how are your lessons going? thread II

From Ruud Vermeij's book "Latin: Thinking, Sensing and Doing in Latin American Dancing":

"Dynamics refers to how the movement is performed. Through dance the dancer experiences movement which expresses emotions, moods and states of being. These are revealed mainly through the movement's dynamics. In the dance situation the dancer should be in control of the movement which creates these moods, while in real life the moods often take control of the person.

Laban recognized that the dynamics of movement are created by particular combinations of four motion factors which he classified as flow, weight, time and space."

----------------------------------------------


I believe in Laban Movement Analysis "dynamics" is one of the four categories of inter-related areas of study of movement; Space, Body, Effort and Shape. Dynamics is called "Effort" in this mode of analysis.

In my lesson, we actually worked a bit inside to outside....using emotion or feeling to bring about a certain set of movement characteristics.

And we also worked outside only, working with the rhythm of movements (a combination of weight and time if I am understanding my lessons correctly - though I've just started my studies in the area!).

And yes, if you've ever taken a look at the full scope of Laban Movement Analysis, it makes my brain hurt.....

My easy layman's answer is, I worked on understanding which movements create (and how to do them effectively) different emotions or feelings for the audience. Essentially learning to control your body language in the complex movement of dancing....

I love this

According to what I've read in the book (and found on the web), on a very high level, the four motion factors are concerned with:

- Weight: gravity, has a spectrum of heavy to light movement (either active or passive)
- Time: timing of the movement, speed of the action, has a spectrum of sustained to sudden
- Flow: refers to control of energy in the body, about continuity/progression etc., has a spectrum of free to bound energy in the body
- Space: the manner in which movement evolves in space, has a spectrum of direct to indirect

From Vermeij's book again: "Dynamic qualities are created by the dancer's attitude to the motion factors. These attitudes are as follows:

- a relaxed or forceful attitude to weight
- a flexible or direct attitude to space
- a prolonging or shortening attitude to time
- a liberating or witholding attitude to flow"


If you have any other questions or wish to continue in discussion, perhaps we should create a new thread on it so we don't over run the "lessons" thread.

lol...LG IS a mod

LOL....a lazy one. Not going to start a new thread unless people really want to have a thread that gives them (and me) headaches...LOL!!

lol...I have 24 before then and I still feel that way

we seem to be doing a bit more dancing and less analyzing...I am not sure whether or not that is a good thing...I am going to hope it is a good thing...will say that I went in exhausted and unmotivated and the lessons lifted the fog...and that was nice

yesterday started out poorly, he was in that"tell it to the hand" mood regarding my intl foxtrot....I had to put on the big girl panties and monitor my frustration level....that being said, I eventually pulled myself together,and accomplished what he was asking for, and was afforded a certain level of mercy thereafter, during smooth and latin