Nexus of the four strands

1. Nexus of the Four Strands
by Louise Douse
Week
4
Analysing
Performance

2. Rudolf Laban
 Hungarian Dancer/Choreographer and
MovementTheorist (1879-1958)
 Father of Choreology - 1962
 “A kind of grammar and syntax of the language
of movement dealing not only with the outer
form of movement but also with its mental and
emotional content.”
Week 4
Analysing Performance

3. Valerie-Preston Dunlop
 Leading pioneer in choreological studies
 Key works: Dance and the Performative: a
choreological perspective – Laban and
beyond
Week 4
Analysing Performance

4. “
”
Everything which humans produce is
“significant” for themselves and each other,
because humans in principle live “in a
signifying world”…. Every sound, action,
object, or custom… involves the production
of meaning. FISCHER-LICHTE, 1992, P. 1
What are sign systems in performance?
Identify some examples, you have 2 minutes...
Week 4
Analysing Performance

5. Nexus of the four strands of the
dance performance medium
Performer Movement Sound Space
Week 4
Analysing Performance

6. Description vs. Interpretation
Description
 Preacher
 Upright posture, eyes and hands raised
 High jumps, precise, fast movements
 Nihilism
 Limited dramatic action
 Language is often dislocated, full of cliches,
puns, repetitions
Interpretation
 Preacher
 Pious
 Fire-and-brimstone
 Nihilism
 Meaningless
 Absurdist
Week 4
Analysing Performance

7. Performer
 Number
 Sex
 Role
 Trained/untrained – ability
 Appearance – facial expression etc.
 Costuming
 realistic, abstract, characterised and their advantages and disadvantages.
 practical aspects, allowing and restricting movement, formal, flow, line, size, weight, colour,
texture, decoration.
Week 4
Analysing Performance

8. Movement
 Actions
 Dynamics
 Gestures
 Posture
 Touching behaviour
 Facial expressions
 Eye behaviour
 Proxemics
Week 4
Analysing Performance

9. Movement
 Action
 Gestures, Jumps,Turns,Travels, WeightTransference, Stillness
 Dynamic
 Laban –Weight: Light, Heavy
Flow: Free, Bound
Space: Indirect, Direct
Time: Sustained, Sudden
Week 4
Analysing Performance

10. Movement
 Gestures
 Speech independent. These gestures are not tied to speech, but
they have a direct verbal translation, usually consisting of a word or
two or a phrase. For example: “A-ok” and “Peace”.
 Speech related.These gestures are directly tied to, or accompany,
speech – often serving to illustrate what is being said verbally. For
example, pointing to an object, emphasising a word or phrase.
(Knapp, M. & Hall, J. 2006, pp. 8-9)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

11. Movement
 Posture
 Attention or involvement
 Degree of status
 Degree of liking for the other person
 For example: a forward-leaning posture has been associated with higher
involvement, more liking, and lower status.
 Emotional states – rigid/tense=angry, drooped=sadness
 Mirroring – reflect, or attempt to build rapport
(Knapp, M. & Hall, J. 2006 Pg. 9)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

12. Movement
 Touching Behaviour
 Self-focused
 Reflect a persons particular state or habit
 Biting nails when nervous, reaching for cigarette when anxious
 Other focussed
 Stroking, hitting, greetings and farewells, holding, guiding, etc.
 Irritate, condescend, comfort, etc.
 Depends on context, nature of relationship, and manner of execution
(Knapp, M. & Hall, J. 2006 Pg. 9)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

13. Movement
 Facial Expressions
 Emotional states: anger, sadness, surprise, happiness, fear and disgust.
 Regulatory gestures, providing feedback:
 A yawn could indicate “I’m bored” closing down channels of
communication, and replacing speech
 Raising of eyebrows combined with a nod of the head could indicate an
agreement.
(Knapp, M. & Hall, J. 2006 Pp. 9-10, 296)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

14. Movement
 Eye Behaviour
 Gaze
 Regulating the flow of communication
 Monitoring feedback
 Reflecting cognitive activity – thinking
 Expressing emotions
 Mutual gaze
(Knapp, M. & Hall, J. 2006 Pg. 10)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

15. Movement
 Proxemics
 Territory zones:
 Intimate: 6 - 18 inches
 Personal: 1 1/2 - 4 foot
 Social: 4 – 12 foot
 Public: over 12 foot
 Orientation/Arrangement – status, co-operation, competition, conversation
 Territorial behaviour
(Argyle, M. 1988 Pp. 168-187)
Week 4
Analysing Performance

16. Sound
 Silence
 Voice – accent, intonation, timbre, volume
 Words
 Spoken poetry or prose
 Sound (natural and found)
 Music in a range of styles.
 Features: e.g. tone, texture, timbre, accent, dynamics, style, structure,
content, orchestration, rhythm.
Week 4
Analysing Performance

17. Space
 Set Design, Lighting, Props,TechnicalVisual elements
 realistic, abstract, site-specific, backdrop/cyclorama and their
advantages and disadvantages.
 Features: e.g. colour, material, texture, shape, size, levels, entrances
and exits, decoration, placement.
Week 4
Analysing Performance

18. The Nexus of the Four Strands
Performer Movement
Sound Space
Week 4
Analysing Performance