7 - Dance Flashcards
dance - basics
- rhythmic entrainment of movement to other people (synchronizing movements)
- narrated (pantomime) or acted out (mime theater)
- interpersonal coordinations
-> demonstrate group commitment; group display of behavior
dance is about …
the body (body coordination); a group moving as if with one body
-> superorganism
coordination in ____ & ____ (for dance)
- space (spatial patterns); coordination in space
- and time (entrainment); synchronizing, coordination in time
-> dance has narrative and performing arts
4 Ps of dance - basics
- patterning
- pacing
- partnering
- person
Patterning - 4 Ps of dance
-> space
movement patterns
pacing - 4 Ps of dance
-> time
timing and rhythm for each movement
partnering - 4 Ps of dance
-> space
social interaction
person - 4 Ps of dance
-> space
role playing, impersonation
bipedalism (unique sensorimotor capacity) - basics
- precedes emergence of stone tools and expansion of brain size
- 4 million years ago
- unique human locomotor style
- lot of changes in human anatomy to achieve it
bipedalism evolvement theories
- freeing hands from carrying (use of other objects possible)
- energy efficiency
- savannah hypothesis -> terrestrial model: when humans transitioned to land that was easier to move (caused by transition to land)
- postural feeding hypothesis -> arboreal model: reaching for food on trees (transition before)
anatomical changes -> bipedalism
- head in too if vertebral column, sitting over the pelvis
- rib cage flatter and broader (mass to center of body)
- knees closer to midline (angled inwards)
- human food is a platform
bipedalism in dance
handedness & leggedness
- right-leg bias for locomotion initiation
- right-foot bias for ball kicking
- left-leg postural preference (stabilization)
- left bias for turning
-> bipedalism creates intrinsic duplex rhythm (two beat rhythm) -> can be felt and heard (body percussion)
movement patterns of dance
- egocentric;
kinesphere, fixed in place, body moves in this place - allocentric;
moving in space, movement path, move in space (choreographic patterns)
classifying dance
1) body trajectory
2) energy
1) linear (in and out) & rotational (turning around) movements
2) tempo (speed) & articulation (smooth = legato, disconnected = staccato)
synergies
intra-individual coordination
- all joints need to be coordinated
- ex. continuation of one’s arm due to dance partner
gait cycle
2 phases of walking, always in opposite to each other
-> standing and swinging phase
- standing, knee extended -> extension (away from body)
- swinging, knee flexed -> flexion (towards body)
-> cycle of flexion and tension
-> we humans move our arms counter-wise to legs
food cycle (during stand phase)
heel forward (flexion) -> flat foot -> push up on ball (extension)
[flexion and extension concerning the ankle]
-> the flatfoot moment gets synchronized with beats (more stable)
gestural imitation
- learning motor skills based on gestural imitations (uniquely to human)
- chameleon effect; unconscious imitation of other person
- dancing is intentional imitation; observational learning (following role model)
1. anatomical; same side (makes movements contrary in face to face interaction)
2. specular; mirroring
observational learning
-> observing role models (visually or acoustically)
- can be unsupervised learning (implicit, just observing)
- or supervised (explicit, teacher (error correction);
1. demonstrational; performance, showing steps -> unique to humans
2. non-demonstrational; verbal instructions, feedback
-> we teach each other skills and information; rehearse what we have been taught pursued if the context of using the skill
duration & IOIs (+ their relation)
= the time between the onset and offset of an event
= inter-onset interval; time between onset of successive beats (onset to onset)
-> duration can take up whole IOI or just parts
metrical structures
- each node has onset and offset
- metric; related/equal IOIs, mathematical
- non-metric; IOIs not related (no mathematical ratios)
isochronous rhythm
- same time for all IOIs (all equal)
-> ex. metronome; 1-beat rhythm
metrical hierarchy
- most rhythms have multiple periodicities/cycles of timing -> nested in hierarchy
- longest note as basic beat, others are sub-beats (smaller integer ratios)
-> tactus as the one we perceive (tab to)
metrical structure is ___
generic (not specific to music)
other types of rhythm
lights, haptic/sensory
(coordination in time)
metric entrainment
- happens on tactus level
<compare>
-> metrical structure; self-paced (ex. walking)
-> metric entrainment (needs timekeeper); entrained, externally paced by time keeper (mainly unique for humans, ex. marching) [animals also have coordination patterns but it does not follow a metric]
</compare>
cues for entrainment
- acoustic; body percussion (different kinds of sounds, ex. clapping)
- visual; ex. seeing dance partner
- haptic; proprioceptive (push/pull) & somatosensory (touches);
- direct body contact -> dance
- indirect contact via object -> ex. moving sofa
moving together in time - partnering
- coordination in space and time -> partnering coordination
- group dancing unique to human species (MAWA) -> moving as with one body -> super organism
coordination in space
- spatial configurations -> movement patterns
- often done geometrical (way we humans interact; side to side, standing in circle, …)
-> lines and circles
; circles: no hierarchy (can even enclose something in its center) - couple dancing; has gender hierarchy
-> also dances combining lines and circles
-> dance is the only form we’re body contact occurs at group level (MAWA); body contact can even lead as extension of own body
coordination in time - summarized
non-metric & self-paced:
daily life movements (ex. eating), irregular
metric & self-paced:
ex. waking
non-metric & entrained:
coordination in time but not following metric rhythm (ex. moving sofa with someone)
metric & entrained:
follow regular rhythm (ex. dancing to music) = metric entrainment
2 types of entrainment
- mutual entrainment (= entraining with)
- interactively-generated rhythm -> mutual/adaptive adjustments by agents (dyadic)
- both lead and follow
- metric & non-metric rhythms
- widespread in animals
-> ex. rowing in a team (metric as well) - external entrainment (= entraining to)
- to fixed timekeeper (not adaptable; one way, external)
- involves metric rhythms
-> ex. dancing to music
-> metric entrainment is art-specific
[movement synchronicity stimulates pro social behavior] -> evolved from mutual entrainment by body movements
leader & followers (coordinative roles)
- leader: initiates & navigates actions -> giving good signals
- follower: responses to leader, adjusts to signals -> ensure smoothness
- coequal: everyone is the same (ex. circle) -> folks dances
dance model of rhythm
-> dance; rhythm evolved as mutual entrainment (between 2 animals); body percussion promoted entrainment
-> music; inherited rhythm from dance
; interpersonal - mutual entrainment
; locomotor - intrinsic dual rhythm to locomotion (bipedalism)
; multimodal - acoustic, visual, haptic (more towards music)
; body percussion as acoustic cue
mutual body sway
-> proto-dancing: mutual body sway during conerversational interaction
dance vs theater
dance - theater:
- no speaking ~ speaking
- music throughout ~ barely some music
- moving to music ~ no moving to music
- dancing/pantomime/typical movement patterns ~ no dancing
2 parallel systems of narrative
- dance -> the body -> pantomimic gestures
- music -> the voice -> spoken language
pantomime
- iconic gestures; resembling actual object (ecocentric/allocentric)
- more egocentric -> full body involved
- narrates simple actions, intermittent agent
- mine theater is acted out; complex routines, character actions (complex)
-> pantomime to narration what mind theater is to acting
dance vs mime
dance - mime:
- one character ~ multiple characters shown by one person
- ensemble performance ~ soloist
- music ~ with or without music
- props (can include tools) ~ empty handed
- costumes ~ typical mimers outfit
- sets ~ minimalistic background/no sets
- dancing ~ pantomiming
-> narrative dance = regular spoken theater
-> mime theater = sketch dancing
