Dance Anatomy & Kinesiology

Analysis of Human Movement 479

with co-contraction of antagonists and agonists. In

contrast, with some types of free movements (e.g.,

“release”), momentum is allowed to make a greater

contribution, with muscular contraction often occur-

ring more briefly to accelerate and decelerate body

segments, rather than working in a more continuous

manner to control movement.

A related and subtle special consideration has

to do with the external appearance of effort and

movement economy. In many dance forms, part of

the dance aesthetic is to perform demanding move-

ments without an undue appearance of effort and

without disrupting the expressive quality desired

by the choreographer (figure 8.8). One aspect of

achieving this appearance likely relates to movement

economy. The desire is often to achieve the objec-

tive of the movement without any unnecessary work,

effort, or apparent movements of body segments not

designed to be part of the movement. This requires

very skilled activation of muscles with appropriate

magnitude and timing and may involve less activation

of muscles in general, and specifically less reliance

on co-contraction for movement accuracy.

Analysis Check

If possible, perform the movement under analysis

with your own body and palpate the muscles you

think should be working, or internally key in to

which muscles you feel working,

or do both. Use this to check your

analysis. If your body check is not

consistent with your theoretical

analysis, rethink your analysis and

make sure the effect of gravity is

being appropriately accounted

for. Also, make sure that the

sensation you are keying in to

in your body is one of muscle

contraction, and not one from

stretching the antagonist. In

addition, remember that you may

feel muscles working that are not

prime movers, but rather stabiliz-

ers and synergists.

Schema for Anatomical

Movement Analysis

A schema for analyzing move-

ments that incorporates the con-

cepts just discussed is provided

in table 8.3. This schema will be

used to analyze sample move-

ments in this section. Readers are

also encouraged to develop analysis skills by applying

this schema to many other movements. Research

indicates that both practice of movement analysis

in general and practice in distinguishing the criti-

cal features of a given skill can markedly improve

analysis ability (Hall, 1999). For readers new to this

process, having the subject wear body-conforming

attire such as a leotard and the use of a background

that facilitates observation (such as one with a grid,

vertical lines, or colors contrasting with those on the

subject) can aid in the observation process. In some

cases, adding sticky markers (such as dots) to key

landmarks, or having the subject wear an elastic belt

that contrasts in color to the leotard and background,

will make alignment considerations easier to evalu-

ate. For more complex or faster movements, using a

video recording that can be repetitively observed or

watched at a slower speed can help with observation

and train observation skills.

Sample Anatomical

Movement Analyses

An anatomical analysis of two sample dance move-

ments follows. These movements were selected to pro-

vide an example of lower limb movement occurring

primarily in the sagittal plane and lower limb move-

ment occurring primarily in the frontal plane.

FIGURE 8.8 Performance of a jump with an appearance of effortlessness.
© Angela Sterling Photography. Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Lisa Apple.

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