Keeping Together in Time

Posted on by

Moving rhythmically, in sync with others, is a peculiar human pleasure.   “Muscular bonding” is the term William McNeill has coined to describe “the euphoric fellow feeling that prolonged and rhythmic muscular movement arouses among participants.”

McNeill, a military historian, became interested in muscular bonding as he reflected on his own Army experiences of prolonged marching in close order drill.  He recalled that “moving briskly and keeping in time was enough to make us feel good about ourselves, satisfied to be moving together, and vaguely pleased with the world at large.” … Read More

Dancing through Time

Posted on by

Dance is often viewed as a form of self-expression.  But everyone expresses themselves through their bodily movements.  These quotidian expressions differ from dance in an important way however, for everyday expressive actions are spontaneous, un-rehearsed, un-premediated and largely unguarded.

Dance movements, on the other hand, are carefully chosen, rehearsed, and controlled.  One of the attractions of dance training is not only enhanced freedom of bodily expression, but also increased control.  Yes, dancers are control freaks.  But they are also optimists.  Dance offers the possibility to construct a new self – one that is leaner, stronger, more capable, more sexy — in short, more of whatever attribute a particular style of dance may emphasize.… Read More

On Space and Time

Posted on by

Dance is an art that exists in both space and time.  In 2016, MoveScape Center will be offering a series of workshops about space, focusing on Rudolf Laban’s Choreutic theories.  As 2015 draws to an end, however, I want to focus on time.

Space is multi-dimensional. Time, on the other hand, is uni-directional.  It flows in one irreversible direction — from past to present to future.

In reality, we exist only in the present moment.  The past is gone; the future may never come. … Read More

Body Usage – The Japanese Bow

Posted on by

I have long been fascinated with the ritual of bowing in Japan.  Clerks in a hotel bow when you enter the lobby.   They bow when you finish checking in.  Conductors bow when entering a train car.  They bow again when exiting.  Groups of friends, particularly if they are older, with bow deeply when parting.

I can’t pretend to grasp the ins and outs of the etiquette of bowing.  But bowing seems to serve as a boundary marker, delineating the beginning and ending of many social interactions. … Read More

Personal Space in Japan

Posted on by

It is helpful to have a malleable kinesphere in Japan, because one often finds oneself in a crowd.  For example, I have made a close and practical study of how to weave through a crowd while dragging a suitcase.  Shape flow growing and shrinking is of little use (the suitcase, after all, has a fixed shape).  Instead, one needs to watch for openings and slip through in a timely manner, or detect a stream flowing in your direction and go with the flow.… Read More

Space in Japan – Small Is Beautiful

Posted on by

General space is a commodity not to be wasted in Japan.  Heavily forested mountains cover most of the archipelago of islands.  Flatland suitable for habitation and cultivation is precious.  Wherever we have traveled in Japan, small rice fields, gardens, and orchards are sandwiched between a jumble of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

Personal space must also be used economically.  Each time my husband and I checked into a new hotel, we had a moment of consternation – the room was so small!  … Read More

Effort in Japan – Play Hard

Posted on by

The Japanese also play hard, and some of the biggest, most labor-intensive parties take place in the street during traditional festivals.  The fall festival in the city of  Takayama, where our daughter teaches English, is one of the most spectacular.

Takayama’s festival is famous for its yatai, some of which are 300 years old.  Yatai are elaborately carved and richly decorated three story wooden wagons.  People ride in the wagons, and many have small groups of children on board, playing traditional Japanese flutes and drums.… Read More

Effort in Japan – Work Hard

Posted on by

Working hard is a tradition in Japan.  Nowhere is this clearer than in Shirakawa-go, a remote farming village located in the mountainous region of Honshu between Takayama and Kanazawa.  Shirakawa-go, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an outstanding example of a traditional way of life perfectly adapted to the environment and the resident’s social and economic circumstances.

The village was founded in the late 12th century by survivors of the Heike clan. Virtually wiped out by the Genji clan in a brutal battle in 1185, the Heike followed the Sho River deep into the densely forested Japan Alps until they found an isolated valley in which to settle. … Read More

A Movement Analyst in Japan

Posted on by

I just spent three weeks traveling around Japan by train with my husband and daughter.  Both of them can speak and read Japanese.  I cannot.  Consequently, I am useless when it comes to most verbal transactions.

While deaf and dumb, I still can see.   To avoid total confusion, I spend a lot of time observing behavior, the social context, and the environment.  In the following blogs, I share some of these observations through the lens of Laban Movement Analysis.  I will focus on effort, general and personal space, and the use of the body.… Read More

Effort and Human Potential

Posted on by

Since the discovery of neuroplasticity (the lifelong capacity of the human nervous system to regenerate and form new neural pathways), we aging Baby Boomers have been admonished to reinvent ourselves and learn new things, presumably so we will stay young forever.

This is, of course, hard advice to follow.  Not everyone wants to take up scuba diving or have a second career. Moreover, we are creatures of habit.  And one hallmark of skilled movement is that it has become, at least in part, automatic.… Read More