scholarly journals Promoting Awareness of the Body's Centre in Classical and Modern Dance Training

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Sandra Vītola
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Modern Dance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Central Point ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Dance Training

<p><em>Based on dance theorist insights into the basic components that determine performance of movements in dance, the article analyses promotion of a sense of bodily centre in classical and modern dance training. The most significant condition for a dancer to be able to fit within the confines of the proposed tasks in dance is to govern own body, which is made easier through an understanding of the body’s centre of gravity. Promoting an awareness of muscle activity being fixated within the central point of the body develops an understanding of movements around this point among dancers, which leads to easier control over performed movements. </em></p><p><em>The article aims to analyse the awareness of the body’s centre among dancers and to justify its significance in classical and modern dance training. The article applies the theoretical research method – it characterises classical and modern dance and analyses the sense of body centre in dance. </em></p><p> </p>

scholarly journals PROPER BREATHING IMPORTANCE IN CLASSICAL AND MODERN DANCE TRAINING

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 158
Author(s):  
Sandra Vītola
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Modern Dance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Important Condition ◽  
Dance Performance ◽  
Dance Training ◽  
Correct Usage ◽  
Movement Performance

Based on the theoretical ideas of scholars in the field of dance, the article analyses the significance of correct breathing and its usage in movement performance in classical and modern dance acquisition. The most important condition for dancers is the daily workout, which develops an understanding of basic components of movements, one of the most significant being correct breathing. Application of correct breathing facilitates a comprehension among dancers of the possibilities of the body – the amplitude and quality of performed movements, as well as the ability to control the strength necessary for movement performance. This article aims to analyse the meaning of correct breathing and to justify its use among dancers acquiring classical and modern dance. The article makes use of the theoretical research method – characterising differences between classical and modern dance acquisition, analysing breathing and its correct usage during a dance performance.

Martha Graham's House of the Pelvic Truth: The Figuration of Sexual Identities and Female Empowerment

2010 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrietta Bannerman
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Modern Dance ◽  
Female Students ◽  
The Body ◽  
Contemporary Dance ◽  
Martha Graham ◽  
Sexual Identities ◽  
Dance Training ◽  
To Come ◽  
The 1960S

Martha Graham writes in her autobiography Blood Memory that she was bewildered, or, as she puts it “bemused,” when she heard how dancers referred to her school as “the house of the pelvic truth” (Graham 1991, 211). We might perhaps agree with Graham that this is not the best description for a highly respected center of modern dance training; neither does it match Graham's image as an awe-inspiring and exacting teacher, nor does it suit the seriousness with which her tough technique is regarded. But the house of the pelvic truth does chime with stories about Graham's often frank method of addressing her students. She is reputed to have told one young woman not to come back to the studio until she had found herself a man. At other times she would tell her female students, “you are simply not moving your vagina” (211). Add to this other stories about the men in the company suffering from “vagina envy” (211), and it can be readily understood that the goings-on in the Graham studio gave rise to its nickname, “house of the pelvic truth.”In British dance circles of the 1960s, it was not rumors of the erotic that attracted most of us to Graham's work or persuaded us to travel to New York in search of the Graham technique. There was little in the way of contemporary dance training in Britain at this time, and we had been mesmerized by the beautiful and rather chaste film A Dancer's World (1957), in which Graham pronounces: a dancer is not a phenomenon … not a phenomenal creature.… I think he is a divine normal. He does what the human body is capable of doing. Now this takes time…it takes about ten years of study. This does not mean he won't be dancing before that time, but it does take the pressure of time, so that the house of the body can hold its divine tenant, the spirit. (1962, 24)

scholarly journals Problems of dynamometer construction for wheelchairs and simulation of push motion

2019 ◽  
Vol 254 ◽  
pp. 01006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Wieczorek ◽  
Łukasz Warguła
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Test Stand ◽  
Measuring System ◽  
Wheelchair Propulsion ◽  
The Real ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Laboratory Conditions ◽  
Biomechanical Parameters

The article discusses the problem of the construction of a test stand that allows simulation of wheelchair propulsion in various terrain conditions. The described test stand is a complete measuring system which allowing to analyse the parameters of the biomechanical system human-wheelchair. The described test stand allows observation of biomechanical parameters such as: centre of gravity, muscle activity, path, speed and acceleration. An important aspect of test stand is to replicate the real wheelchair motion in to laboratory conditions. The effect of the considerations taken in the article is the development of the structure, the construction of the test stand and the development of a research method using the stand.

