Hagen And Bryant's Coalition Signaling Hypothesis '

I would like to discuss the third video “Ansambl SHOTA" and talks about the included evidences that support Hagen & Bryant’s Coalition Signaling Hypothesis, which argues that music and dance have the function to signal the existence as well as the quality of a coalition. In this video, two common features of music are vividly presented, which both show that the performance of music and dance commonly depends upon corporation and coalition. One feature is that the music and dance are produced and performed by groups. The other feature is that the rhythm of the music tends to play a key role in synchronizing behaviors.

First, the music and dance in the video are produced and performed by three different groups. One group is the musicians who
They remain the liner formation while their bodies are moving towards the same direction. According to Hagen & Bryant (2003), the music and dance are signals that are “likely to maintain internally stable, and have the ability to execute complex, coordinated actions.” The internal stability is maintained throughout the entire performance, which is being stressed by the unified customs and uniform movements among the same gender. The complexity of performance kept increasing as the interactions between different genders start to increase. At first, male and female sing and dance separately. Later, men and women start to sing simultaneously and pair up with each other to dance. The most impressive moment is when male actors are bending one knee to the ground with one arm reaching out, and the actresses dance elegantly around them. The heterosexual pair dancing and group dancing can help achieving courtship and pair-bonding (Eibl-Eibesfeldt,1988), which fit into the overall theme of the performance. The degree of synchronization of their actions can “help the partners figure out whether they are in harmony or not (Eibl-Eibesfeldt,1988). The group dance also serves to show group unity and enhance group identity (Eibl-Eibesfeldt,1988). The successful completion of a complicated group work requires a very long time to learn and practice, thus it proves the actors’ ability to act collectively and “signal social cohesion” (Hagen & Bryant, 2003) as well as a high-quality