Basic Rhythms

Movement is the result of a bodily response to a stimulus, either internal as an idea, physical necessity, emotion or external related to our senses.
As well one can move the body in space without any internal or external motivation, just for the moving itself.
These three types of movement according to their accents Beginning, End, In-between characterize the     Three Basic Rhythms

Impulse – Impact - Transitional

If there is a concrete aim in the movement, reaching towards a cup of coffee or taking the hand of a hot plate, the action will contain an accentuation, which communicates and expresses the intension of the aim by movement.
Either, one is aiming to leave its present place, to get to a new place or to move for its own sake in between leaving and arriving.

The natural Interdependent relation between tension and relaxation causes bodily action.
Thus, a movement accent, the highpoint of a movement, is defined through its constellation of Time and Energy. 

The accumulation and deaccumulation of tension as well as the acceleration and deceleration of the effort Time, arrives in relation to the aim of the movement, visible in this part of the action in which the importance is set.

Impulse
An impulsive movement contains an accent at the beginning of the action. This type of basic accent is also called initial accent.
Its time effort is highly urgent, starting from a quick, explosive velocity, reducing speed and tension, and developing into a decelerating movement.
Its spatial content is to leave the present place into a not specified, undefined spatial location, like smoke disappearing into space.

Accumulated Tension is unexpectedly, in an explosive manner released. Whatever degree of tension exists, low or high, the essence of an impulse is always explosive. From quick to slow and tension into relaxation.

A bee that pushes off from a flower, the head that moves away from a repulsive smell, the hand that searches something in the dark and pulls away touching an indefinable object.

Impact
A movement with this basic rhythm has it accent at the end of the action. This type of accent is also called terminal accent.

Its time course develops from less into much, accelerating the time aspect of the movement and finishing with an impact on the reached location.
Its spatial path develops from an indirect and unspecific spatial aim into a clear and direct aimed pathway. Its spatial essence lies on arriving on the new location, finishing abruptly the travelling in space.
Tension is built up from less to more and ends up with accumulated energy. Ready to release again.  

The energetic essence is an accumulation of tension, from little to more, and timewise from slow to fast

Catching a fly with the hand, closing a book, hammering a nail in the wall

Transitional

A movement with a transitional accent connects harmoniously the transition from tension into relaxation or vice versa within a movement. The accent takes place in between the Beginning and the End of the action and therefore serves as a link, which keeps a regular change between two points.

The spatial pathway is roundabout, curved like this of a pendulum swing

The time essence of this type of rhythm is a continuous and balanced change, from slow to fast, accelerating the motion speed into a soft deceleration until inertia takes place and causes again an acceleration.
Also, in relation to the Effort tension and weight appears a harmonious change from tension into relaxation. Accumulating tension, therefore overcoming and resisting gravity, perceiving the momentum of change and then, giving in weight, assisting gravity.

The essence of this accent is a balance a harmony between opposites. A balanced change from tension and weight, accelerating a
and decelerating, from one direction to another.

The natural swing of the arms during walking, Tennis playing, skating on a skateboard ramp,
waves growing and falling.



In order to understand in a physical way the different rhythms, and to sensitize the body.  
We should take in account the importance of the no-accent movement.
The body action where one perceives the unaccented, ongoing, no interrupted motion.

An Endeavour that goes against our natural tendency in movement to change, to start and to begin, to tens and release.
What needs a permanent control, to maintain the continuity.