Shakespeare’s Dancing Bodies

2019 ◽  
pp. 172-196
Author(s):  
Brandon Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Modern Dance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Somatic Psychology ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Romeo And Juliet ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Early Modern Times

Romeo’s well-known excuse that he cannot dance because he has soles of lead is demonstrative of the autonomous volitional quality Shakespeare ascribes to body parts, his utilization of humoral somatic psychology, and the horizontally divided body according to early modern dance practice and theory. This chapter considers the autonomy of and disagreement between the body parts and the unruliness of the humors within Shakespeare’s dramas, particularly Romeo and Juliet. An understanding of the body as a house of conflicting parts can be applied to the feet of the dancing body in early modern times, as is evinced not only by literary texts, but dance manuals as well. The visuality dominating the dance floor provided opportunity for social advancement as well as ridicule, as contemporary sources document. Dance practice is compared with early modern swordplay in their shared approaches to the training and social significance of bodily proportion and rhythm.

Direct Kinematic Analysis of a Hexapod Spider-Like Mobile Robot

2011 ◽  
Vol 403-408 ◽  
pp. 5053-5060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Ghayour ◽  
Amir Zareei
Keyword(s):  
Angular Velocity ◽  
Mobile Robot ◽  
Time Variation ◽  
Kinematic Analysis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Specific Time ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Joint Variable ◽  
Direct Kinematics ◽  
Robot Platform

In this paper, an appropriate mechanism for a hexapod spider-like mobile robot is introduced. Then regarding the motion of this kind of robot which is inspired from insects, direct kinematics of position and velocity of the centre of gravity (C.G.) of the body and noncontact legs are analysed. By planning and supposing a specific time variation for each joint variable, location and velocity of the C.G. of the robot platform and angular velocity of the body are obtained and the results are shown and analysed.

Cinematographic and electromyographic analysis of vertical standing jump in the dog

1979 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-282
Author(s):  
M. Tokuriki
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscles ◽  
Lower Extremities ◽  
Axial Skeleton ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wire Electrode ◽  
Centre Of Gravity ◽  
Electrode Method ◽  
Electromyographic Analysis ◽  
Floating Phase

The electromyograms of 37 skeletal muscles were obtained using the bipolar wire electrode method in the vertical standing jump of a dog. Their electromyographic patterns were analyzed in conjunction with cinematographic films. Co-contraction of muscles of the extremities was observed during take-off and landing. Electromyograms also revealed that the forelimbs were accelerated against the body just after take-off and that the fore quarters transferred the centre of gravity of the body in a much more complicated movement than the hind quarters. In the floating phase, the muscles of the lower extremities had no activity, apart from some proximal ones. That the muscles of the four extremities exhibited their activity just before landing indicates that the activity may have been controlled by a central programme. In the vertical standing jump, the dog brings the centre of gravity of the body near to the kicking or landing paws by skillful movement of the axial skeleton. Cinematography revealed that, in the leaping gallop gait, the dog makes a similar movement of its axial skeleton.

“Ballet” is a Dirty Word

2021 ◽  
pp. 373-388
Author(s):  
Henrique Rochelle
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Strong Influence ◽  
Modern Dance ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
The Past ◽  
Dance Training ◽  
Professional Dance ◽  
Dance Companies ◽  
The City

Professional dancing in São Paulo, Brazil, developed from the 1950s on, with a constant and strong influence from modern dance. As modernism looked disapprovingly at ballet, seeing it as something from the past, prejudice grew in the city toward the form. Directors and choreographers of dance companies currently speak about ballet and contemporary ballet as something that is done, but always by others, never themselves. Even the word “ballet” is avoided, since it seems to diminish the works being discussed, as it became something strictly associated with dance training, and not professional dance. This chapter investigates the roots of ballet in São Paulo, discussing both its origins and the origins of its rejection, while pointing to the recent indications of its newfound public interest.

Characteristics of Eight Irish Dance LandingsConsiderations for Training and Overuse Injury Prevention

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-37
Author(s):  
Sarah Klopp Christensen ◽  
Aaron Wayne Johnson ◽  
Natalie Van Wagoner ◽  
Taryn E. Corey ◽  
Matthew S. McClung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Range ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
The Body ◽  
Peak Force ◽  
Warm Up ◽  
Dance Training ◽  
Rise Rate ◽  
Dance Movements ◽  
Reaction Forces

