The Elements of Movement

Every dance, whether a classical solo or a devised group piece, is built from the same raw materials: the moving body organized in space and time with varying qualities of energy. Learning to name and control these materials is the foundation of both making and analyzing dance. This lesson introduces a shared vocabulary for describing movement that you will use throughout the course, in your own choreography, in your performance, and in your written analysis.

Body

The body is the instrument of dance, and choreographers make deliberate choices about how it is used. We can describe which parts move (isolations of the head, spine, pelvis, or limbs), whether the whole body or only a section is active, and how the body is organized into shapes. Body shape can be described as curved, angular, tw