Abstract: This paper presents a pilot experiment for the perceptual validation by human subjects of a motion segmentation algorithm, i.e., an algorithm for automatically segmenting a motion sequence (e.g., a dance fragment) into a collection of pause and motion phases. Perceptual validation of motion and gesture analysis algorithms is an important issue in the development of multimodal interactive systems where human full-body movement and expressive gesture are a major input channel. The discussed experiment is part of a broader research at DIST-InfoMus Lab aiming at investigating the non-verbal mechanisms of communication involving human movement and gesture as primary conveyors of expressive emotional content.