Exercise: Dance telephone

Instructions: This game involves 3 members: the mover, translator, and interpreter. The mover comes up with a sequence of 2-3 movements. Then, the translator will use a certain type of learning style to translate the movements for the interpreter. The interpreter uses only the information given to them to work out what the original movement and then compares it to what the mover came up with.

Goals: This is to help bring awareness to types of learning styles you like and struggle with in addition to see how interpretation influences movement changes over time. What changes did person 1 see during the translation? What troubles did person 2 have in translating? What did person 3 learn about how they process information and fill in missing gaps.

Movement learning styles & memory

• Verbal cues
  • “In the beginning, you are probably thinking a lot more, so you have to go, ‘Okay this step, now this step.’ You are saying it in your head or even with your voice as you do the moves.’ By learning this verbal script, it is easier to learn”
  • Examples: words, counts, scats
    • Words: Rock Step, triple step, triple step
    • Counts: 1,2, 3&4, 5&6
    • Scats: bap, bap, ba-de-da
• Visual cues
  • Examples: Shapes, Stories, Proprioception
    • Shapes: Visualization of geometric patterns, lines and shapes that are created as the body moves through the positions of the form. This can even include analogies of common movements like holding a pizza pie, throwing a ball, etc …
    • Stories: Connecting with imagery and storylines can help to create memory relationships. This can include having a ‘birds eye’ view of what a choreography might look like, having a series of checkpoints to hit, or using your movement to act out a story.
    • Proprioception: Imagery and video recording to enhance understanding of can help you to refine your movement or create connection between what you might be learning and how you are moving
• Kinesthetic cues
  • Movement-based cues, such as musicality and body awareness, are valuable kinesthetic aspects of choreography that aid in retention
  • Examples: musical understanding, muscle memory, spatial awareness
    • Musical understanding: Develop a relationship with the music and emphasize connections between particular accents in the music and in the movement to help dancers understand where they fit.
    • Muscle memory: By learning/ drilling some basic moves can easier to do them for choreo or to tap into muscle memory during an improvisational moment. Dancers can also develop a baseline from which to change “Oh, this move is kind of like that one except going a different direction”
    • Spatial and bodily awareness considers the directional patterns and changes in space to visualize choreographies while doing them. Its also possible to mentally attache certain rhythms or musical points to different points around the room or body orientations

Notes on Choreo & Memory

• Aphantasia

  • Aphantasia is when your brain has difficulty with visualization and forming mental images. Quick test: do you see words or pictures when you read a book?
  • It can be helpful to:
    • Videos of each dance for learning purposes
    • Making up your own labels or mantras for moves. Ex: the windmill, the octopus, “1, 2, skip hop”
    • Keep a notebook with diagrams and floor placements
    • Make a spreadsheet chunking out the song and associated movements
    • Mantras like “1, 2, skip hop”

• To or not to abandon ship

  Sometimes when practicing a move or choreo it can get really frustrating to remember an exact rhythm and/or aesthetic. In these moments it can be good to ask yourself how important is it to get it “exactly right”. How does getting it play into your own dance value set?

  • Reasons why ‘getting it’ might be important:
    • You might want to showcase the style of an original dancer (i.e. I want to do this swing out variation like Al Mins)
    • You are performing with a group and need to look the same on some parts
  • Reasons why developing your own path might be important:
    • A big value in jazz-continuum dances is expressing your individuality
    • You want to add your own twist/ideas to a segment
    • Doing your own thing on one part helps you stay relaxed and helps get from one point to the next

Resources: