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Conceptualization of the “Smart Body” in 21st-Century Choreographic Practices: Somatic Approaches and Dance Performativity

Olha Martyniv1, Olena Tishchenko2, Olena Yefimova3, Viktoriia Kosychenko3, Nataliya Bugayets3
1Department of Vocal-Choral, Choreographic and Visual Arts, Faculty of Primary Education and Art, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Drohobych, Ukraine
2Department of Choreography, Assistant Professor of the Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
3Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70517/revcc2624133
Published: 30/09/2026
: Olha Martyniv, Olena Tishchenko, Olena Yefimova, Viktoriia Kosychenko, Nataliya Bugayets. Conceptualization of the “Smart Body” in 21st-Century Choreographic Practices: Somatic Approaches and Dance Performativity. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1618-1631.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to conceptualize the “smart body” as an integrative model of choreographic action by establishing relationships among bodily awareness, self-regulation, cognitive, neuroplastic, creative, and performative mechanisms. The study was conducted in August 2026 as a theoretical and conceptual desk study based on a structured integrative review and qualitative thematic synthesis of a purposive non-random sample of 30 scientific works published in 2022–2024, including 2 academic monographs and 28 journal publications. As a result, six functionally related domains were identified. The largest share of the corpus consisted of studies of embodied cognition and agency: 8 works, or 26.7%. Somatic awareness and neuroplasticity/sensorimotor adaptability were each represented by 5 works, or 16.7%, while self-regulation, creative choice and improvisation, and dance performativity were each represented by 4 works, or 13.3%. The synthesis showed that the individual domains did not explain adaptive choreographic behavior in isolation. Their functional interaction formed a cyclical system in which bodily information was transformed into regulatory and cognitive decisions, modified through sensorimotor adaptation, implemented through creative action, and returned to the system through performative feedback. On this basis, a conceptual model of the “smart body” as an adaptive bodily-cognitive system was formulated. The proposed model can be used to develop educational strategies focused on autonomous movement regulation, creative variability, reflective decision-making, and conscious performative interaction.

Keywords: modern dance, creative process, choreographic education, somatic practices, self-regulation, neuroplasticity

Abstract

The aim of the study was to conceptualize the “smart body” as an integrative model of choreographic action by establishing relationships among bodily awareness, self-regulation, cognitive, neuroplastic, creative, and performative mechanisms. The study was conducted in August 2026 as a theoretical and conceptual desk study based on a structured integrative review and qualitative thematic synthesis of a purposive non-random sample of 30 scientific works published in 2022–2024, including 2 academic monographs and 28 journal publications. As a result, six functionally related domains were identified. The largest share of the corpus consisted of studies of embodied cognition and agency: 8 works, or 26.7%. Somatic awareness and neuroplasticity/sensorimotor adaptability were each represented by 5 works, or 16.7%, while self-regulation, creative choice and improvisation, and dance performativity were each represented by 4 works, or 13.3%. The synthesis showed that the individual domains did not explain adaptive choreographic behavior in isolation. Their functional interaction formed a cyclical system in which bodily information was transformed into regulatory and cognitive decisions, modified through sensorimotor adaptation, implemented through creative action, and returned to the system through performative feedback. On this basis, a conceptual model of the “smart body” as an adaptive bodily-cognitive system was formulated. The proposed model can be used to develop educational strategies focused on autonomous movement regulation, creative variability, reflective decision-making, and conscious performative interaction.

Keywords: modern dance, creative process, choreographic education, somatic practices, self-regulation, neuroplasticity

References

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Olha Martyniv
Department of Vocal-Choral, Choreographic and Visual Arts, Faculty of Primary Education and Art, Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University, Drohobych, Ukraine
o_martyniv@dspu.edu.ua
Olena Tishchenko
Department of Choreography, Assistant Professor of the Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H. S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Olena Yefimova
Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Viktoriia Kosychenko
Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Nataliya Bugayets
Department of Choreography, Faculty of Arts, H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Kharkiv, Ukraine

How to cite:

Olha Martyniv, Olena Tishchenko, Olena Yefimova, Viktoriia Kosychenko, Nataliya Bugayets. Conceptualization of the “Smart Body” in 21st-Century Choreographic Practices: Somatic Approaches and Dance Performativity. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1618-1631.

Publication History

  • Received: 29/07/2026
  • Accepted: 30/08/2026
  • Published: 30/09/2026
Copyright © 2026, Olha Martyniv, Olena Tishchenko, Olena Yefimova, Viktoriia Kosychenko, Nataliya Bugayets. Published by Revista Cultura Científica. This article is published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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