Glossaries for Indicating Contractions and Body Curve

Glossaries for Indicating Contractions and Body Curve
Submitted by Valarie Williams Mockabee - February 1, 2002

The following glossaries are from Valarie Williams Mockabee’s Notator Training 1998-1999 with Sandra Aberkalns for Meg Harper’s class at the Cunningham school, and with Ilene Fox for Cynthia Reynold’s class in Hawkins Technique at New York University and Christine Dakin’s class at The Juilliard School.

Glossary for Homework on April 4, 1999
From Hawkins Technique class taught by Cynthia Reynolds at NYU

The spine lengthens, widens, and expands vertically. The chest opens, the pelvis tilts.

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Glossary for Homework on January 29, 1999
From Meg Harper’s Class at the Cunningham Studios

Based on conversations with Meg Harper at Cunningham Studios 1/29/99 and with Karen Eliot at Ohio State University 1/31/99.
Merce Cunningham divides the trunk (or the torso) into three main parts. Each part involves curving the trunk. The main parts include the upper back curve, the middle back curve, and the full body curve.
Upper back curve: the head and the upper part of the chest are involved. This is described as simply the torso folding.

Middle back curve: the middle back curve involves the lower part of the chest through the iliac crest of the pelvis moving back. The sternum softens passively and the dancer has the image of the middle back expanding vertically and laterally.

Full body curve: the whole trunk is involved in the movement, which combines the middle back curve and the pelvis tilting slightly. This includes the sternum softening, the waist moving backwards, the dorsal part of the back expanding three dimensionally, and the pelvis tilting slightly.

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Glossary for Homework on 4/28/99
Technique class at The Juilliard School taught by Christine Dakin, Modern 3b

The two degree contraction while sitting on the floor. The pelvis somersaults, the front of the waist moves backwards and upwards, the front of the chest folds laterally, and the shoulders remain in line with the hips.

The three degree full contraction. The pelvis somersaults, the front of the waist moves backwards and upwards, the front of the chest folds laterally, the spine lengthens between the vertebrae, the hips remain over and in line with the hips, and it is all done with bound control.

The "forward release" for the returning to normal for the contraction. The pelvis somersaults forward to its normal position and the spine lengthens vertically. It has a scorpion like quality; the return to normal is initiated by the "tailbone arching."