaptability of musical accompaniment, thereby elevating athletes' performance standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores Sage Markandeya's vision of art's holistic unity, highlighting how classical Odissi art embodies this concept by integrating various forms of art like literature, visual arts, and performing arts. It discusses the emotive and lyrical nature of Odissi arts, aiming to evoke Sringara rasa (the sentiment of love). While classical arts were traditionally for pleasing gods or royalty, folk arts belonged to tribal and rural communities. Despite efforts to create barriers between these art forms, cultural dynamics led to mutual influence, bridged by factors like Vaisnavism, the Bhagavat scripture, and Odissi dance and music. The article also addresses efforts to revive Odissi music and dance, balancing tradition with innovation. It discusses the challenges faced by puritanical and maverick approaches and highlights the importance of preserving Odissi's unique identity while adapting to modern times. Furthermore, it delves into the ideological aspects of performing arts and the struggle for recognition and preservation of Odia identity. It mentions historical movements aimed at safeguarding Odia language, literature, and culture against external threats. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the need for systematic research and standardized demonstrations to establish Odissi music and dance firmly within Odisha itself, rather than seeking validation from national standards. It advocates for preserving the regional identity of Odissi arts while acknowledging their universal appeal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose that while examining homologies and convergences in auditory-motor synchronization between humans and non-human animals is informative, examining differences in behaviour and brain mechanisms can help to better define the boundaries of the phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative applications of human movement analysis, for example, for mitigating/slowing down certain pathological conditions, have recently emerged from the modeling and automated measurement of full‐body expressive midlevel individual and group movement qualities, at a higher complexity level than movement qualities derived directly from physical signals, still not characterizing any gesture in a specific way. More in general, the availability of automated analysis techniques of midlevel expressive movement qualities can contribute to interaction design incorporating body‐based performance practices inspired by artistic theories in dance and music. This work investigates how such practices and techniques can support embodied interaction design by enabling automated measuring of cues of leadership, cohesion, and fluidity in full‐body movement in group settings. In particular, the dance‐inspired scientific approach, the data collection protocol, and the analysis techniques adopted for assessing movement qualities connected to leadership and cohesion within the group and fluidity of the dancers' full‐body movement are described. Finally, future developments of this research are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: With the development of technology, research related to music‐based dance generation models has been increasing. Some of the studies have applied algorithms to dance generation models, but these algorithms suffer from problems such as the inability to make an exact match between music and dance. To solve these problems, the research innovatively proposes a deep learning toddler dance generation model based on music rhythm and beat to extract music and dance features respectively. In addition, the study generates smooth dances through a generator module, improves the match between the dances and music generated by the model through a discriminator, and enhances the representativeness of audio features through a self‐encoder module. Finally, the study completes the validation of the model by comparing the loss functions and other aspects. Results demonstrate that this model has the smallest loss value of 17.58, and that the model generates a better match between dance and music for different music, with values of 8.9, 8, and 7.4. Compared with the comparison model, the study's model for generating dances for young children has better results in terms of dance generation. The study solves the problem that previous algorithms cannot make an exact match between music and dance, and has implications for fields such as cross‐modal generation and games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Turkish Music (TM) / Türk Müziği is the property of Young Wise Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Kronika is the property of Kronika, Casopis za Slovensko Krajevno Zgodovino and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The period of time encompassed between the second half of the 15th century and the first half of the following one represented a stage in which the Byzantine culture flourished exponentially in the Romanian Principalities, as a consequence of its migration to the North of the Danube, after the shock caused by the Ottomans in the year 1453. One of the directions in which the Byzantine influence was very powerful, leaving a visible imprint until nowadays, was the art of church painting. The canon of Byzantine painting referred to a complex series of images largely inspired from the Biblical text, as well as from the hagiographic texts and even from daily life. One of the favourite succession of images in the Byzantine art, entitled by specialists The Passion Cycle, reunites sequences referring to the arrest, the trial and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Mocking of Christ represents one of the paintings which includes important contemporary aspects of the moment in which the scene was painted, in addition to the transposing in colours of the facts which took place in that context. Such aspects were music and dance, but also the ceremony in which these were included, thus offering a very important source of information about the way that period of time "looked like" in terms of sound and choreography. Not only South of the Danube, where the scene appears in the entire area of Byzantine culture and influence, but also later, North of the river, the Mocking of Christ reunites the same constituent elements, but still different in their essence, according to the time and the region where they appeared. These elements show the musical and choreographic specificity of each and every country or region, facilitating for us today a better understanding of this cultural branch. The ten scenes of the Mocking in the church frescoes in Moldavia, achieved in the first half of the 16th century, to which we shall be referring here, represent a certain proof of the existence of a solid artistic culture in Moldavia, comparable to the ones of the neighbouring countries, and in accordance with the model "dictated" by the West, especially in what regards the musical instruments used at the Court, around the sovereign, as it happened in our case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive function development is especially important in the last year of the preschool period because this period precedes the transition to school. Therefore, it is relevant to study extracurricular activities that can positively impact the development of executive function in 6-7-year-old children. According to earlier research, executive function development