Irish dance has evolved in aesthetics that lead to greater physical demands on dancers' bodies. Irish dancers must land from difficult moves without letting their knees bend or heels touch the ground, causing large forces to be absorbed by the body. The majority of injuries incurred by Irish dancers are due to overuse (79.6%). The purpose of this study was to determine loads on the body of female Irish dancers, including peak force, rise rate of force, and impulse, in eight common Irish hard shoe and soft shoe dance movements. It was hypothesized that these movements would produce different ground reac- tion force (GRF) characteristics. Sixteen female Irish dancers were recruited from the three highest competitive levels. Each performed a warm-up, reviewed the eight movements, and then performed each movement three times on a force plate, four in soft shoes and four in hard shoes. Ground reaction forces were measured using a three-dimensional force plate recording at 1,000 Hz. Peak force, rise rate, and vertical impulse were calculated. Peak forces normalized by each dancer's body weight for each of these variables were significantly different between move- ments and shoe types [F(15, 15)= 65.4, p < 0.01; F(15, 15) = 65.0, p < 0.01; and F(15, 15) = 67.4, p < 0.01, respectively]. The variable years of experience was not correlated with peak force, rise rate, or impulse (p > 0.40). It is concluded that there was a large range in GRF characteristics among the eight movements studied. Understanding the force of each dance step will allow instructors to develop training routines that help dancers adapt gradually to the high forces experienced in Irish dance training and competitions, thereby limiting the potential for overuse injuries.

The C-start escape response ofPolypterus senegalus: bilateral muscle activity and variation during stage 1 and 2

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (17) ◽  
pp. 2591-2603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric D. Tytell ◽  
George V. Lauder
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Escape Response ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Wave Speed ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Motor Pattern ◽  
The Body ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Fast Start ◽  
Stage 1

SUMMARYThe fast-start escape response is the primary reflexive escape mechanism in a wide phylogenetic range of fishes. To add detail to previously reported novel muscle activity patterns during the escape response of the bichir, Polypterus, we analyzed escape kinematics and muscle activity patterns in Polypterus senegalus using high-speed video and electromyography (EMG). Five fish were filmed at 250 Hz while synchronously recording white muscle activity at five sites on both sides of the body simultaneously (10 sites in total). Body wave speed and center of mass velocity, acceleration and curvature were calculated from digitized outlines. Six EMG variables per channel were also measured to characterize the motor pattern. P. senegalus shows a wide range of activity patterns, from very strong responses, in which the head often touched the tail, to very weak responses. This variation in strength is significantly correlated with the stimulus and is mechanically driven by changes in stage 1 muscle activity duration. Besides these changes in duration, the stage 1 muscle activity is unusual because it has strong bilateral activity, although the observed contralateral activity is significantly weaker and shorter in duration than ipsilateral activity. Bilateral activity may stiffen the body, but it does so by a constant amount over the variation we observed; therefore, P. senegalus does not modulate fast-start wave speed by changing body stiffness. Escape responses almost always have stage 2 contralateral muscle activity, often only in the anterior third of the body. The magnitude of the stage 2 activity is the primary predictor of final escape velocity.

Anticipatory weight shift between arms when reaching from a crouched posture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Gallagher ◽  
Stephaine Perez ◽  
Derek DeLuca ◽  
Isaac L. Kurtzer
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Vertical Axis ◽  
The Body ◽  
Reaching Movements ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Step Initiation ◽  
Weight Shift ◽  
The Many

Reaching movements performed from a crouched body posture require a shift of body weight from both arms to one arm. This situation has remained unexamined despite the analogous load requirements during step initiation and the many studies of reaching from a seated or standing posture. To determine whether the body weight shift involves anticipatory or exclusively reactive control we obtained force plate records, hand kinematics, and arm muscle activity from 11 healthy right-handed participants. They performed reaching movements with their left and right arm in two speed contexts - 'comfortable' and 'as fast as possible' - and two postural contexts - a less stable knees-together posture and more stable knees-apart posture. Weight-shifts involved anticipatory postural actions (APA) by the reaching and stance arms that were opposing in the vertical axis and aligned in the side-to-side axis similar to APAs by the legs for step initiation. Weight-shift APAs were correlated in time and magnitude, present in both speed contexts, more vigorous with the knees placed together, and similar when reaching with the dominant or non-dominant arm. The initial weight-shift was preceded by bursts of muscle activity in the shoulder and elbow extensors (posterior deltoid and triceps lateral) of the reach arm and shoulder flexor (pectoralis major) of the stance arm which indicates their causal role; leg muscles may have indirectly contributed but were not recorded. The strong functional similarity of weight-shift APAs during crouched reaching to human stepping and cats reaching suggests that they are a core feature of posture-movement coordination.

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