Kinaesthetic stimuli

Try searching YouTube – Contemporary Dance, then any videos based on the concept bound or tied up, and for any other dance works that had been choreographed about being bound or tied, physical restrictions and juncture. While there were very few that specifically focused on this thematic intent, these were two excerpts that I discovered. The movements are excellent kinaesthetic stimulus in which to create movement from or extend on the movement by manipulating and exploring further through the elements of dance.

Movement ideas and descriptions

These movement ideas have been abstracted from the kinaesthetic stimuli.

• The wrists supinate and are held away from the midline of the body as if to receive or to be tied up, shackled, and already bound.
• The physical action of being bound on the floor by something, body parts being released but through resistance.
• The limited use & restricted use of arms, legs, torso, individual body parts.
• The calculated placement of the hands as if shifting something from place to another – use of repetition to reinforce the idea. The distance between the hands remains the same
• The wrists held up and together as if being bound by rope
• The use of the contraction lying on the floor hands behind the back, head hyper extended backwards, contraction through sternum and abdominal region legs bent
• Controlled walks forward, slumped over
• Isolation of individual body parts, i.e. arm, hand then this become fixed and flexes at the wrist and then the shoulder drops etc
• The hands turn back forwards constantly
• Popping, percussive and vibratory actions of the torso, with the hands and arms bound across the front of the stomach
• Rigid torso
• Fixed focus and gaze.

How could I use the Elements of Dance?

Space

Shape - closed, contorted, angular, rigid, fixed

Active space - to gesture towards a fixed point, rebound fall towards

Direction - fixed, direct use of the diagonals , forwards ( control) and backwards (retreat), sideways ( to and fro – pushed and shoved around)

Level - generally use of low levels (oppression), contrasted with high levels (the tied, strung along)

Size – tight and enclosed shapes, small

Plane – vertical/frontal (upright and fixed) horizontal (along the ground), saggital (circular – torment)

Pathways – direct, straight lines (bound nature) circular patterns to show frustration and torment

Floor Patterns – direct and circular (as above)

Performance Space – use of centre stage to state the obvious, empathy, downstage R and L, backwards to retreat to show weakness and vulnerability, being controlled

Time

Accents – short accents – to show resistance and pain

Duration – long movements to show pain and anguish contrasted by short movements showing frustration and anger

Momentum – to show bound/rebound qualities, reinforce idea of being bound contrasted with stillness

Dynamics

Bound quality to further communicate idea of being bound/tied up/fixed to interspersed with percussive movements that further explore internalised pain, anger and frustration and suspended movements to show fatigue and pleading for help. Other possible movement qualities explored are held, rigid, sustained, collapse to support intent.

Using your own concept/intent, improvise movements that have been abstracted from the stimulus and research you have completed. These movements need to best represent your concept/intent.

You are to document this mimetic (mime) movement using annotated diagrams. Alternatively you could photograph images.

You are to then abstract the essence of the movement and document how the movement has moved from the representational to symbolic using annotated diagrams/pictures.