ABOUTELEMENTSOne way to analyze dance is to break it down into its key elements,which can easily be remembered with the acronym BEST: Body, Energy, Space, and Time.Here are aspects of each element to consider when watching or thinking about a dance performance.BODYPARTSSHAPESACTIONSLOCOMOTORhead, neck, torso (hips, abdomen, shoulders, back), arms and elbows, hands andwrists, fingers, legs, knees and feet (ankles and toes)curved, twisted, angular, small/large, flat/roundednon-locomotor: stretch, bend, twist, rise, fall, circle, shake, suspend, sway,swing, collapsewalk, run, leap, hop, jump, gallop, skip, slideENERGYFORCEWEIGHTSTRENGTHFLOWsmooth or sharpheavy or lighttight or relaxedsudden or sustained, bound or freeSPACELEVELDIRECTIONSIZEDESTINATIONPATHWAYSFOCUSlow, middle, highforward, backward, up, down, sidewayslarge or smallwhere we movepatterns we make with the body on the floor and in the airwhere you lookTIMERHYTHMSPEEDACCENTDURATIONPHRASESpulse, beattime or tempolight or strong emphasislengthdance sentences, patterns and combinations38 UMS 09-10
RESOURCESUMS 09-1039