Mind and Motion
“I started dancing in high school and quickly realized that it was something I wanted to stick with for the rest of my life,” shares rising senior Antonio Marrujo. “When applying to colleges, Duke stood out to me because I found the Dance Program to be so tight-knit and highly collaborative.”
Student dance groups on campus stood out, too, so Marrujo decided to major in Dance and join Duke Defining Movement and Duke Street Medicine. He also added a double major in Neuroscience because of his interest in the ways the brain and nervous system influence behavior.
“I want to understand more about the human psyche and neural connections, like the neurobiological mechanisms behind psychoactive drugs and the neurobiology of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety,” he explains.
Marrujo sat down with us to discuss his STEAM course of study, the benefits of combining Dance and Neuroscience and where he sees himself after graduation.
Has it been easier than you thought to include Dance in your course load at Duke?
I’ve found that Duke fosters an environment encouraging a multidisciplinary approach to learning that has greatly enriched my studies. Although creating a course schedule that meets the requirements of both majors can be a little challenging, Dance has been incredibly supportive. The 10-credit requirement makes it possible to pursue both of my passions simultaneously.
Have you found a mutual benefit with your STEAM path of study?
Definitely. My dance courses have significantly improved my understanding of motor control and sensorimotor information, providing practical applications for what I learn in neuroscience. Dance fosters neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to make new connections and rewire itself, so I’ve noticed improvements in both learning and memory.
Conversely, my studies in neuroscience help me understand the brain’s molecular mechanisms, giving me the vocabulary to explain the physiological changes I experience during dance. This understanding enriches my ability to comprehend motor learning and control, allowing me to refine my dance technique and optimize practices to retain choreography more effectively.
I’ve acquired a mind-body connection that promotes my academic achievements in both majors. Dance allows me to better understand in real-time the link between emotion and movement, which then gives me a better understanding of the neuroscience of emotions. Unlocking my creative side through dance enhances my problem-solving abilities and strengthens my grasp of the brain’s complexities.
As you return to Duke this fall for your final year as an undergraduate, have you finalized your career goals?
I’m not quite sure what I plan to do after I graduate, but I can see myself becoming a dance therapist and utilizing my knowledge gained from both dance and neuroscience to help others. I can also see myself being a researcher in the neuroscientific field, either in psychosis research, drug-development or the mind-body connection. I’m interested in the neural correlates of dancing and how our brains change when we dance — and I’d like to be an advocate for including the arts in STEM fields.
