Modern Dance technique

Language Assessment I -- KEY

    1. Arc-like: a gesture that makes a curved pathway in space
    2. Cervical Spine: the vertebrae of the neck; the area of the neck
    3. First position (rotated): legs/feet are outwardly rotated from the hip socket/joint; legs and heels are together
    4. Flexion: Flexion of a joint is to bend it or decrease the angle between the bones of the joint. Also, bending/curving the torso.
    5. Focus: the gaze of the dancerŐs eyes; can be direct/indirect and internal (awareness of sensations inside the body) or external (full attention to the space outside the body); can also refer to the ability to concentrate
    6. Forward flexion of the spine: bending/curving toward the front of the body
    7. Hip joint: joint where the hip socket in the pelvis meets (connects with) the head of the femur (thigh). This strong joint accommodates three planes of motion of the leg: flexion (bend) /extension (straight), lateral (outward) /medial (inward) rotation, and abduction (move away from midline) /adduction (move toward midline)
    8. Hyperextension of the spine (Upper back arch): The extension up and back of the upper body and head; bending/curving the thoracic and cervical spines upward and into the backspace.
    9. Lateral flexion of the spine: bending/curving toward the side of the body
    10. Lumbar Spine: The area of the spine pertaining to the lower back vertebrae. There are five lumbar vertebrae.
    11. Narrow parallel position: narrow stance with knees and feet pointing forward due to neutral rotation in hip socket; the distance between the feet is determined by the distance between the left and right hip/thigh sockets
    12. Neutral spine: standing with an upright/vertical torso, allowing the curves of the spine to occur naturally
    13. Release: The relationship of the body with gravity, and the ability to let go of unnecessary muscular tension.
    14. Rotation: spiral/twist/turn of the spinal column along its vertical axis; inward/outward turning of an extremity around its axis at a body joint
    15. Scapula: shoulder blade; the triangular bone on the back of the body that forms the posterior part of the shoulder girdle.
    16. Second position (rotated): legs/feet are in a wide stance, shoulder width or wider and outwardly rotated from the hip socket/joint
    17. Sitz bones: Also called the ischial tuberosity, these are the bones that make contact with the ground while sitting. 
    18. Spoke-like: a gesture that makes a straight pathway in space
    19. Thoracic Spine: The chest/ribcage area of the spine.
    20. Yield and push: The release of body weight into and external body (the floor, another dancer) followed by an activated push against the external body. A term associated with developmental movement patterns and Body-Mind Centering.

     

     

** Some of these terms and definitions have been adapted from and are used with permission of Jan Erkert & the Dance Center of Columbia College in Chicago.