Body Thinking - 360 Cat

I found this reading more useful then I expected it to be. Although for the majority of the chapter was pleasant thinking, two topics really stood out to me. The first was the emphasis of psychology and neuroscience. My academic life here at Middlebury is basically psychology and dance, and I can sometimes see parallels, but not articulate them. In the chapter the authors weave little connections to psychology and neuroscience together with the concept of body thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed the short section calling out psychologists and neuroscientists about the two assumptions they make (1. body thinking only has to do with movement & 2. Therefore it can only be expressed as movement and should be left for dancers, athletes, and performers to express). I especially liked their connection to psychology because it was so simple, and quite easily overlooked to the over-analyzing mind (most psychologists). The connection being that our movements and posture reflect our moods, which are part of our minds and internal world. I am tempted to make the chair of the Psych department read this, and that section in particular.

The other section that pertained to neuroscience was the section on the phantom limb. I really liked the end of that because of the description of the dancer and the way he thought of the poles as being extensions of himself. Although that is a very common image used in classes, the idea of needing to move with actual poles makes it more real and exciting. This was also fascinating after reading about prosthetic limbs and feeling with "them."

The second idea that stood out for me was the John Martin quote, "It is the dancer's whole function... to lead us int imitating his actions with our faculty for inner mimicry in order that we may experience his feelings. Facts he could tell us, but feelings he cannot convey in any other way than by arousing them in us through sympathetic action." I would like to share this quote with my dancers because my piece is based on emotional energy, and each dancer has her specific character. Hopefully, this will inspire them in their portrayal of their role and me as the choreographer of their roles.