Groove is an elusive yet ubiquitous phenomenon, most commonly defined in the literature as the pleasurable urge to move in response to music. The aim of the present thesis was to explore the lived experience of groove among professional musicians and dancers during musical performance and dance, respectively. To this end, we conducted semi-structured phenomenological interviews. In the first phase, ten in-depth descriptions of groove experience were obtained from ten participants. In the second phase, follow-up interviews with the same participants were conducted to further deepen the understanding of their experiences. Using qualitative data analysis, a constructivist grounded theory was developed to explain the participants’ experiential accounts. Data coding revealed seven categories and thirty corresponding subcategories were identified. Some of these were further refined, resulting in a total of 36 lower-order subcategories.
The participants describe groove as a state in which certain perceptions fade or temporarily disappear from conscious awareness. They frequently report specific bodily sensations that were either localized to particular parts of the body or experienced as a flow of energy throughout the entire body. Their perception and experience of their own body can also undergo significant changes. The experience of groove is influenced by various contextual factors, including the physical environment, its atmosphere, cultural background, and feelings of trust and safety. Participants also extensively describe a sense of community, in which groove is shared with others and serves as a means of interpersonal connection. Music itself emerges as another important category, encompassing specific musical elements that participants perceived as essential for the experience of groove. In addition, the study explored the emotions accompanying this experience, as well as the ways in which the experience of groove develops and comes to an end. The findings of the present thesis contribute to a deeper understanding of groove as a complex, embodied, and relational phenomenon, while highlighting the importance of further research into its experiential dimensions.
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