Investigating group behavior in dance: an evolutionary dynamics approach

We investigate group behavior in dance using an evolutionary dynamic model. Our approach is motivated by observations of nineteen dancers during a performance in which they choose a sequence of dance movements from a finite set of allowable movement modules as they perform. Results show evidence that subgroups of dancers performing the same movement module with greater representation are aware of their dominance, which in turn influences their switching rates between modules. We introduce the notion of awareness of dominance into the well-studied framework of replicator-mutator dynamics, where modules are represented as strategies. By letting awareness of dominance tune mutation strength, we demonstrate its influence in the evolution of strategies. The tuning yields a feedback controlled bifurcation in the model dynamics, which predicts persistence of dominant strategies as observed in the behavior of the dance group.