Regularity vs Irregularity in Dance: Movement and Beauty in Art Education

GIOVANNI PERILLO
Mar 30
2 min read

Updated: May 12

This project is part of the SMartS project, which promotes inquiry-based and interdisciplinary learning in schools (SMArtE method) and contributes to international research in art education.

INTRODUCTION

This project explores the relationship between regularity, irregularity and the perception of beauty in dance and movement. Developed within the SMArtE method (Scientific Method in Art Education), the experiment applies an inquiry-based approach to investigate how structured and unstructured movement influences aesthetic experience.

The experimental workshop was conducted in collaboration with students from the Poli School in Molfetta (Italy) and the “Podstawowa im. ks. Jana Twardowskiego” w Komprachcicach School in Opole (Poland), and dancers of the ARG Dance Project of Bari (Italy), offering an international context (eTwinning) for the study of movement, rhythm and perception. The project was also carried out with Lorenza Minervini and Annalisa Calò (Literature teacher and French language teacher at the Poli School) and with Ewa Przesmycka (English language teacher at Podstawowa School).

RESEARCH QUESTION

How do regular and irregular movements influence the perception of beauty in dance? Does structured choreography appear more aesthetically pleasing than spontaneous or irregular motion?

METHOD

Students participated in movement-based activities, creating choreographic sequences characterized by different degrees of regularity and irregularity. Some movements followed clear rhythmic and spatial patterns, while others were free, spontaneous and less structured.

The experiment involved observing, performing and reflecting on movement, allowing students to analyze how rhythm, coordination and variation affect perception.

students performing dance movements with regular and irregular patterns

dance experiment exploring movement and aesthetic perception in students

RESULTS

The results showed that both regular and irregular movements can be perceived as aesthetically meaningful, but in different ways. Regular patterns were often associated with harmony, clarity and balance, while irregular movements were perceived as more expressive and dynamic.

However, the regular choreographies were more appreciated.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that beauty in dance emerges from the interaction between order and variation. Regularity provides structure and coherence, while irregularity introduces complexity and expressive potential.

This duality allowed students to reflect on how movement communicates meaning and how aesthetic experience is shaped by both pattern and deviation, although regular choreographies were more appreciated, because they were more comprehensible.

CONCLUSION

This project demonstrates how the scientific method can be applied to performative art education, enabling students to explore movement, rhythm and perception through structured experimentation.

By integrating artistic practice and analytical observation, students develop both creative and critical skills in an interdisciplinary learning environment.

Explore more student projects based on the scientific method in art education (click on the link):