Dance Techniques 2010

Observation Techniques 127
methods that are characterized by analytic processes that make movement accessible for
discussions within a context broader than practical exploration done while dancing, the
pure perception or correction of movement, and its analysis for the purposes of imitation.
These methods were created in order to reflect upon movement from an outside perspective.
They have an inherently systematic approach oriented to extracting particular
insights.
The following discusses what movement analysis processes can look like, which analytic
methods are often used for dance, and how they work for contemporary dance
techniques.
To start: What characteristics of contemporary techniques must the analyst consider?
Contemporary dance is a hybrid form. Depending upon the respective artist and / or
teacher, it is an amalgam of various and sundry movement experiences that are expressed
as the individual’s technique—meaning there is no uniform movement vocabulary or
terminology that can be drawn upon for description. Similarly, there is no uniform concept
about movement—i.e., in relation to a particular hierarchy for using body parts, to
the space and the floor, or to rhythm—to use as a starting point, such that, theoretically,
all types of movement can be used equally. Correspondingly, every contemporary dance
technique sets its own focal points and priorities. Because the technique must define and
position itself, it is usually strongly (self)reflective, conscious of the provenance of its elements,
and possibly comments upon this provenance and makes it a subject of discussion. 4
Movement analysis methods must thus be flexible in their approach to extreme differences
in movement phenomena, i.e., be applicable independent of a particular aesthetic.
The analyst should be able to independently select which aspects of movement to be
focused on depending upon the technique’s special characteristics: Do hand movements,
for example, play a large role? Are movements executed in strong relation to the space?
Is the focus on dynamics and use of energy?
The analytic method should also match the interests of the analyst, not just be appropriate
to the specific subject of study. An analyst using a contemporary movement
observation technique should engage in self–questioning on multiple levels, analogous to
a contemporary dance technique’s introspective nature. 5 It is helpful to ask oneself the
following questions at the beginning of every analytic process:
→ What is my interest? What specific questions do I want to answer?
What hypotheses do I wish to assess over the course of the analysis?
→ What previous knowledge (including body knowledge), experiences, and
expectations am I bringing into this process?
→ Which movement phenomena do I want to investigate? Which of these
presents the best example for my study goals? What are the specific historical,
ideological, conceptual, etc. contexts?
None of these questions can be answered independently from the others. Any one of them
could serve as the initial question for the investigation; the respective answers reciprocally
bring both answers and questions better into focus.
5 The demand for critical reflection of one’s
own actions is a part of most analytic methods
developed for dance and theater studies
in the last several decades. It ultimately
results from a reasoning rooted in postmodern,
(post)structuralism theories of the
1970s and 80s—similar to many concepts of
contemporary dance artists. For movement
analysis see, for example, Claudia Jeschke:
Tanz als BewegungsText. Analysen zum
Verhältnis von Tanztheater und Gesellschaftstanz
(1910–1965). Tübingen: Max Niemeyer
Verlag, 1999, p. 42; for performance analysis
see, for instance, Guido Hiss: Der Theatralische
Blick. Einführung in die Aufführungsanalyse.
Berlin: Dietrich Reimer Verlag, 1993,
pp. 7–81; for both see, for example, Peter M.
Boenisch: körPERformance 1.0. Theorie
und Analyse von Körper- und Bewegungsdarstellungen
im zeitgenössischen Theater.
Munich: epodium, 2002, pp. 22–85.