might be positively influenced by music training. The current cross-sectional study aimed to explore differences in executive function among 6-7-year-old preschoolers depending on participation in music training. In the current research, children were divided into two groups of 37 participants each: children who received music training for at least half a year and children who did not receive music training. Children in both groups did not participate in dance training because music is also actively used during dance training. Background variables such as participation in extracurricular activities, screen time, family singing activities, maternal education, and family income level did not differ between the groups. The study revealed that the children who received music training had a higher level of motor inhibitory control compared to the children who did not receive music or dance training. This study offers further support for the association between executive function and music training in preschoolers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we seek to integrate theories of music origins and dance with hominin fossil anatomy and the paleoecological contexts of hominin evolution. Based on the association between rhythm in music, dance and locomotion, we propose that early bipedal hominins may have evolved neurobiological substrates different from other great apes due to the rhythmic aspects of bipedal walking and running. Combined with the emancipation of the hands resulting from erect posture, we propose that the neurobiological changes necessary for technological innovation, cultural practices and human musical abilities may have evolved, at least in incipient form, much earlier than previously thought. The consequent ability to synchronize movement and sound production may have also proved beneficial as early bipedal hominins ventured out of late Miocene and early Pliocene woodland and forested habitats and into more open habitats with increased predation risk. We also postulate that, along with bipedalism, paedomorphic morphogenesis of the skull at the base of the hominin clade was a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of vocal modulation and singing in later varieties of hominin. To date research into the evolution of music and dance has yet to be integrated with the fossil and paleoecological evidence of early hominin evolution. This paper seeks to fill this lacuna in the extant literature on human evolution. We also suggest that autocatalytic feedback loops evolving synergistically with hominin erect posture, skull and hand morphology, neurochemical processes and the self-domestication syndrome, have been operative from early hominins some 6 Ma to the present. We document this process by reference to primatological, ethnographic, neurochemical and archaeological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Asalatu , a form of Islamic music among Yoruba Muslims in Nigeria, against the backdrop of globalization and the impact of Western music. The article points to observed changes in the music and musical possibilities within increasing secularization. Drawing on ethnographic data, the article illuminates tangential issues such as the use of the mother tongue for Islamic music as opposed to Arabic, and the introduction of dance to Islamic music to account for the changes. The article is a major contribution to knowledge in the fields of religion in Africa, Islamic studies, and popular/material culture. Globalization has closely knit nations together such that there is an acceleration of the integration of nations into the global system. Accounting for changes in Islamic music as a result of globalization helps provide insights into the nature of society, whether increasingly religious or secular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have long viewed the history of Polish dances through the lens of “Polish rhythms.” These rhythms are thought to characterize dances known as Polish from the sixteenth-century lute pieces of Hans Neusidler to the piano music of Frédéric Chopin. The notion of Polish rhythms continues to shape our modern reception of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century music: certain patterns are often used as a litmus test for whether a piece is evoking a Polish dance, even in the absence of an identifying label. I demonstrate, however, that there is little historical evidence that specific rhythms rendered dances Polish in the eyes and ears of composers, performers, or listeners from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Instead, the Polish rhythms narrative appears to have stemmed from a misreading of early modern music-theoretical sources on the part of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century writers, whose arguments were influenced by—and fed into—contemporary ideas of musical nationalism and essentialism. Focusing on eighteenth-century German sources, I also challenge any monolithic notions of Polishness in dance music by revealing how terms such as polonaise could denote multiple distinct dances (or could even refer to non-dance pieces). More broadly, these findings complicate the present-day practice of using abstract notational elements to identify unmarked dance topics, and I show how a greater attentiveness to factors beyond the score is vital for understanding how historical subjects experienced the popular dances of their time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the overview of Soviet Koreans' performing arts activities in Uzbekistan, with a particular focus on the activities of the Soviet Korean kolkhoz Politotdel's ensemble Cheongchun during the 1970s and 1980s. It aims to clarify the roles and implications of the ensemble in a multicultural society. Since the late 1950s, the Soviet Korean kolkhozes, including Politotdel in the Chirchiq district of the Tashkent oblast, Uzbekistan, have experienced remarkable economic growth. In the cultural milieu of the Korean people, dance and music were inherently intertwined, occupying a significant position. Initially established as a vocal‐instrumental ensemble, Cheongchun always integrated dance and music in its presentations, with dance performances playing a crucial role. An official dance troupe was formed in 1976, and in 1984, it was merged with the ensemble Gayageum. Artistic director and dance teacher Jeong‐wook Hwang (1940–), who studied dance in Pyeongyang, Moscow, and Tashkent, made significant contributions to fostering exchanges with North Korean dancers and actively incorporating Seung‐hee Choi's North Korean dance elements. Cheongchun has played a pivotal role in promoting Korean dance and music not only in Uzbekistan but also across the entire Soviet Union and the United States, thereby visualizing the identity and positive image of Soviet Koreans as exemplary citizens in a multicultural society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, titled "Casey Revisited: A Contrarian Look at Baseball's Most Famous Fictional Slugger," presents an alternative perspective on the events described in the famous poem "Casey at the Bat." The author, David Krell, argues that Casey, the protagonist of the poem, actually struck out in the final at-bat, contrary to the popular interpretation of the poem. Krell suggests that this alternative view challenges the traditional narrative and offers a different perspective on the outcome of the game. The article was presented by Krell at the NINE Spring Training Conference in 2023. [Extracted from the article]