Moving Forms of Dance

Abstract

Forms of dance are complex combinations of transformed dynamics. A succession of dynamics combines forms of expression according to their inner relations. Thus, the appearance of bodily movement conveys a con-tinuous story. A dance form relates all its elements, rather than a mere singular dynamic within. Expression, accordingly, is broader than a one moment within the dance. In the first solo of Bellus, the dancer's palm jumps upwards and changes direction. Then he softens his hand again. The movement reaches the lower arm and the fingers. Thus, there is another change of constellation. The palms move up and down. Now, it seems that the upper arm, close to the shoulder, guides the direction of move-ment. The palms are still. Changes of dynamics do not merely take place in the physics of the dancer, but also in the constellation of the dance's combinations. Transformations are materialized in the form of movement. Motion trickles from one direction to another in the way it is guided and physically enabled. Its narrative is manifested by the relations between the movement of the palms and other simultaneous bodily movements. The separate agencies of movement go beyond the story of each one of them independently. The combinations of movement and the varied feelings they evoke generate new expressive patterns. The patterns of movement define the inner relations within the rhythmic motion. Consequently, they cause a broader utterance of a form. Moving Forms of Dance Forms of dance hold a broader sense of movement as a living process. This generates the form with expressivity that goes beyond the mere act of one participant. That is, it is not merely the dancer who is expressive, but the form of dance. Its expressivity is the enaction of meanings in its entirety. The dynamic relations between all material elements involved in the dance produce their own sense. This is what the moving form, inter alia, signifies: itself as a rhythmic motion of organized dynamics. Dynamic relations create an expressive rhythmic pattern. Accordingly, forms of dance are continuous. They are not one movement at a time, just as the actual movement is not one instant of sensual feeling that the dancer has. There are relations of varied dynamics that produce a new expressive force. In the opening solo of Bellus, for instance, the play between differ-ent wishful agencies is the outcome of a dynamic combination. Thus, the differentiations between " softness " and " sharpness " can be perceived as meaningful. The dancer's intentions are enacted enduringly and succes-sively. One intention is not related to another as a holding force; inten-tions are converted in a flow according to a new aesthetic need. Thus, the movement is coordinated aesthetically. The dancers concentrate on cur-rent momentums and direct their general will to harmonize the form of dance. Particular intentions are handled sensually within the inner dynam-ics of the general form. Consequently, a combination generates a sense of their timing to be fulfilled within the body and space. Bodily movements function as expressive traces in relation to the varied dynamics that they combine. Their distinctions produce rhythm. The rhythmic pattern com-bines varied expressive meanings beyond the sole presence of each actual direction separately. The spatiality of movements is a feature within the form. Different dynamics happen all the time simultaneously. Thus, their succession is spatial as well as temporal. The dancers of the Batsheva Dance Company distinguish different intentions and direction with respect to distinct sensuality. Accordingly, the rhythmic motion is multiplied. Multiplied rhythms take place, for instance, when two different dynamics, such as softness and thickness or quickness and slowness, happen at the same time. Additionally, the form of dance transgresses the coordination of a dancer towards a more complete expression in relation to the composi-tion of the dance. Thus, spatial relations of movement influence the form of dance. Nevertheless, spatial dynamics exist over time. Motions and combinations always contain the timing, spatiality, and the bodies that live them. Body space and time are matters within the dancing form. The 200 E. KATAN