Theme 6

Basic Action
All Human movement can be united by the three anatomical basic action

Flexion-Extention-Rotation

Therefore all human movement is build out of these basic actions, All Dance Vocabulary can be analysed by it as well. Therefore dance vocabulary with a specific name as Plie, Flat Back, Spiral or Develope, simple or compex is based on the three basic actions: Flexion, Extension and Rotation.
Almost all parts of the human body, are able to acomblish the three basic actions, they play a very part of our daily fisical functioning.

What means the Action Flexion
Under flexion several body movement ideas can occure:
bending, closing in, pulling in, curling, contracting etc.
What all those action ideas have in comun is, that the whole body or a part of it, is more or less extended, and than gets shorter in relation of its whole.

The three Forms of Flexion are:

Contract-Fold-Join

Contraction
Contraction implies shortening, clossing up. This compressing of the body appears on an established spatial line.
Because of the anatomical diversity of the human body,
exists: Single- joint contraction and Multi- joint contraction.

Single joint contraction
Occures whe just one joint of the moving body part is visibly involved. The physical shape of the body part appears angular, (as in the knee, finger or ellbow)

Multible joint contraction
Occurs when several joins of the moving body part are noticeably involved in the action. (as in the Hand or in the Torso) The physical and perceptibly shape of the body part appears round

Spacewise Explained
On an established spacial line with its ends Z and X
Z moves towards X on a straight spacial line.The center joint Y ist displaced out of the original line.
The body shape which appears is as mensioned angular (one joint participating) or round (multiple joints)

Folding
Implies the actions of putting one thing over another. One part bends, comes closer to another part.
When an object is folded, usually one part is moved and one part is fixed, established. The folded part moves towards the established part. The spacial pathway of the moving part appears round, curved.
Because of the the diversity of the human anatomy, exists Single joint folding and Multible joint folding.

Single joint folding
On an established line, (A-B is the fixed part, which does not move and C is the free end), the extremity of the moving part
moves toward A producing a curved pathway. B is the joint that bends
The physical shape of the body appears to be angular.

Multible joint folding
The extremity C aproaches the base A. and because of several joints folding, the shape of a curve is produced in the body.

Joining
The action joining implies Closing in, Fusing in relation to the width of the body.
(the anatomical term would be adduction)
Joining refers to the limbs in relation to eachother or the torso. The action appears in one joint (for instance hip for the leg, Shoulder for the Arms)

What means the Action Extension
Extension involves the action of streching, getting longer, reaching etc. This action implies, that out of a more comprimed body shape, either the whole body or parts, the body stretches, lengthens into space.
The three forms of Extension are:

Elongate-Unfold-Separate

Elongation
As contracting was explained as an action of shortening on an established spacial line, in Elongation one applays the same rule, means lengthening on an established spacial line.




Unfolding
Implies the reverse process of Folding. Removing a part from another, unfolding from a bend position until the folded part is again in its natural alignment. The bent joint/s open/s up again.



Separating
Means, actions as opening out, spreading and in anatomical terms its comparable with abduction. The action goes away from the body center into space. It referes to the limbs en relation to each other or the torso.
As arms spead out or legs separate as in jumping for instance As in joining, one joint is active.

What means the action Rotation
Rotation could be considered as turning, swiveling, rotating, rolling etc, showing a circulare path. The body can rotate either as a whole or parts of it, as the arm, head, pelvis.
Rotation occures around an axis.

The different forms of Rotation

Rotating
Means, a turning action of the whole body as an entire piece or as a part of the body.
Significate that, the whole body or a part turns as one, each section within the body/body part, turns an equal amount.

Twisting
Means a turning action within the body, or body part.
The free end turns more than the base.

Torsion
Occcurs, when two ends of the same body part rotates in opposite directions, (the torso)

The Human Body Movement
The daily body movements consist of continues change, repetition, variation and combinations of the three Basic Action. In relation of this, we can differentiate the use, the involvement of the basic body action within the natural movement in three groups.

Single Basic Action
Implies, when just a part of the body executes one basic action.(as the arm, torso, leg or head)

Simultanious Basic Action
Implies, when different parts of the body execute simultaniously basic action at the same time
(as the legs are bending, while the arms seperate to the side and the head moves back at the same time)



Multiple Basic Action
Implies, when two or three basic action are executed within the same part of the body.
(as the chest is rotating and bending forward or
one is twisting and bending back the uperbody)